ATTENTION:
GENERAL MANAGER

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PARTS MANAGER

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CLAIMS PERSONNEL

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IMPORTANT - All
Service Personnel
Should Read and
Initial in the boxes
provided, right.

SERVICE MANAGER

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© 2019 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

PRODUCT CAMPAIGN BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY:
SUBJECT:

2019MY Ascent

NUMBER: WUV-07

CVT Chain Slip

NHTSA ID: 19V855
DATE: 12/05/19
REVISED: 11/10/20

INTRODUCTION:
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 model year Ascent vehicles in which midjoint of the transmission hydraulic sensor harness was made with dissimilar materials (tinplate and
copper) which may cause an oxide film to form. If an oxide film forms, the electrical resistance may
increase, potentially causing an incorrect measurement of the hydraulic pressure. If the fluid pressure
is measured higher than its actual value, the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) programming was
not robust enough to compensate for variation and would instruct the valve to lower the hydraulic
pressure, thus potentially reducing the tension on the drive chain. Customers may experience
irregular noise and/or vibration while driving, and/or warning lamp illumination. A total of 76,842
U.S. vehicles will be affected by this recall.
AFFECTED VEHICLES:
Model Year

Carline

Production Date Range

Affected VIN Range

2019

Ascent

February 22, 2018 – May 7, 2019

K3400001– K3481557

Not all vehicles in the production range listed above are affected by this recall. Coverage must be
confirmed by using the Vehicle Coverage Inquiry function on Subarunet.com prior to repair. This
information is now available.
REASON FOR THIS RECALL:
The transmission hydraulic sensor may incorrectly measure the hydraulic fluid pressure. If the fluid
pressure is measured higher than its actual value, the hydraulic pressure will be reduced. If this
occurs, the drive chain may not have the proper tension.

CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS COULD
RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.
Subaru Service Bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians ONLY. They
are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles,
or to provide information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly
trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to
do the job correctly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that this
Service Bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition.

Subaru of America, Inc. is
ISO 14001 Compliant
ISO 14001 is the international standard
for
excellence
in
Environmental
Management Systems. Please recycle
or dispose of automotive products in a
manner that is friendly to our environment
and in accordance with all local, state
and federal laws and regulations.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUV-70R; Revised:11/10/20

Page 1 of 11

SAFETY RISK:
Customers may be able to recognize this condition from irregular noise and/or vibration while
driving, and/or warning lamp illumination. Continuing to operate a vehicle experiencing this
condition may ultimately result in loss of power while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
DESCRIPTION OF THE REMEDY:
Subaru retailers will reprogram the TCU. Following the TCU reprogramming and after a drive test,
DTC codes will be inspected and if certain DTCs are present, the hydraulic sensor harness will
be replaced with an updated part. If vehicles are confirmed to have experienced, or are currently
experiencing low drive chain tension, the transmission assembly will be replaced.
OWNER NOTIFICATION:
Subaru will notify all potentially affected vehicle owners by first class mail within 60 days. Owners
with a valid email address on file with Subaru will also be notified by email.
RETAILER RESPONSIBILITY:
Please be advised that it is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle
covered by a recall under a sale or lease until the defect is remedied. Therefore, any Authorized
Subaru Retailer failing to perform the applicable service procedures to correct all affected vehicles
in their inventory prior to the vehicle being placed in service may be subject to civil penalties of up
to $21,000 per violation (i.e., for each vehicle), as provided in 49 CFR §578.6 and will also be in
breach of the Subaru Dealer Agreement.
Any vehicles listed in any recall/campaign that are in retailer stock must be:
•

Immediately identified.

•

Tagged or otherwise marked to prevent their delivery or use prior to repair.

•

Repaired in accordance with the repair procedures outlined in the Product Campaign Bulletin

Retailers are to promptly follow the applicable service procedures, to correct all affected vehicles in
their inventory (used, demo & SSLP). Additionally, whenever a vehicle subject to this recall is taken
into retailer inventory necessary steps should be taken to ensure the recall correction has been made
before selling or releasing the vehicle.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUV-70R; Revised:11/10/20

Page 2 of 11

SERVICE PROCEDURE:
REMINDER: Customer satisfaction and retention starts with performing quality repairs.
Flow Chart:

PARTS INFORMATION:
In a VERY RARE case where the CVT assembly or CVT wiring harness replacement is determined
to be necessary, the parts ordering information is below:
•

Transmission Harness: 24031AA851

IMPORTANT: NEVER use old harness p.n. 24031AA850 for this repair. Any remaining inventory
of this p.n. must be scrapped.
•

CVT Assembly: 31000AK130 for Ascent WITH auxiliary CVTF Cooler

•

CVT Assembly: 31000AK140 for Ascent WITHOUT auxiliary CVTF Cooler

Continued...
Bulletin Number: WUV-70R; Revised:11/10/20

Page 3 of 11

Step 1- Connect the SSM4 and perform a DTC Check to see if any of the following DTCs are stored
in either the TCM “Current” or “History” memory.

•

DTC P0842, P0867 or NO DTCs stored: Proceed to Step 2 and check for any abnormal
sounds or vibration while performing a stall test and test drive. See applicable Service
Manual for stall test procedure.

•

DTC P0730 or P0757 stored (very rare case): Replace the CVT assembly and flush the
CVTF cooler following the procedures in the applicable Service Manual. When complete,
clear the TCM of any DTCs and proceed to Step 4.

Step 2- Perform a stall test and test drive the vehicle to check for any abnormal sounds or vibration.
IMPORTANT NOTE: A brief “chirp” -type sound heard when engaging Reverse or Drive is a nondetrimental operating characteristic of this model CVT.
•

No abnormal sounds or vibration detected during the stall test and test drive: proceed to
Step 3.

•

Abnormal sounds or vibration detected: replace the CVT assembly following the procedure
in the applicable Service Manual including CVTF cooler flushing. When complete, proceed
to Step 4.

Step 3- Was DTC P0842 or P0867 stored in the TCM while performing Step 1 above?
•

No DTCs stored: proceed to Step 4 and reprogram the TCM.

•

P0842 or P0867 is stored (very rare case): replace the CVT harness. See the applicable
Service Manual for the CVT harness replacement procedures. For more experienced Subaru
Technicians, an alternative procedure is provided in the Harness Replacement Tips section
below. When harness replacement is complete, clear the TCM memory of any codes,
proceed to Step 4.

Step 4- Reprogram the TCM following the normal FlashWrite procedure and perform the CVT
Relearn procedure supplied in the applicable Service Manual.
IMPORTANT CAUTIONS:
•

The PAK file is different for each car model.

•

Turn off all the electrical components to prevent the vehicle battery from going dead.

•

The Transmission Control Module may be damaged if the reprogramming is interrupted due
to the PC battery going dead during the reprogramming, etc.

•

Supply power to the PC at all times during reprogramming.

•

Never turn off the PC power before reprogramming is completed.

•

NEVER disconnect any of the cables (power supply, DLC, USB cable) during
reprogramming.
Continued...

Bulletin Number: WUV-70R; Revised:11/10/20

Page 4 of 11

PACK FILE APPLICABILITY:
Model

PAK File Name

New TCM Part
Number

Old TCM Part
Numbers

Decryption
Keyword

New TCM CID
Number

Ascent WITH Auxiliary
CVTF Cooler

30919AF99C.pak

30919AF99C

30919AF99A, 99B

06F4F4FF

R8FEF700

Ascent W/OUT Auxiliary
CVTF Cooler

30919AF98C.pak

30919AF98C

30919AF98A, 98B

2DAA4E53

R8FEE700

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) highly recommends connecting either the Subaru Midtronics DCA8000 Dynamic Diagnostic Charging System or the Subaru Midtronics GR8-100 Diagnostic Battery
Charger to the vehicle and utilizing the Power Supply Mode feature anytime a vehicle control module
is being reprogrammed.
Once the Midtronics charger is connected to the vehicle, if the battery is fully charged, it takes less
than three (3) minutes to boot-up the charger, select the Power Supply Mode, and have the battery
voltage stabilized and ready for reprogramming.
NOTES:
• For instructions on using the power supply mode, reference the applicable User Manual for
the Midtronics DCA-8000 Dynamic Diagnostic Charging System and the Midtronics GR81100 Diagnostic Battery Charger on STIS.
•

Confirm all electrical loads such as lights, audio, HVAC, seat heaters, and rear defroster are
all switched OFF before setting up the charger for Power Supply Mode.

•

Select the correct battery type (Flooded, EFB, Gel, AGM or AGM Spiral).

•

Input the CCA which matches the vehicle’s battery. NOTE: OE and replacement batteries
have different CCA ratings. Always confirm the battery’s CCA rating before proceeding.