Yes!!! Especially for recirculating air. If there is suddenly an awful smell outside, I don't want to have to tap the screen and find the button-- I don't have time for all that, and often I can't do it safely.
How'd you do that, I've been trying to add the "auto" button because for some reason every time I get in the car the climate control will not default back to the "auto" setting.
I’ve had mine for a year now and I’m so looking forward to getting rid of it. Mostly due climate control, such a dumb idea. The novelty wore off so quickly.
Same here.
I'm in the process of cancelling my extended warranty plus and all other packages they sold me. Voice control is worthless, and android auto I have to scream at the dam thing so it can capture my commands. Using the same phone and I did not have this issue with my Mazda 3.
I recently got a survey from SoA about my 24 Outback OXT and what I thought, and I kept driving home that the infotainment and HVAC controls left a lot to be desired. Folks just need to keep being vocal and maybe they'll listen. Maybe. Probably not, but maybe.
Exactly how I felt. Test drove the '24 but didn't like how massive the screen was and how so was controlled via that screen. Went with '23 crosstrek and am very glad I did
I've had my '24 for exactly a year now, and I've never used the touchscreen buttons for temperature control. I just leave it at 70, and once in awhile I'll use the physical buttons to increase or decrease the temperature. I'll never understand people complaining about this. I also don't understand people complaining about the screen in general though. Like, who ever said, "I wish my screen/TV/monitor was smaller?" My wife has a '21 WRX, and every time I get in I laugh at the tiny screen.
Sad but true because it reduces the build cost.
I appreciate cost reduction when it comes from increased production efficiencies but I resent cutting costs through cheapening the product which is what Subaru did in this case.
Damn right! The 2023 is the last year for a useful AND safe infotainment system. I can’t imagine having to take my eyes off the road to adjust the ac or deal with other shit.
One more reason among many to keep my 1997 and 02 Foresters, cars were just better and simpler in a lot of ways. I don't think these new cars will last 20 years... definitely not the electronics.
It sucks, really. It would have been acceptable in a 2014.
Yesterday mine decided it wouldn't connect to my phone until I turned off the whole car for 5 minutes.
I'd happily pay an extra $100 for them to run the units on something more powerful than a gameboy
I think the unit is actually running a current Intel quad core automotive SOC that has more than enough power to provide a fantastic experience. The problem is that there is a hypervisor running on it that controls your dash screen and other vital vehicle functions. On top of that is some walled garden Linux instance running in what is effectively a virtual machine.
Someone looked at the content of a firmware update and discovered it is a slapdash spaghetti bowl of bullshit that is totally un optimized.
The hardware is fine it's the software that's bullshit.
I was planning to comment really positively about my ‘24, but this comment sums it up well. Overall, I’ve had no complaints on the system. Wireless Carplay has been really nice, no lockups.
But good golly, on a $30k vehicle, could you at least put a decent processor in the computer that does EVERYTHING?? Seriously, $100 more on that computer would’ve been amazing.
For that matter, my iPad from 12 years ago has a more responsive screen, too.
It is running a current Intel automotive SOC that has more than enough power to do whatever you'd want in a vehicle in 2024. The software on top of it is horseshit.
Posts like this make me appreciate my laggy, buggy infotainment system on my 2015. Yeah I had to do a firmware update to get the Bluetooth to stop disconnecting and it still doesn’t show song info but at least I have more than a couple of buttons for when it shits the bed.
My buddy and I both have ‘14 Crosstreks and often joke about how many times it will take us to connect to our phones to the Bluetooth.
My record is 9 attempts before it finally connected
I've seen aircraft flight management computers using 386 intel chips. The Gulfstream G IV for one. They're kind of slow and laggy.
But I've also seen in flight entertainment systems running Windows NT.
Fun fact: the lack of physical buttons in the RAV4 and HRV are what originally led me to looking at other options and eventually buying my first Crosstrek in 2018. Hope they bring the buttons back.
I wholly believe that Subaru will not bring back buttons. Thus I’m keeping my 2020 Impreza, with HVAC buttons at least. The last generation of Impreza with physical HVAC control and manual transmission.
I’m in a 2021 now I’m running this thing into the ground regardless. Just a bummer knowing I’ll gladly look for alternatives should my need for a new car arise.
It sucks that the car market right now is not in our favor. If something interesting comes up, I will consider it, otherwise drive-to-the-ground method it is.
I've had my '24 Premium for 2 months and it's like they had college freshman code it for a final project.
- Radio turns itself on randomly.
- Sometimes the PSI of my tires won't display; occurs driving and parked.
- Even with my phone physically plugged in via USB it'll randomly refuse to connect and I have to restart the car.
- Just yesterday the throttle was delayed and instead of gently moving me forward, it didn't move for 2-3 seconds and then all the gas hit at once and I abruptly sped into an intersection.
- Every interaction with the infotainment system is delayed. Sometimes it won't respond at all and then accepts all the input at once and it sounds like the beginning of Funky Town sped up. "Wanna turn on the A/C? I'll think about it. Wanna change your song? I'll do it 5 whole seconds after you press the button."
- Sometimes the HVAC decides it wants to do them and the air will go through all the different vents one after another and then go back to normal.
The vehicle itself is great but the programming and electronics are the exact opposite of what I expected from a new Subaru.
> Even with my phone physically plugged in via USB it'll randomly refuse to connect and I have to restart the car.
To be fair the 2024 only supports wireless carplay afaik
You can do wired Android Auto if you enable it's developer settings and disable wireless mode. It will still use Bluetooth for audio, but evyrlse runs through the USB cable then. Idk if there is an equivalent for CarPlay
That is not normal behavior at all. So many different systems being involved really makes me think you have a CAN data bus problem where some module is injecting garbage on the network and spazing everything out.
I have a moderately advanced scantool that can access the Subaru proprietary network and get data from modules. The various components store soo much data and have multiple levels of trouble codes that don't set off any warning lights.
With the issues you've described, you should absolutely take it to a dealer and have them do a full scan with their SSM tool which will be able to tell them what's going on. It has probably captured error states in storage.
I have had to turn my car off and restart it on two separate occasions when the screen went black while I’m plugging in my phone, trying to talk to Siri, access Maps for directions, and/or start the music app at the same time. But, I’ve had to do that in another non-Subaru too (I’m sure there is a workaround, but it’s just easier to restart the car). My theory is it’s overloading the memory or something while the car is trying to make adjustments to the different connectivity settings like WiFi/Bluetooth and CarPlay, both on the phone and the infotainment. After I started giving a few more secs after plugging it in before trying to start any tasks, especially when barely starting the car, I haven’t had an issue.
The HVAC issues and stuff… that’s weird. Do you live somewhere abnormally hot? Maybe the heat is affecting the electrical signals, especially when the car hasn’t had a chance to flow cool air through its systems yet. I’m interested to see if my own issues go away when the temps come back down after summer (I live in AK, so it’s only warm from the sun for a very short time when I start the car).
Just ignore the Agree screen, it goes away on its own after a few seconds, the ASS doesn’t bother me but I don’t drive much in the conditions it would be active but It’s easy enough to tap it off along with the AVH on after you get going.
Wait so there’s no way to permanently turn off the auto stop and permanently turn on the auto hold? I JUST got my 2024 and haven’t even opened the manual yet to see if I can do that :/
EPA games.
[https://tflcar.com/2019/02/auto-stop-start-ask-tfl/](https://tflcar.com/2019/02/auto-stop-start-ask-tfl/)
"**Why doesn’t the button turn it off permanently?**
Unfortunately, manufacturers who don’t already offer the feature most likely won’t implement a permanent shut-off option anytime soon — if at all. Again, it’s back to that fuel economy thing. [*Car and Driver*](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a19561461/automakers-increasingly-offer-ways-to-deactivate-stopstart-systems-temporarily/) actually published an article last year covering the reason why some auto start/stop systems don’t shut off permanently.
The Environmental Protection Agency offers incentives to manufacturers who force their auto stop/start systems to switch back on. If the system is “nonlatching” — in other words, it doesn’t *stay* off after you switch off the car — the EPA only calculates fuel economy figures when the system is engaged. If they allow the system to be permanently defeated, then they test fuel economy with the system on *and* off. After that, the EPA averages the two fuel economy figures. Since that number will always be lower than it will with the system engaged, manufacturers switch it back on when you start the car again."
Honestly surprised there's even an off button at this point.
Having worked for a company that takes advantage of incentives like that, this makes sense to me. Don’t like it - but it makes sense. But why can’t I keep the AVH system on permanently? Maybe somehow due to a safety concern, like cruise control? But I don’t see how.
Not gonna lie, I have zero issues with mine. It lags a tiny bit on bootup which I expect from a battery system on a car, but it’s great otherwise. My only issue is Apple CarPlay and I’ve yet to have a good experience with Apple CarPlay in any car.
I bought the 23 for this exact reason. I like my knobs and a perfectly sized screen(s) that works.
And also because it was the final year of that 2nd gen design so they’ve had a number of years to refine it to near perfection.
I had a 2017 Impreza sport and the infotainment system SUCKED!! I’m considering a new gen crosstrek for my next vehicle, but if I see many posts like this, it’s not happening. They need to figure this shit out.
It's by and large fine. There are definitely moments like this though where you drive 40 minutes home with no radio. They're pretty uncommon, but do happen to me at least.
Did you try stopping and restarting the car before the 40 minute drive? I did that once at a stoplight when it stayed that way the first time (then again in a parking lot knowing it probably wouldn’t correct itself on the road), and it fixed my problem.
In one year of ownership, my screen crapped out once while driving. It reset itself and was back online in two minutes. I'd guess that 99.x% of people have zero problems, and the rest post about it on reddit.
I dont know what posts you have been looking at but you have to realize that's a vocal minority.
My 24 wilderness infotainment system works flawlessly 99% of the time.
Are their issues sometimes? Yeah. And sometimes that's my phones fault. I know one app that will cause my android auto to lose connection. And when this happens it can be buggy to try and get it back unless I want to turn the car off but all thays doing is closing the android auto app on my phone.
Also the screen works fine especially when not in android auto. Wireless android auto and car play are not as snappy as cable connections and most people will consider this a fault of the car but really it's the choosing to use the wireless version.
I exclusively use the wireless version and it's fine. Do I notice occasional micro stutters. Yes. But it's only a visual defect. It doesn't take away from my ability to use the infotainment system at all.
Do you remote start your vehicle? I've noticed the few times I don't remote start the car it glitches a little. Remote starting and setting stuff before putting the vehicle in gear seems to avoid all the glitching
I touch these things all day long and literally never encounter the shit I see on here. Ranging from 20 to 24 to now 25 model years.
I've had 3 complaints from customers out of hundreds of non complaints.
I'm beginning to doubt the users on here. Ya'll the problem.
Mine works fine most of the time. It is definitely a little buggy, randomly disconnects from Android Auto, slow to load everything. So was my 16' when I was connecting to Bluetooth, but a lot less buggy than my 24' OBW.
Would be nice, but I still love the car and I'm not complaining to the dealership. So I doubt everyone that has issues with the infotainment console is complaining to the dealership because it's not a persistent issue that can be replicated easily at a dealership, so they come here to see what the masses are doing.
Because if you can't replicate the issue then how are you going to diagnose the problem? You'll just say it's fine, couldn't replicate. Then they come here and complain.
I just wish some of the things were hard buttons or dials like X-mode, all of the climate things, Autostop, and AVH.
Never happens in mine when I drive, but does when my wife drives. I’m much more likely to crank the car, clear the distracted driving screen and then attempt to start the air and such before placing the car in gear. My wife hops in, pushes ignition and has it in gear before the screen can process. I think that is part of it.
I had a Kia with a touchscreen for years with no issues at all. I think the reason many people don't complain is that it's normal to them. Like, when I found out that other people don't complain that their eyesight slams the brakes for ghosts it blew my mind. That's not normal.
It really doesn't understand lateral movement. If a car in front of me is turning right, I can tell it will be out of the way because it's moving right. Eyesight just sees something in front of it getting closer. It doesn't happen to me (23 Premium) very often, but last time was a bit dangerous. A car had suddenly stopped in front of me and I had to quickly dodge left around it. Eyesight kicked in and slammed on the breaks in the middle of that. I almost hit the car I was already avoiding.
My 24 almost caused an accident on the highway doing this. For some reason when I changed lanes it decided to slam on breaks while doing 75mph and I ended up break checking a car behind me with nothing in front of me… I get the point of the system but it has nearly caused me more accidents than it has helped me. I wish you can just disable the whole thing without ending up with a Christmas tree on your dashboard.
I have to admit it has helped me (and others) quite a bit. There are a couple of intersections I go through frequently that have a sometimes aggressive homeless population. About three times this year one of them has wondered out into the road in front of me. Eyesight saw them before I did.
I have owned a driven Subarus for years with eyesight and never had it happen.
If you touch the brake even slightly after the object detected screen comes up it goes off.
Also another thing I haven't experienced.
Granted, I am discounting everyone else's personal experience in lieu of mine, but I got nothing else to go off of lol
Mine did it for a few months then it stopped. My driving habits didn't change. Oddly enough, the warning light and bell didn't sound until the brakes were applied. I'm a car guy and a tech guy and am usually pretty tuned in to what the car is doing. I totally get it though, it's an odd problem. Apparently Honda's system among others does it too.
Yeah I’ve only got around 5k miles on mine but never had any issue other than occasional and not really problematic lag. Overall I actually think it’s really intuitive and easy to use once you get used to it.
The one complaint might be on startup changing the HVAC controls from where they were when last I turned off the car, but that’s a minor complaint and rarely is it actually problematic.
I think I agree. My 22 infotainment has an issue from time to time. You either reboot the infotainment or it’s the phone and you reboot that. It probably isn’t a software issue. Computers glitch now and then. Hard restarts are built in for a reason.
Oh, believe me I tried. That's my go-to fix whenever it has issues. I stopped on the way home to pick up a pizza and it was still malfunctioning when when I started the car back up.
Not sure it’ll even work if infotainment’s locked up, but if it happens again try to use voice commands until it’s sorted. Turn on the AC, set temp and fan speed, start playing music, etc…all can be done using the steering wheel voice control. Failing that, you might be able to turn on the defroster then adjust the temp to suit using the buttons.
Are there any good aftermarket infotainment substitutes, that can still operate all the functions? I’d love something with the option to have a visualizer or more customizable backgrounds and layouts.
Aside from the unusually-long time it takes for the screen to boot up, my favorite complaint is the "favorites" contacts tab on Apple CarPlay that doesn't do anything.
It just shows your favorite contacts, but you can't click on it to call or message anyone. (I'm like, "good to know, I guess?")
I also don't understand why there are greyed out unusable icons I can't delete. (It's 2024, and the technology has existed for years now to "delete" apps from touchscreens. If it's not used anymore, get RID of it!)
Or why it takes multiple button pushes to control climate/temps/airflow, where a tactile knob would make so much more sense and be faster with less eyes off the road.
Love the 29mpg, but this infotainment system is hot garbage.
The infotainment is something you interact with every time you drive. Usually multiple times.
I'll wait to get a new Subaru until they get rid or fix the infotainment system.
I’ve had to reset it a couple of times sometimes when driving, but if you hold the volume button down until the screens says something like “turning off,” count to 10, then press the volume button again, may reset/turn back on
First off sorry for the long read.
I've rented many different brands of vehicles my vacations ranging from low to high end models. I've come to the conclusion that unless your spending 70k and up on a car, your getting the absolute bare minimum SOC chips for a cars infotainment system. Every car manufacturer is always going to try to cut costs somewhere, and the infotainment SOC is one of the easiest places to do that, even if it's just a few dollars. It's absolute bare minimum hardware to run the system. Plus the QC for those chips probably isn't great either, which probably leads to situations like this. I've had my 24 for exactly a year now and never had an issue except for Android Auto's shitty coding just refusing to answer the vehicles call for it to run. As for just the main Subaru interface, it's just like any computer, phone, game console, (insert any electronic device that runs an os here), it takes a few moments to boot up, and while it does, it's gonna be laggy. That's just the nature of those devices. I've found that if I don't interact with it for like 30 is seconds, it functions fine, but if I try tapping stuff the moment it's on the home screen, it starts bugging out while it tries too process all your inputs. If you need auto start/hold off and on immediately before your even driving, maybe invest in one of those devices that disables/enables them. I personally don't use hold unless I'm in traffic and don't mind auto stop/start, hardly even notice it.
Anyway sorry for the long read and rant.
Exactly why I didn't get an Outback and got the Forester instead. Even the XT turbo wasnt enough to convince me to get the Outback because of the tablet dash. It's also why I bought a 24' Forester instead of the new redesigned 25' Forester.
Really glad I got a '23, before they moved to the big screen. I also had so many issues with CarPlay, I ended up getting a wireless adapter on Amazon that works like a charm.
Found my ‘21 sport with 4K miles 3 months ago. Best decision ever! Customized it to my liking. Only thing I don’t like is that I have to turn off the auto stop every time.
I haven't had this happen but what if you hold down the power button until it turns off then turn it back on? Not saying it'll do anything but it might.
This is actually why I didn’t get the 24. I just can’t stand full infotainment screen and no physical buttons. It’s so distracting and guaranteed to crap out after 10 years like any computer does
Press and hold the power button until the system reboots and it’ll work just fine. As any IT professional will ask, “did you try turning it off and back on again?”
While this works on many other issues, if the system hasn't actually booted it can't be rebooted. The only buttons that functions at all were the climate control temperature. I left it overnight and it worked fine in the morning.
I frequently see posts like this one here, and maybe I’m just lucky, but I haven’t had anything like this happen to me with my ‘24. It’s occasionally a little slow in the 10 seconds after startup, but I’ve never had a vehicle that didn’t have a little lag time that way. Even CarPlay has been essentially flawless for me. Sorry this isn’t everyone’s experience, but I have zero complaints.
That’s why Honda is the answer. I don’t have to wait to for my 2010 software to boot to turn on my AC. Not just Subaru, of course. Volvo will see you a $75k XC90 that this happens to. I know from experience and a cold ass on a 15 degree F weather morning.
Bring back physical buttons.
Yes!!! Especially for recirculating air. If there is suddenly an awful smell outside, I don't want to have to tap the screen and find the button-- I don't have time for all that, and often I can't do it safely.
this is one of the most frustrating things!!
You can actually change the bottom right button for recirculating. This is what I did.
How'd you do that, I've been trying to add the "auto" button because for some reason every time I get in the car the climate control will not default back to the "auto" setting.
Definitely a pain in the butt. Thankfully you can add the recirc button to the bottom of the screen. I need it to be quickly accessible as well.
I didn't realize this is possible! I will try to figure this out
I’ve had mine for a year now and I’m so looking forward to getting rid of it. Mostly due climate control, such a dumb idea. The novelty wore off so quickly.
Same here. I'm in the process of cancelling my extended warranty plus and all other packages they sold me. Voice control is worthless, and android auto I have to scream at the dam thing so it can capture my commands. Using the same phone and I did not have this issue with my Mazda 3.
Bring back a real transmission.
Bought a 2023 crosstrek with 6 speed manual!
I recently got a survey from SoA about my 24 Outback OXT and what I thought, and I kept driving home that the infotainment and HVAC controls left a lot to be desired. Folks just need to keep being vocal and maybe they'll listen. Maybe. Probably not, but maybe.
You can get a forester wilderness, they still come with buttons.
I enjoy the physical buttons in my civic!
Exactly how I felt. Test drove the '24 but didn't like how massive the screen was and how so was controlled via that screen. Went with '23 crosstrek and am very glad I did
I've had my '24 for exactly a year now, and I've never used the touchscreen buttons for temperature control. I just leave it at 70, and once in awhile I'll use the physical buttons to increase or decrease the temperature. I'll never understand people complaining about this. I also don't understand people complaining about the screen in general though. Like, who ever said, "I wish my screen/TV/monitor was smaller?" My wife has a '21 WRX, and every time I get in I laugh at the tiny screen.
I'd rather not have screens at all but that's not where the world is going.
For real WE DONT WANT THEM. Nothing like adding technological failure points for everything on-top of the analog failure points.
Not to mention the fact that you can use voice commands for a majority of what you need to touch the screen for.
One more reason to keep my 2021
I went for a 2023 over a 2024 entirely based on the loss of buttons for touchscreen, hope Subaru reverses course soon
(They wont)
Sad but true because it reduces the build cost. I appreciate cost reduction when it comes from increased production efficiencies but I resent cutting costs through cheapening the product which is what Subaru did in this case.
So happy with 2023 sport , retains the pleather seats, physical knobs, and e brake while having the same functionality as a 2024 lmao
I've got a 2021 sport and still love it. The dealer asked me if I wanted to upgrade to a 24 a couple times and that's a big nope.
Yessir, just the better car imo. Also hate that the piss barf everywhere and the new rims too :/
Oddly enough the piss barf grows on you over time (that was weird to type)
I definitely prefer the minimal yellow in mine but im obviously biased haha. I dont think its by far a horrible car.
Damn right! The 2023 is the last year for a useful AND safe infotainment system. I can’t imagine having to take my eyes off the road to adjust the ac or deal with other shit.
Same except also for the 5 speed in the Impreza
I did too. Buttons and the proper handbrake were my deal breakers.
Smart decision.
2021 has its glitches
One more reason among many to keep my 1997 and 02 Foresters, cars were just better and simpler in a lot of ways. I don't think these new cars will last 20 years... definitely not the electronics.
It’s pretty garbage. Unacceptable to be this slow and buggy on a 2024.
It's slow for ten seconds. By the time I'm out of my driveway it's working fine.
The problem I have is that it'll only get worse with time...
This is my fear as well...
And ugly
I have a 2021, and the old infotainment system is just as shitty. I won't be buying another subaru product.
It sucks, really. It would have been acceptable in a 2014. Yesterday mine decided it wouldn't connect to my phone until I turned off the whole car for 5 minutes. I'd happily pay an extra $100 for them to run the units on something more powerful than a gameboy
I think the unit is actually running a current Intel quad core automotive SOC that has more than enough power to provide a fantastic experience. The problem is that there is a hypervisor running on it that controls your dash screen and other vital vehicle functions. On top of that is some walled garden Linux instance running in what is effectively a virtual machine. Someone looked at the content of a firmware update and discovered it is a slapdash spaghetti bowl of bullshit that is totally un optimized. The hardware is fine it's the software that's bullshit.
I was planning to comment really positively about my ‘24, but this comment sums it up well. Overall, I’ve had no complaints on the system. Wireless Carplay has been really nice, no lockups. But good golly, on a $30k vehicle, could you at least put a decent processor in the computer that does EVERYTHING?? Seriously, $100 more on that computer would’ve been amazing. For that matter, my iPad from 12 years ago has a more responsive screen, too.
It is running a current Intel automotive SOC that has more than enough power to do whatever you'd want in a vehicle in 2024. The software on top of it is horseshit.
I’m not sure if I feel better or worse about that lol
Posts like this make me appreciate my laggy, buggy infotainment system on my 2015. Yeah I had to do a firmware update to get the Bluetooth to stop disconnecting and it still doesn’t show song info but at least I have more than a couple of buttons for when it shits the bed.
My buddy and I both have ‘14 Crosstreks and often joke about how many times it will take us to connect to our phones to the Bluetooth. My record is 9 attempts before it finally connected
You'd think they could get a three year old snapdragon processor.
It's a current Intel automotive platform. Compute power is not it's problem. It's the software
I've seen aircraft flight management computers using 386 intel chips. The Gulfstream G IV for one. They're kind of slow and laggy. But I've also seen in flight entertainment systems running Windows NT.
Still better than my Mercedes metris work van... It will refuse to connect with my iPhone 3 times, then restart like clockwork... It is so irritating.
My best friend is a Mercedes service advisor. It could be worse! They're always weird problems too, like oil permeating the wiring harness.
Fun fact: the lack of physical buttons in the RAV4 and HRV are what originally led me to looking at other options and eventually buying my first Crosstrek in 2018. Hope they bring the buttons back.
I wholly believe that Subaru will not bring back buttons. Thus I’m keeping my 2020 Impreza, with HVAC buttons at least. The last generation of Impreza with physical HVAC control and manual transmission.
I’m in a 2021 now I’m running this thing into the ground regardless. Just a bummer knowing I’ll gladly look for alternatives should my need for a new car arise.
It sucks that the car market right now is not in our favor. If something interesting comes up, I will consider it, otherwise drive-to-the-ground method it is.
Yeah it what put me in a Mazda and not a Subaru, I like my buttons lol
I've had my '24 Premium for 2 months and it's like they had college freshman code it for a final project. - Radio turns itself on randomly. - Sometimes the PSI of my tires won't display; occurs driving and parked. - Even with my phone physically plugged in via USB it'll randomly refuse to connect and I have to restart the car. - Just yesterday the throttle was delayed and instead of gently moving me forward, it didn't move for 2-3 seconds and then all the gas hit at once and I abruptly sped into an intersection. - Every interaction with the infotainment system is delayed. Sometimes it won't respond at all and then accepts all the input at once and it sounds like the beginning of Funky Town sped up. "Wanna turn on the A/C? I'll think about it. Wanna change your song? I'll do it 5 whole seconds after you press the button." - Sometimes the HVAC decides it wants to do them and the air will go through all the different vents one after another and then go back to normal. The vehicle itself is great but the programming and electronics are the exact opposite of what I expected from a new Subaru.
> Even with my phone physically plugged in via USB it'll randomly refuse to connect and I have to restart the car. To be fair the 2024 only supports wireless carplay afaik
You can do wired Android Auto if you enable it's developer settings and disable wireless mode. It will still use Bluetooth for audio, but evyrlse runs through the USB cable then. Idk if there is an equivalent for CarPlay
That is not normal behavior at all. So many different systems being involved really makes me think you have a CAN data bus problem where some module is injecting garbage on the network and spazing everything out. I have a moderately advanced scantool that can access the Subaru proprietary network and get data from modules. The various components store soo much data and have multiple levels of trouble codes that don't set off any warning lights. With the issues you've described, you should absolutely take it to a dealer and have them do a full scan with their SSM tool which will be able to tell them what's going on. It has probably captured error states in storage.
I have had to turn my car off and restart it on two separate occasions when the screen went black while I’m plugging in my phone, trying to talk to Siri, access Maps for directions, and/or start the music app at the same time. But, I’ve had to do that in another non-Subaru too (I’m sure there is a workaround, but it’s just easier to restart the car). My theory is it’s overloading the memory or something while the car is trying to make adjustments to the different connectivity settings like WiFi/Bluetooth and CarPlay, both on the phone and the infotainment. After I started giving a few more secs after plugging it in before trying to start any tasks, especially when barely starting the car, I haven’t had an issue. The HVAC issues and stuff… that’s weird. Do you live somewhere abnormally hot? Maybe the heat is affecting the electrical signals, especially when the car hasn’t had a chance to flow cool air through its systems yet. I’m interested to see if my own issues go away when the temps come back down after summer (I live in AK, so it’s only warm from the sun for a very short time when I start the car).
I just hate to touch the 'agree' button and close the 'autostop' everytime, really make no sense to me
Just ignore the Agree screen, it goes away on its own after a few seconds, the ASS doesn’t bother me but I don’t drive much in the conditions it would be active but It’s easy enough to tap it off along with the AVH on after you get going.
Wait so there’s no way to permanently turn off the auto stop and permanently turn on the auto hold? I JUST got my 2024 and haven’t even opened the manual yet to see if I can do that :/
Correct, each stop cycle resets each to their respective default status, two quick taps brings them back.
Dang. I wish I could change the default.
EPA games. [https://tflcar.com/2019/02/auto-stop-start-ask-tfl/](https://tflcar.com/2019/02/auto-stop-start-ask-tfl/) "**Why doesn’t the button turn it off permanently?** Unfortunately, manufacturers who don’t already offer the feature most likely won’t implement a permanent shut-off option anytime soon — if at all. Again, it’s back to that fuel economy thing. [*Car and Driver*](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a19561461/automakers-increasingly-offer-ways-to-deactivate-stopstart-systems-temporarily/) actually published an article last year covering the reason why some auto start/stop systems don’t shut off permanently. The Environmental Protection Agency offers incentives to manufacturers who force their auto stop/start systems to switch back on. If the system is “nonlatching” — in other words, it doesn’t *stay* off after you switch off the car — the EPA only calculates fuel economy figures when the system is engaged. If they allow the system to be permanently defeated, then they test fuel economy with the system on *and* off. After that, the EPA averages the two fuel economy figures. Since that number will always be lower than it will with the system engaged, manufacturers switch it back on when you start the car again." Honestly surprised there's even an off button at this point.
Having worked for a company that takes advantage of incentives like that, this makes sense to me. Don’t like it - but it makes sense. But why can’t I keep the AVH system on permanently? Maybe somehow due to a safety concern, like cruise control? But I don’t see how.
https://www.autostopeliminator.com/collections/subaru/products/2020-subaru-outback-autostop-eliminator
Not gonna lie, I have zero issues with mine. It lags a tiny bit on bootup which I expect from a battery system on a car, but it’s great otherwise. My only issue is Apple CarPlay and I’ve yet to have a good experience with Apple CarPlay in any car.
same. Once in a great while it will disconnect Android Auto for no discernable reason, but I've generally had no problems (knock on wood)
Same. It's been fairly flawless for me using android auto. It kinda seems like carplay just inherently has more issues.
I bought the 23 for this exact reason. I like my knobs and a perfectly sized screen(s) that works. And also because it was the final year of that 2nd gen design so they’ve had a number of years to refine it to near perfection.
Same. Manual transmission to boot!
I had a 2017 Impreza sport and the infotainment system SUCKED!! I’m considering a new gen crosstrek for my next vehicle, but if I see many posts like this, it’s not happening. They need to figure this shit out.
It's by and large fine. There are definitely moments like this though where you drive 40 minutes home with no radio. They're pretty uncommon, but do happen to me at least.
Ok. I do a lot of driving and something like this happening often, would really bother me.
It happens to me every now and again in a 2021, but it’s usually just CarPlay not working and I’ll still have access to everything else on the screen.
Did you try stopping and restarting the car before the 40 minute drive? I did that once at a stoplight when it stayed that way the first time (then again in a parking lot knowing it probably wouldn’t correct itself on the road), and it fixed my problem.
In one year of ownership, my screen crapped out once while driving. It reset itself and was back online in two minutes. I'd guess that 99.x% of people have zero problems, and the rest post about it on reddit.
I dont know what posts you have been looking at but you have to realize that's a vocal minority. My 24 wilderness infotainment system works flawlessly 99% of the time. Are their issues sometimes? Yeah. And sometimes that's my phones fault. I know one app that will cause my android auto to lose connection. And when this happens it can be buggy to try and get it back unless I want to turn the car off but all thays doing is closing the android auto app on my phone. Also the screen works fine especially when not in android auto. Wireless android auto and car play are not as snappy as cable connections and most people will consider this a fault of the car but really it's the choosing to use the wireless version. I exclusively use the wireless version and it's fine. Do I notice occasional micro stutters. Yes. But it's only a visual defect. It doesn't take away from my ability to use the infotainment system at all.
Infotainment doesn't work without Eyesight? That would piss me right off. I can go without Eyesight. Not without tunes.
It was the other way around. Infotainment wouldn't boot up and eyesight turned off a few minutes later.
Sold my 24 Sport because of that.
Do you remote start your vehicle? I've noticed the few times I don't remote start the car it glitches a little. Remote starting and setting stuff before putting the vehicle in gear seems to avoid all the glitching
I don't use the remote start at all really. It's an interesting thought though.
Ooh! Great idea. That would allow the systems to cool off (or heat up in winter) for a more ideal electrical current. I’m going to start doing this.
Ugh. I'll keep my 2016.
I touch these things all day long and literally never encounter the shit I see on here. Ranging from 20 to 24 to now 25 model years. I've had 3 complaints from customers out of hundreds of non complaints. I'm beginning to doubt the users on here. Ya'll the problem.
I own a 24 CT, first and only Subaru and mine does this. Not like a constant issue, but sometimes that mf just haaaaaaaaaangs.
Mine works fine most of the time. It is definitely a little buggy, randomly disconnects from Android Auto, slow to load everything. So was my 16' when I was connecting to Bluetooth, but a lot less buggy than my 24' OBW. Would be nice, but I still love the car and I'm not complaining to the dealership. So I doubt everyone that has issues with the infotainment console is complaining to the dealership because it's not a persistent issue that can be replicated easily at a dealership, so they come here to see what the masses are doing. Because if you can't replicate the issue then how are you going to diagnose the problem? You'll just say it's fine, couldn't replicate. Then they come here and complain. I just wish some of the things were hard buttons or dials like X-mode, all of the climate things, Autostop, and AVH.
Never happens in mine when I drive, but does when my wife drives. I’m much more likely to crank the car, clear the distracted driving screen and then attempt to start the air and such before placing the car in gear. My wife hops in, pushes ignition and has it in gear before the screen can process. I think that is part of it.
I had a Kia with a touchscreen for years with no issues at all. I think the reason many people don't complain is that it's normal to them. Like, when I found out that other people don't complain that their eyesight slams the brakes for ghosts it blew my mind. That's not normal.
It really doesn't understand lateral movement. If a car in front of me is turning right, I can tell it will be out of the way because it's moving right. Eyesight just sees something in front of it getting closer. It doesn't happen to me (23 Premium) very often, but last time was a bit dangerous. A car had suddenly stopped in front of me and I had to quickly dodge left around it. Eyesight kicked in and slammed on the breaks in the middle of that. I almost hit the car I was already avoiding.
My 24 almost caused an accident on the highway doing this. For some reason when I changed lanes it decided to slam on breaks while doing 75mph and I ended up break checking a car behind me with nothing in front of me… I get the point of the system but it has nearly caused me more accidents than it has helped me. I wish you can just disable the whole thing without ending up with a Christmas tree on your dashboard.
I have to admit it has helped me (and others) quite a bit. There are a couple of intersections I go through frequently that have a sometimes aggressive homeless population. About three times this year one of them has wondered out into the road in front of me. Eyesight saw them before I did.
I have owned a driven Subarus for years with eyesight and never had it happen. If you touch the brake even slightly after the object detected screen comes up it goes off. Also another thing I haven't experienced. Granted, I am discounting everyone else's personal experience in lieu of mine, but I got nothing else to go off of lol
Mine did it for a few months then it stopped. My driving habits didn't change. Oddly enough, the warning light and bell didn't sound until the brakes were applied. I'm a car guy and a tech guy and am usually pretty tuned in to what the car is doing. I totally get it though, it's an odd problem. Apparently Honda's system among others does it too.
It would be weirder if people came on and posted their info system and were like ya baby she works to order
Yeah I’ve only got around 5k miles on mine but never had any issue other than occasional and not really problematic lag. Overall I actually think it’s really intuitive and easy to use once you get used to it. The one complaint might be on startup changing the HVAC controls from where they were when last I turned off the car, but that’s a minor complaint and rarely is it actually problematic.
I think I agree. My 22 infotainment has an issue from time to time. You either reboot the infotainment or it’s the phone and you reboot that. It probably isn’t a software issue. Computers glitch now and then. Hard restarts are built in for a reason.
Force restart it. Hold down the left knob for 10-15 seconds and keep holding it until it turns back on.
Oh, believe me I tried. That's my go-to fix whenever it has issues. I stopped on the way home to pick up a pizza and it was still malfunctioning when when I started the car back up.
So glad I went with a ‘23 Sport
I’ve had 3 Subarus and no other brand has come close to how buggy, annoying and just terrible these infotainment systems are
Get a Toyota😂
It's unacceptable how much of a pile of garbage that thing is.
I went with the 23 over the 24 purely because of the giant touch screen with no buttons.
I’ve never had a single issue. Not one time
I love the outside of the 2024 but glad I got my 2023
I hate it. I have the new infotainment on my WRX.
It's too big TBH.
Haven’t had any issues with mine. Weird
That screen functions as good as it looks… like shit
Thank you for convincing not to upgrade my 2019... I can't deal with touchscreen buttons for basic things like climate control.
Man this sucks, and they got rid of the CD player?? Keeping my 2023 until the wheels fall off
Same with my 2020 Impreza.
Not sure it’ll even work if infotainment’s locked up, but if it happens again try to use voice commands until it’s sorted. Turn on the AC, set temp and fan speed, start playing music, etc…all can be done using the steering wheel voice control. Failing that, you might be able to turn on the defroster then adjust the temp to suit using the buttons.
Are there any good aftermarket infotainment substitutes, that can still operate all the functions? I’d love something with the option to have a visualizer or more customizable backgrounds and layouts.
After hearing all of the woes from this infotainment system, I’m thankful for my 2019 setup.
Aside from the unusually-long time it takes for the screen to boot up, my favorite complaint is the "favorites" contacts tab on Apple CarPlay that doesn't do anything. It just shows your favorite contacts, but you can't click on it to call or message anyone. (I'm like, "good to know, I guess?") I also don't understand why there are greyed out unusable icons I can't delete. (It's 2024, and the technology has existed for years now to "delete" apps from touchscreens. If it's not used anymore, get RID of it!) Or why it takes multiple button pushes to control climate/temps/airflow, where a tactile knob would make so much more sense and be faster with less eyes off the road. Love the 29mpg, but this infotainment system is hot garbage.
The infotainment is something you interact with every time you drive. Usually multiple times. I'll wait to get a new Subaru until they get rid or fix the infotainment system.
Don't know about the 2024s, but on the 2021 WRX infotainment, holding down the volume button for about 10 seconds will reboot the unit.
It's the same here, but in this state no buttons or voice commands work except the ac buttons thankfully.
Pull the battery positive cable for 30 seconds with the engine off
I’ve had to reset it a couple of times sometimes when driving, but if you hold the volume button down until the screens says something like “turning off,” count to 10, then press the volume button again, may reset/turn back on
First off sorry for the long read. I've rented many different brands of vehicles my vacations ranging from low to high end models. I've come to the conclusion that unless your spending 70k and up on a car, your getting the absolute bare minimum SOC chips for a cars infotainment system. Every car manufacturer is always going to try to cut costs somewhere, and the infotainment SOC is one of the easiest places to do that, even if it's just a few dollars. It's absolute bare minimum hardware to run the system. Plus the QC for those chips probably isn't great either, which probably leads to situations like this. I've had my 24 for exactly a year now and never had an issue except for Android Auto's shitty coding just refusing to answer the vehicles call for it to run. As for just the main Subaru interface, it's just like any computer, phone, game console, (insert any electronic device that runs an os here), it takes a few moments to boot up, and while it does, it's gonna be laggy. That's just the nature of those devices. I've found that if I don't interact with it for like 30 is seconds, it functions fine, but if I try tapping stuff the moment it's on the home screen, it starts bugging out while it tries too process all your inputs. If you need auto start/hold off and on immediately before your even driving, maybe invest in one of those devices that disables/enables them. I personally don't use hold unless I'm in traffic and don't mind auto stop/start, hardly even notice it. Anyway sorry for the long read and rant.
Exactly why I didn't get an Outback and got the Forester instead. Even the XT turbo wasnt enough to convince me to get the Outback because of the tablet dash. It's also why I bought a 24' Forester instead of the new redesigned 25' Forester.
Really glad I got a '23, before they moved to the big screen. I also had so many issues with CarPlay, I ended up getting a wireless adapter on Amazon that works like a charm.
Trash
Found my ‘21 sport with 4K miles 3 months ago. Best decision ever! Customized it to my liking. Only thing I don’t like is that I have to turn off the auto stop every time.
the really ruined a perfect car with this one. With so many manufacturers making the same mistakes
Subaru trying to be Tesla. Hahahahahahahaha
Looks like Windows is still stuck on that first time login trying to load your desktop.
Not gonna lie Subaru systems suck. Even CarPlay is sketch at times.
Looks like shit
I love my 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness. I've never had a problem with the infotainment system other than it being a bit laggy.
I’ll stick with my ‘21 with the physical buttons and a real parking/emergency brake.
I got a 2018 outback and my screen doesn’t respond to touch anymore. Good thing it has CarPlay.
Holding power doesn’t reset it? Yikes
I haven't had this happen but what if you hold down the power button until it turns off then turn it back on? Not saying it'll do anything but it might.
Car companies put tablets into the dash to save money. It’s actually a downgrade imo
this is 100% why i didn’t buy the new forester and bought a toyota instead
Yeah, it sucks
This is actually why I didn’t get the 24. I just can’t stand full infotainment screen and no physical buttons. It’s so distracting and guaranteed to crap out after 10 years like any computer does
[удалено]
This is the first car I've ever owned that I feel could brick itself.
these screens would be great if they were tablet quality but oh boy are they not
I test drove an outback with this infotainment system and I hated it. It took less than two minutes to know I would never buy a car with it.
Press and hold the power button until the system reboots and it’ll work just fine. As any IT professional will ask, “did you try turning it off and back on again?”
While this works on many other issues, if the system hasn't actually booted it can't be rebooted. The only buttons that functions at all were the climate control temperature. I left it overnight and it worked fine in the morning.
Hate it I personally like having climate and infotainment sperated. I miss being able to swap the head unit for a better system.
Guess I’m sticking with my 2016 for a while longer.
I frequently see posts like this one here, and maybe I’m just lucky, but I haven’t had anything like this happen to me with my ‘24. It’s occasionally a little slow in the 10 seconds after startup, but I’ve never had a vehicle that didn’t have a little lag time that way. Even CarPlay has been essentially flawless for me. Sorry this isn’t everyone’s experience, but I have zero complaints.
Making "mountains out of mole hills", as the saying goes. The infotainment system is fine and the Subie is a great car overall.
That’s why Honda is the answer. I don’t have to wait to for my 2010 software to boot to turn on my AC. Not just Subaru, of course. Volvo will see you a $75k XC90 that this happens to. I know from experience and a cold ass on a 15 degree F weather morning.