Verified government source

NHTSA complaint #11628564

This page summarizes an official U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration owner complaint. Use the verification links below to confirm the record directly with NHTSA.

Vehicle

2019 SUBARU OUTBACK

Manufacturer

Subaru of America, Inc.

Components

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Dates

Incident: 11/28/2024
Filed: 12/03/2024

Owner complaint summary

This vehicle, and many others as I've read in forums, experiences uncontrollable radio station and apps changes automatically and will not stop. Why it's not safe: The radio screen flashes between several screens on it's own. It changes stations, it changes to different apps, then the screen locks and you cannot reset it. It also beeps with every change, over 100 beeps per minute, like a morse code message. Imagine that on a 9-hour road trip. It is a major annoyance and distraction as the driver is constantly focused on trying to get this radio/equipment to work properly. It forces your attention off the road. And it will not stop! It changes radio stations, if powered off, it turns itself on. And Subaru refuses to acknowledge the issue, or offer a replacement. They pretend they never heard of the issue, yet its easily found in forums. For $1000 I can get a different OEM radio, from the same manufacturer, and who knows how long it will be before it happens again? We (subaru owners) need help with this and a recall. I can't tell you how many times I've drifted out of my lane trying to make the beep beep beep stop after hour after hour! Navigation and apps are useless, as the radio will change them to different input sources without notice, and all day long. Yes, this is a safety issue. You cannot just turn it off. It turns itself back on. Even if you turn down the sound from the radio, the beep beep beep of the apps changing cannot be silenced. It only occurs when the vehicle is on. All the time. Everytime. Every day. Every trip. Please help.

This is an owner complaint filed with NHTSA (ODI #11628564). It is not automatically an official recall, investigation outcome, or manufacturer admission unless the complaint text itself describes one.

Official record ID (ODI): 11628564. This page is the human-readable source link used across afterwarranty. The raw JSON link proxies NHTSA's public API for machine verification; prefer this page when reading the complaint.