The stock head unit (Model #: CA645UL) in my vehicle has been having Bluetooth issues. Every since I purchased the vehicle in 2016, from time to time, the audio from my Bluetooth would cut out and then come back on. It was only once in a blue moon ever since I bought the car, so I never paid much attention to it. However, recently it's been cutting out more frequently than usual. When I took my vehicle in for the 60,000 mile service on 12/12/24, I decided to mention this audio problem to see if the service center could address it while they are working on it. The technician attempted to update the software for the audio unit. After attempting the software update a few times, the technician found the old software was corrupted, causing the system to completely fail. This points to an internal fault in the audio unit. This issue affects my safety in two ways: 1) I can no longer make phone calls via Bluetooth. This poses a safety concern as I would need to take my eyes off the road to make or answer a phone call, which may result in a crash. 2) My backup camera is no longer functional due to the head unit because compromised. This poses a safety concern as I can no longer see as well when backing up or parallel parking. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. I have attached a photo of the invoice from the dealership.
2017 Subaru Brz
Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the unknown or other. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Power Train | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filings-Manual Transmission issues with grinding or failure to go into gear. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. -Merging into highway traffic can be dangerous when I'm more focused on my transmission grinding loudly and having difficulty shifting gears to get up to speed. -Unknown -Unknown -No warning lights of any kind
This week when I started my car, a yellow caution light appeared on my dash and a “check SRS warning light” appeared next to it. It would turn on and off, so i am unsure of what the problem is. I brought my car in for an inspection on January 28th, and they didn’t detect any issue regarding airbags or anything related to it. One thing i noticed is whenever the passenger seat is pulled forward or backward, it then turns on.
2017 SUBARU BRZ LIMITED WITH PERFORMANCE PACKAGE WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT ON 4-5-21. SUBJECT VEHICLE HAD STOPPED AND WAS SLOWLY ENTERING TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION OF A DIVIDED HIGHWAY WITH A 50 MPH SPEED LIMIT WHILE BEING STRUCK BY AN ONCOMING CAR AT AN APPROXIMATE 90 DEGREE ANGLE WHICH IMPACTED THE LEFT FRONT FENDER NEAR THE HEADLIGHT AND BUMPER AREA.. UPON IMPACT, THE FRONT ENGINE PORTION BURST INTO FLAMES. THE LEFT FRONT DOOR WAS NOT IMPACTED AND DRIVER WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE AS FLAMES IMMEDIATELY ENGULFED THE PASSENGER SECTION. WHAT WOULD LIKELY HAVE RESULTED IN A REPAIRABLE LEFT FRONTAL DAMAGE CLAIM ACTUALLY BECAME A TOTAL LOSS DUE TO THE FIRE DESTRUCTION. THIS AUTOMOBILE WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM A SUBARU DEALERSHIP ON 10-9-17 AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT APPROXIMATELY 3,300 MILES. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO JIM KARAS SUBARU IN MEMPHIS, TN FOR REPAIRS. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FOR REPAIRS. ACCORDING TO MECHANIC'S INSPECTION AND REPAIR REPORT 521894S DATED 4-20-18, 'FOR P219A AND P119F PULLED VALVE COVERS AND INSPECTION VALVE CLEARANCE AND FOUND THAT ALL INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE ARE OUT OF SPEC AND TO TIGHT. REPLACED VALVES, ALL VALVE SHIMS TO BRING ALL INTAKE AND EXHAUST CLEARANCES INTO DESIGN SPEC. REPLACED ALL GASKETS AND ORINGS AS WELL AS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL LINE'. IT IS NOTED THAT SUBARU MAY HAVE HAD FIRE HAZARD ISSUES WITH OTHER REPAIRED SUBARU BRZ MODEL YEARS WITH THE FA 20 D BOXER ENGINE MANUFACTURED FOR YEARS BEGINNING IN 2013. MANUFACTURER MADE NO ADAS AVAILABL
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR STALLED THREE TIMES; THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN TURNED OFF. WHITE, SWEET SMELLING SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE. I PULLED OVER SAFELY. UPON INSPECTION OF THE CAR, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE VALVE SPRING COVER CAME OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE (PASSENGER) ENGINE HEAD. SEE ATTACHMENT FOR A LIST OF ALL PARTS AFFECTED.
THE PASSAGER AIR BAG TURNED OFF WITH ME IN THE SEAT
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON ,TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON, LIGHT PLATES OFF. ACCELERATOR STUCK WHILE DRIVING NOISE WHILE DRIVING. CAR HAD WATER DAMAGE FEW DAYS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA. INSURANCE COMPANY (GEICO) IN THE REPAIR PROCESS DECLARED ONCE TOTAL LOST THEN CHANGE ITS MIND. I HAD BEEN OFF AND ON THE SHOP SINCE THAT DATE. STUCK WITH THIS LEASED CAR
7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.