Owners of Subaru vehicles are complaining to the federal government about advertisements taking up the entire screen on their dashboards, saying the messages that pop up while they are driving are a dangerous distraction.
Shortly before Thanksgiving, a Reddit user shared a photo of his car’s infotainment screen taken over by a promo for a free SiriusXM trial, in a post titled “These ad’s [sic] should not be happening while we are driving.” The ad’s copy reads, “Enjoy SiriusXM FREE thru 12/1,” with button prompts to either “Listen Now” or to close the pop-up. In other comments on his profile, the user explains that he has a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek in the Wilderness trim, which comes with an 11.6-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash.
These ad’s should not be happening while we are driving. Please report it to the NHTSA (link in post) takes 5 minutes.
byu/bajungadustin insubaru
The driver says he had seen this ad several times over the past few years, but “This last time was the final straw as I almost wrecked because of it.”
“My entire infotainment screen changed which caused me to take my eyes off the road,” he continues. “[S]ince I was going 55mph in winter I swerved a bit and slid and almost went off into a ditch.”
The man then asks fellow Subaru owners to report this feature to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “This is unacceptable,” he vents. “It needs to be stopped.”
Other commenters say they experienced the same issue. “This seriously pissed me off when it happened to me, also when I was driving,” one writes. “Even if it had happened when I was parked, though, I’d still be mad. Keep ads off my dashboard.”
Another user states he submitted an NHTSA complaint as the original poster suggested. “It happened to me last week while entering the interstate at 65mph. I was fucking livid and I still am.”
The Drive highlights several complaints submitted to NHTSA about the issue, including one 2024 Crosstrek owner who says a SiriusXM ad “took up the entire screen, covering my AC controls and Apple CarPlay navigation… Because it was shown when I was driving (in motion), I was forced to unsafely and illegally interact with the touch screen to re-enable the functionality of my car.”
Subaru of America put out a statement to several outlets that it will “consider customer feedback”:
We will discuss those messages in an upcoming meeting and will always consider customer feedback. This is the first we’ve heard of any issue. Those messages happen twice a year: around Memorial Day and around Thanksgiving to alert customers that all channels are available to them for about two weeks.
In another Reddit thread earlier this year, a Subaru driver shared a photo of a SiriusXM screen takeover that prompted them to respond to the ad with a phone call. Commenters shared a workaround to halt the intrusive display by creating a login at the SiriusXM website and opting out of “in-vehicle messaging” (IVM).
How do I make SiriusXM pop-ups go away in my Outback?
byu/kjjphotos insubaru
In a video reacting to this discussion, YouTuber Louis Rossman remarked, “That’s insane. If I don’t have any business with SiriusXM, then I should not have to sign up for an account with SiriusXM in order to get the SiriusXM ad off of my car.” He then wondered whether a driver could “utilize lemon law if you receive a vehicle that is advertising to you inside the vehicle and you did not consent to it,” i.e. return the car and receive compensation for its sale price.
Around the same time as these Subaru complaints, Stellantis — the parent company of automakers Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram — came under fire for intrusive in-vehicle ads. However, one difference is that the Stellantis cars were displaying ads for more Stellantis products: either warranties or new cars. The Subaru owners say they are getting ads from third parties (one commenter on the Crosstrek driver’s post says she has also seen promos for the NFL Channel). None of the Stellantis complaints mentioned that the pop-ups appeared while the vehicle was driving at highway speeds.
This September, the average sale price for new vehicles hit a record-high $50,080, according to Kelley Blue Book, and the majority of new-car financing is spread out over six years (36.1% of loans) or seven (21.5%), according to Edmunds.
Despite soaring MSRPs and interest payments, automakers are turning to technology for more and more ways to squeeze revenue out of consumers. Toyota, the world’s top-selling automaker, offers services such as remote start and door unlocking through subscriptions that can cost up to $25 a month, or $3,000 over ten years of ownership. These subscription plans are common to virtually all modern car brands.
Volkswagen recently sparked outrage by paywalling a speed boost in one of its models. Owners of the ID.3 electric car, sold in the United Kingdom, need to pay £16.50 ($22.29) monthly — or £649 ($877) for a lifetime upgrade — to let its electric motors operate at 228 horsepower instead of 201.
Last month, a man driving a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N exposed the fact that he and all other owners cannot replace the brakes on that electric vehicle without using scan tools that cost thousands of dollars outright and a $60 per week subscription for software that can only be accessed by professional mechanics.
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