Subie_Doo

Are there any work arounds to the poor OEM Remote Start Software, or do we need to start shopping Honda and Toyota?

The Subaru remote start hardware is exceptional, but the vehicle's software ladder logic is a tragic fail. These are the problems: The engine shuts off when the door is opened. The door cannot be locked when the engine is running. It would be useful when temporarily leaving the vehicle on a cold day. It's only value is to destroy expensive parts due to the engineered overuse of the starting system.. I want to buy my 4th Subaru, but the Remote Start is a deal breaker. My wife always uses the remote to start her 2018 Legacy, and gets angry every time she cannot lock the door when running into the store. If the FOB is present, then the door should unlock and open without shutting the engine off. Is there 3rd party software that can be used to correct this manufacturers defect? Thank you, Tim

The salesman from the dealership got back to me, and he said that it is normal for the vehicle to shut off when you open the door. It has to be restarted by the button on the dash to release the locking mechanism on the steering wheel. The Subaru Remote Start on my 2013 Forester will let you unlock the door with the FOB and then enter the car without the motor shutting off. The key has to be put in the ignition and turned; otherwise the motor will shut off. I think turning the key is what unlocks the steering column in the Forester. The push-button start in my 2018 Legacy Sport is different. The motor shuts off to force you to restart it with the push button which then unlocks it. The 2018 Legacy 2.5i, and the 2018 Legacy 2.5i Premium still have the ignition key. I think the remote start would work the same for them as it does on my 2013 Forester. I am not sure because I have no way to check it. The Optional Remote Start FOB does have a much longer range than the Keyless Entry FOB does. The optional Remote start has something like a 400ft range while the range on the standard keyless FOB is about 30ft. The Legacy Sport also has a heater in the windshield that melts the ice under the wiper blades. That way the blades are not damaged by chipping at any ice build up in the winter. The optional remote start feature still has value for me, and I am glad that I got it. I live in Northern Michigan so the winters can be long and brutal.

I ordered my 2018 Legacy Sport with Remote start. I think the option was dealer installed. I can use either the Keyless Entry FOB, or the separate Remote Start FOB to start the car remotely. I think the optional remote start FOB had a greater range than the Keyless entry FOB. If I use the Keyless Entry FOB: Press the Lock button 3-times; twice a quick press, and then a press and hold for the 3rd. If I use the Remote Start FOB: Press the lock button on the Keyless FOB, the press the the Remote Start FOB button three times. I took the instructions from this It is a youtube video that was made by a Subaru Dealership. My remote does not quite work like that. All I need to do is press the remote button twice and it starts. Maybe the door is already locked. If the range of the Optional Remote FOB is not greater than the Keyless FOB, then the $450 option does not have as much value imo. Now that any procedural questions should be clarified, here is the problem / question: No matter which method I use, the car shuts off when I open the door. Is there a way to open the door with the car still running? Thank you, Tim

Good Afternoon Guys, I think you both have found the best explanation; at least so far. We had dry roads this weekend so I was able to conduct a few tests and I did not have any problems. The parking Pawl seemed to be working. It must be the case that the two wheels on the passenger side were sliding on ice while the two wheels on the drivers side were rolling. I got back into the car without checking the passenger side because I was afraid the car would run away. I am relieved to think that I may not have a major transmission problem, but a bit embarrassed by being concerned over what most likely has turned out to be a false problem. I have a new-found respect for my parking brake. I tried the "procedure" discussed above and I like how it keeps the weight off the pawl. I am not used to the idea of needing to use it with an automatic transmission. I always used the parking brake with manual transmission vehicles. I am still confused by the service managers comments about the electronic parking brake. Now that I am less likely to "get all fuzzied up", I may return to look at a new Legacy. I want to replace the 2002 Forester L (141,000 miles) with a 2014 or 2015 Legacy. I don't like shooting my mouth off when I do not completely understand a problem so I was VERY hesitant about returning to the dealership in person. Thank you all for your help Tim

Good Morning Mason, Yes, one side of the slope did have ice on it I believe. I did wonder if the car was sliding or rolling so I got out of the car to watch the tires. On the drivers side, both wheels were rolling. I did not check the passenger side wheels because I was afraid the car would run off. Thankfully, there were no "pings" followed by ting ting ting. Actually, this is what I would expect to hear. This is my second Forester, and the first time I have seen this. However, the mechanics of the transmission and AWD system are mysterious to me. I do not have a clear understanding of it. I am asking questions here to help verify the dealer's opinion and firm up my stance. I do not wish to go the dealership and bristle with aggressive stupidity. I would prefer to work that problem out here. Likewise, I do not wish to be serenaded out of a needed repair by a skilled linguist. I will have the car Tuesday (wife is the primary new car driver and we work opposite shifts) I will find a dry slope and conduct a few tests. Thank you Tim

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions and all of the "delicate" hints to use the parking brake. I am not completely opposed to using the "parking" brake but I do question why the vehicle should roll when it is in park. This feels like a genuine problem to me, and not every valid "solution" is to frame the problem as "willful misconduct" on the part of an unsuspecting owner who just shelled out ~30k for the vehicle. I know of no good engineering reason why "park" should be designed to fail to hold the vehicle under normal circumstances. The parking pawl and related linkage could be designed to be robust enough to accomplish this task. This is the accepted convention within the automotive world today and has been the standard ever since the automatic transmission came to market. Maybe someone with technical knowledge of this transmission will chime in with a description of how the "pawl" (if there even is one) actually works. In the US, nearly all transmissions had a gear-like shape either cast or hobbed on the outside diameter of of the forward clutch pack. In park, a mechanical "pawl" would be inserted into the gear via linkage, and ground movement to the case. This is what the "Park" function on an automatic transmission means to me. It does not mean -- well, maybe it will hold and maybe it will not. Furthermore, it also does not mean that the construction is so flimsy that strict adherence to a protracted park procedure is necessary to avoid damage. So, how is this improved "park" mechanism supposed to work? Do some new models actually have electronic parking brakes, and do others automatically apply the brakes if movement is sensed? This suggests that a mechanical adjustment may be necessary, a reference voltage may need to be adjusted, or a board might need to be replaced. On the other hand ..... maybe it really is just a poor design.

Hi Gary, Thank you for your response and sorry for the delay in mine. It has been a busy week. The service manager told me that my transmission does not have a parking pawl. He told me to use the electronic park switch on the left side of the steering wheel. When I told him that I did not have one, he said "oh, then you have to use the manual emergency brake lever" I prefer to NOT use this because I have had trouble with the emergency brake cable seizing on other vehicles. His explanation was that the car sensed movement and was applying the brakes. He said that this feature had something to do with fuel efficiency; a point that I do not understand. I would think that a mechanical parking pawl would be more "fuel efficient" than using electricity to apply the brakes. The car "rolled and stopped" more than twice. I was sitting in the car waiting for someone to leave their house, and I thought I noticed the car moving. I paid close attention and saw it again. I decided to get out of the car to see if the tires were sliding on ice, or if they were rolling. I saw them roll and stop. After about 30 seconds, I saw them roll and stop again. I was afraid the car was going to run off by itself, so I got back in and put my foot on the brake. I have not found any reference to this problem in the Subaru literature yet. This makes me believe that it is a defect more so than a known problem. It makes no sense that the manual would not have a warning or caution to explain this event. It feels like a serious issue to me. I do not understand the engineering purpose for having a "park" position when it is not absolute. Why not simply replace the park function with neutral? I plan to return to the same driveway with a video recorder to document the behavior if it returns. Progress has been slow because my wife is the primary driver, and we are working opposite shifts. I will try to talk to the salesman who sold me the car today, and i will see if your suggestions will make a difference. Being forced to use the manual parking brake with an automatic transmission is not a reasonable choice. In fact, it would have been a deal breaker had I known about it. Emergency brakes have always been intended to be used for emergency brake failures. They tend to make the brakes stick with freezing temperatures and moisture. Next, the AWD goes out and the dealer blames me for using the parking brake ..... Is this how it works? Tim

My 2013 Forester has 1000 miles on it, and I saw it roll a foot down an incline when it was in park and the motor was running. It would roll about 3-4 inches and stop. Within 30 seconds or so, it would roll again. I talked to the service manager at the dealership about this, and he said that he had seen the same problem on service ramps or when off-loading cars from the carrier. He tried to frame it as a "design feature" that was not mentioned in the owners manual or in any literature he could cite. From an engineering standpoint, I would consider this to be a flaw and not a feature. I would expect "park" to be absolute. I can find no reference to this in Subaru literature, and it would make sense that there would be a warning or caution if it were a known problem. I don't think the dealership knows what to do about this, so their tendency has been to treat it like it is not "a big deal" when they almost lost one car off a truck and one again later from their service ramp. Unfortunately, this is probably the same car that I bought. I am concerned. Does anyone have thoughts or suggestions?