Problems with the radio in the 2017 Outback

Yes. I've had this same problem. The radio goes crazy sometimes. Now it keeps dropping satellite every time I turn it off.

I called SiriusXM about the facts that when I hit list the only station that comes up is preview and why, even though I subscribed to the traffic/navigation features, I am steered into traffic jams. I was told that there is a compatibility problem with Subaru radios. Actually, the radio worked fine when I first bought my 2015 Outback, SiriusXM must have made the change which screwed everything up. Some marketing plan, huh?

I was having the same issue with my radio only showing the preview when I clicked on station list however my presets were working this morning my presets are not working and the radio doesn't seem to want to respond to changing from FM to Sirius... I called Sirius last week and they said there's a known issue with Sirius satellite radios and the service however this seems to be more of an issue with the radio itself. Anyone have any information?

I have been going back and forth with Sirius for a couple of days. I can only access channels by using the knob on the radio and when I hit list all i get is the ID station and channel 1. I put out an email to my dealer waiting to see if I get any help. Sigh

Spoke to the dealer, they are aware of an issue with serius and their head units. The guy mentioned some other issues to ... backup camera getting stuck on-screen, screen blanking out, etc. The hardware apparently has problems aside from poor technology implementation.

My 2016 Outback Limited has the same problem with Sirius: As of a month ago, it stopped working with the touch screen (although all other non-Sirius functions do). All I can do is use the tuning knob to scroll through the list of offerings. My list of50 plus stations disappeared and four music stations appeared. Incredibly inconvenient. Sirius claims they are working on it. Dealers have had reams of complaints, but they--rightly so--said it is a Sirius problem. Sirius offered me a $25 credit toward my next renewal. What I want is the issue fixed and a rebate on my current year's subscription for the service lost. (By the way, it did not affect my wife's 2018 Subaru Crosstrek.)

Sirius stations stopped working about a week ago (Sept 2018) on my 2015 Legacy. Works if I send an activation signal until I power of the car, then all channels are unsubscribed again.

Having the same problem on my 2016 outback...on line "chat" said they are working on it; offered $5.95 credit - all the touch functions are gone and can only access stations with the tuning know. ridiculous.

I am having the same issue. My list function only identifies three listings which provides 001, 002 and radio ID. I called Sirius and the person, who I could barely understand, said it was a radio problem but clearly it is not as every other feature of the radio works fine. Like everyone else, tuning is only possible with the dial. I just told Sirius to cancel the service when it expires which they probably will not do. Very poor customer service!

My subaru forester 18 is doing exact same. Stopped listing all but three channels.

My 2017 Outback has been doing the same thing! I'm disgusted!

Hi Subaru users. Actually I have been going back and forth with this problem. It isn't a Sirius issue, it is a Subaru issue. This is the information that I finally have gotten back from them: Dear Listener, Thank you for contacting SiriusXM. We are sorry to learn the difficulties that you have encountered. You are our valuable customer and we will do our best to keep you happy and satisfied. Subaru plans to have a software fix available by mid-December. The update will be installed at no charge for customers whose vehicles are still under their New Car Basic Warranty if they present it to a Subaru Retailer with this complaint. Anyone with a vehicle outside of the warranty coverage period will be evaluated case by case. Meanwhile, you are still able to listen by using the knob to tune or directly tuning to the channel of their choice. I hope this helps.

I just left the Subaru dealer after 2 and 1/2 hours waiting for this problem to be fixed. It is December 13. There is no fix. Dealer saying they haven’t seen this problem before!

left dealer after update, a couple hours,get home try radio ,same bs again ,hit list and get xm preview,oo2 pop hits and id,

i was told i would need to get a new radio at a cost of $900 lol

My 2016 Outback radio unsubscribes from Sirius every time the car is shut off. At startup, I get a "Ch.Unsubscribed" message and I have to call Sirius to have them send an activation code. This issue is 2 weeks old and began in Dec 2018 and no relief from Sirius except for the phone number to call for what turns out to be a temporary reactivation.

Subaru released a service bulletin on January 2, 2019, #15-205-16R, which was supposed to address the issue with the Sirius station list and also the lack of traffic information on the map. I just returned from 2 hours at the dealership; they had no luck getting the update to "take" on my 2016 Outback. They are pointing the finger at whoever manufactured their radios (I assume they know who that is), saying it must be a software issue. They did not charge me for the visit, which they could have, and their only suggestion is to go to Best Buy and have them install a new radio and see if that works. I'm serious.

Just came back from Subaru dealer. Took over 3 hours to update. At one point the service tech said if it doesn't work "we'll have to install a new radio". The tech returned to say that they were finally successful. I checked to see that indeed the Sirius listing came up and I was able to scroll to a cable news station. But! My iPhone can no longer connect!!! I called 800 Subaru tech support number and they are investigating issue. Ugh!

Update for Gen2 console set (2015 Outback) just released. Had installed on my outback and it fixed the problem with not recognizing commands for SiriusXM. See your dealer for update. Installed a week ago and no problems since.

No issues connecting up with iPhone via Bluetooth? "Hands Free" Siri call initiation working? Auto-recognition of iPhone when starting up? All above not working for me after update.

Here is my post this morning to the SiriusXM Facebook site: "I am looking for a class-action attorney to help with our SiriusXM issue. We own a 2015 Subaru Outback with SiriusXM installed from the factory. In the fall, the channel guide abruptly disappeared from the radio, meaning that the only way to tune it would be to use the tuning knob-- obviously a dangerous proposition while driving. We have had the vehicle in to our local Subaru dealer a number of times for attempted repairs and have discussed the issue with tech support at SiriusXM as well. Yesterday, we had the radio replaced along with a mass software update pushed by SiriusXM that was specifically designed to fix the issue and continue to have the same problem. While researching on line,we have found literally hundreds of similar complaints on CarGurus and other websites. As far as I can tell, in late summer, SiriusXM increased the number of channels they offer to the point that it exceeds the capacity of Subaru (as well as certain Chrysler models) to receive the data. Of course, they did this without contacting either Subaru or (more important) the customers, who, like us, have continued to faithfully pay their subscription fees for a product that is: 1. not fully functional, and 2. misrepresented in both their advertising and in information that is provided with the models. We believe that affected owners should be compensated for their inconvenience as well as holding SiriusXM responsible for an issue that is entirely their doing. " The "Customer Service" response from SiriusXM to my wife was to give her the phone number to call to cancel service. This is absolutely ridiculous-- SiriusXM has released an update that they KNOW is incompatible with a number of Subaru and Chrysler radios, yet continue to advertise their product in new Subaru vehicles. Subaru also knows of the incompatibility but is leaving their dealers hanging out there to suffer the wrath of customers. Appears to me that there needs to be litigation to get the issue resolved (sorry to you all for a long post!).

By the way, we had a brand new radio installed yesterday at Subaru that did not fix the problem.

Thank you for updating on this problem. In the meantime, you might want to consider that Costco has a subscription to Spotify Premium for $98.99 a year. I have decided to go this route. You can make your own music choices, just sayin. Good luck.

Same problem on my 2017 Outback. Love the car but this is terrible. I like the class action idea above.

Well, after reading posts,I know now not to bother with a 6th appointment at the dealership. I first had this serious Sirius problem (have 2017 Outback) last summer. I eventually complained to Sirius so much that the company sent me a check to cover my the balance of my prepaid plan. I fell for one of the many "deals" several months ago (was inundated with cheap subscription offer for "new" customers) and will now request another check to cover the latest subscription that fails to give me service. Over the last 3 months, the service worked for maybe 2-3 hours.

My 2017 outback radio system has been acting strange since last service. I'll be listening to a podcast via bluetooth and randomly it'll switch to another downloaded podcast. Anyone else having an issue like this? My 2005 outback would switch stations sometimes when I turned i took a sharp turn too. What's up Subaru?

my daughter has a 2018 outback and does not use siruis and is on her third radio it may be her android phone which some is incompatible with the radio

Yes Shelly my 2019 Crosstrek is doing the same thing, the dealer has no clue how to fix it....that is why I am here.

Ugh! My 2017 Subaru Crosstrek started having this issue two weeks ago. After many back and forth with Sirius I was told I needed a software update. Subaru says they tried it 6x and it didn't work. Since I bought the car used in Jan 2018 and just went over my original 36,000 warranty I'm being told that I may not be covered and it's $1,300 to replace the Sirius with Navigation and CD. BS! I'm going to contact an attorney since this is a known problem.

Thanks for the info on this - as I thought it was just an issue with our Subaru (2015 Outback) We stopped using Sirius for about 2 years (yay Pandora App) - but just renewed a couple of weeks ago. The stations that I had saved in favorites were still there - but am only able to see 001, 002, 003 when I click on LIST. I was able to access additional stations via the 'scan' button - but it only gives us access to those genres that we had in our previous settings. Not sure how we can get additional genres added. OR, because they have a web-app - is it better to just use the webapp via bluetooth in the car. (kinda stinks that we did a renewal on the subscription - to find out that it's not even working properly)

WOW... This sound ALL to familiar. I have a 2017 Forester XT that has the same exact issue. Drops Sirius when the car is turned off. I am on my 3rd head unit, and 6th update, still not fixed. SIRIUS blames SUBARU, SUBARU blames SIRIUS, yet neither will accept fault or FIX the issue, but still continue to want their respective monies for something that does not properly work. At this point I am now waiting for Subaru of America to contact me with their "answer" to my issue. Which at this point I am guessing will be just another attempt to put a band-aid on a gushing wound they don't want to or can't seem to repair.

Just bought my 2016 Outback Premium last week....I've refreshed my signal at least 40 times. Called today and was told my "satellite chip is collapsed"..... yeah. I'm going to going to start a petition on Change.org

My 2017 Outback is just over the 36,000 mile warranty. Both Subaru and SiriusXM agree that bulletin 15-205-16R is the fix. I called two dealerships. One charges $140 for the fix and the other $150. Both Subaru and Sirius blame the other for the problem.

The fix seems to depend upon your model and year of vehicle. I own a 2016 Subaru Outback. My radio stopped showing the available stations as referenced with the above comments. My friend owns a 2017 Subaru Outback who experience the same problem. I was able to get mine fixed by taking it to Subaru and having them update the software. They do not have a software update for my friends radio that will fix it. So, ordered a new radio as she is still under warranty. My fix would have cost around $120 for the software upgrades. But, they did it for no cost as my mileage is very low. I advise you to check with your Subaru dealer for software updates that might fix it.

I just bought a 2019 outback SiriusXM didn't work before we signed paperwork they said service will fix it we signed paperwork go to leave w the brand new car wasn't working after service said it was fixed. Sales said it should reboot on way home. So we leave ... doesn't work dealer now has my brand new car with 160 miles on it for 5 days now and I'm in a loaner car!

My 2017 Forester never worked right at all. Got few serius stations. Have to use tuning knob if there is one. I would never pick up that car, and cancel deal. This is areal lemon.

I have a new 2019 Outback. The voice command for the radio stopped working. The voice commands for other things work okay but nothing works for the radio, not even the Radio Help command. "She doesn't know how to help with that". I hope we are not in for a battle with this. The Magellan does not work well either. Looses us and competes with the XM radio signal. Annoying. We now use Waze. Otherwise the car itself is great.

Darn! All these comments are so disconcerting. Our radio just stopped changing stations yesterday. Even if we put a CD in, it plays as well as the radio simultaneously! Thing is, we don’t subscribe to XM but it’s preview channel is the only other station car will play! Sooo is it the radio or is it Sirius?? (2018 Limited Outback)

My stations display and I don’t get unsubscribed in my 2017 Outback but the XM stations get stuck (makes a horrible, loud sound for 30 seconds and then completely cuts out and refreshes for another 30 seconds. This happens constantly, making it painful to listen to. The software updates (2 of them) made it worse. Anyone else having a issue like this? Regular radio and Bluetooth have no issues.

Does anyone have an updated dealer response/fix? I have a 2016 Outback and everything was working fine until a couple weeks ago. Sirius customer service is a joke and the Subaru dealership near me wasn't familiar with the problem. Not sure I believe them.

my radio loses the SiriusXM subscription every time I turn off the engine. Sirius says talk to the dealer. This started after the WUD89 software update. A 'refresh' always fixes it, bit I'm tired of doing a refresh every time I start the engine, and they limit you to 3 per day.

Guru, I’m glad it’s not just me! It’s SO annoying!!! I have to make an appointment w Subaru to fix the darn thing. Wonder how much they’ll charge ‍♀️

We unfortunately joined this club today. 2016 Subaru Outback, no longer holds our subscription. Sirius reactivation signals do not work. This is the second radio unti that has been installed. What junk!

So this is bizarre-but I was searching for answers and went out to write down my Radio ID. I noticed the Radio ID on my subscription that I have used for the last 3.5 years was now different from what was on my radio! We got a SW push today, and the Radio ID is now different somehow. The current radio ID showed no active subscription. I called customer care and they added that radio ID to my account and send a activation signal and the radio worked instantly. I wouldn't think they could change the radio ID-and perhaps they didn't I have no explanation, nor does Sirius.

Subaru finally agreed to replace the radio free of charge. It was still under warranty and they even waived the $100 deductible. Hopefully this new one will work ... I get it installed in a week!

So my suby dealership in Boulder finally addressed MY issue. They performed a software update to the radio. problem solved.

I have a 2017 Outback. The radio would drop SiriusXM every time the car was turned off. Tried lots of things, lots of bumps from SiriusXM, car to dealer who claimed they never heard of this, then reset the radio. It worked for two weeks and the "ch. unsubscribed" problem started all over again. Then I complained to Subaru America. They had a new radio sent and installed by the dealer free of cost. It's been a year of working perfectly. Last week it "unsubscribed" again. This time it will not reload SiriusXM even with a bump. In fact, it actually "unsubscribes" from itself while on channel 000 or 001. Going back to the dealer again. I like the idea of a class action lawsuit if it would cause the problem to be resolved. I don't want money, just a fix.

Another Subaru owner here with a radio that will only play Sirius stations once. If you turn the car off, the channels unsubscribe, and you have to send a new subscription. Sirius claims it's Subaru, Subaru claims it's Sirius. Ridiculous situation.

I just had my dealer install a new head unit at no charge. I don't know if the issue is resolved or if it will reappear as some of you have mentioned. I had to contact Subaru of America to get it done. My service manager admitted that there are a lot of issues with the electronics across their models. So, speak up with management.....contact Subaru of America.

Can anyone tell me the best way to contact Subaru America directly regarding this issue. 3 year old 2017 outback just started with this issue. Warranty on the car is long gone... thank you.

Amber Anglin Subaru of America, Inc. Customer/Retailer Services Department 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783) custdlrservices@subaru.com

My continuing sage: Subaru of America had the dealer put in a new radio at no cost to fix the issue of losing the subscription. That seems to have fixed the subscription issue. Now the radio changes channels on its own, assigns presets on its own and also prevents me from turning it off. I have to set the volume to '0' to shut it off. Waiting to hear the next proposed fix.

2015 legacy turn on Sirius Xm just says "no signal" 138 bucks for a firmware upgrade .... idk if it's going to work tho and why I should be playing.... u dont have to go to AT&T to upgrade ur phone and pay money why should we do this with our cars

Got my answer....need a new radio ...made a case and they told me they would only cover half of the cost ....I told them to shove it...I'm not paying 600 bucks for a primitive feature in every car even if the vehicle has only 62k miles on it

I have had the head unit replaced and now the radio does even stranger things. It turns itself on, it changes stations and it adds stations to the preset list. Giving it back to the dealer today. This has been escalated to Subaru of America who did the first replacement at no cost to me.

2015 Outback. I have a lifetime subscription from Sirius purchased in 2003. It is still active and yep now every time the car is turned off it needs to be refreshed. I'm not giving them more money for a subscription that should last forever. I like the idea of a class action to get it fixed. I don't want money, just want the radio to work.

It's not a Sirius issue. It's an issue with the head unit. I suggest you contact Subaru of America.

I also am having the issue with Sirius where it displays only 000, 001, and one other channel. When I have Sirius resend the signal, it works until I turn off the car, at which point the problem starts again. I had the car (Outback 2017) to the dealer yesterday. They did a software update, but it did not fix the problem. It's now back at the dealer, and as per recommendation from Subaru America, will be receiving a new radio from Audiovox. Will that resolve the issue? Has anyone had any luck with this matter?

My dealership did three software updates and finally Subaru America replaced the radio. I have had no issues since then. It's been about a year and so far, so good.

2017 Outback: the head unit would occasionally completely freeze and be unresponsive aside from the volume knob (neither the steering wheel controls nor the touch screen would respond to any input). Once it happened, the only way to fix is to power off the car to restart everything. The dealership replaced the unit under warranty. Unfortunately, the second unit does the same thing, and now I'm out of warranty. In addition, the SiriusXM radio is now very spotty -- like 10 seconds of audio, then no signal for at least that long before blipping on again. Other random weirdness also seems to happen with the head unit - like delays in response to input or bluetooth connection janky-ness. The lack of quality on the head unit is extremely frustrating.