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August 2019

Subaru Service and Technical Support Line Newsletter
ARTICLES CONTAINED
IN THIS ISSUE
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Click the date located in the footer to return to page 1.

CODE ARTICLE...............................PAGE
(00)

STIS New Releases.................... 7-8

(01)

QMR of the Month...................... 1-2

(01)

QMR of the Month Award
Presentations ............................. 2

Tech Tips Greatest Tips
(01)

Helpline Diagnostic Information....... 3

(15)

Updated Infotainment “Conditions”
Information..............................4-6

SUBARU TECHLINE HOLIDAYS
& HOURS OF OPERATION
Labor Day: (Closed)
Monday, September 2, 2019
Thanksgiving: (Closed)
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Day After Thanksgiving (10:30am-3:30pm)
Friday, November 29, 2019

Mon. - Thurs.

8:30AM - 7:30PM EST

Friday

10:30AM - 5:00PM EST

Saturday

9:00AM - 3:00PM EST

01

© 2019 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

QMR OF THE MONTH

We are pleased to announce this month’s Winner of QMR of the Month:

Toby Costa from
Maita Subaru in Sacramento, CA.
Our selection for this month’s winner involved a 2019MY Ascent with a
recurring concern of the Brake, EyeSight and RAB warning lights coming
on. The customer reported the same warning indicators came back on
again a short time after another retailer had previously replaced the
brake light switch. After Toby confirmed the condition, he noticed the
clearance lights would come on when pressing the brake pedal. A DTC
check revealed DTC P0724 was stored for a high input in the brake light
circuit. Toby suspected a short and / or feedback through the related
wiring and began by disconnecting the trailer light wiring harness to see if
there was any change. With the trailer wiring ruled out, he disconnected
the rear combination lights and high mounted stop light, one at a
time, still with no change. After unplugging body harness connector
R466 for the left rear, the condition stopped. Leaving connector R466
disconnected, Toby used his DVOM between R466 and the R79 trailer
wiring connector to check the integrity of the harness. While “wiggle
testing” sections of the suspect harness and checking continuity, his
DVOM indicated an open circuit which he was able to make come and
go in grid area C4 near connector R28. Toby carefully opened the
harness sheath and found the clearance light wiring wrapped around a
brake circuit wire. Closer inspection revealed a pinched area where the
wire insulation had been compromised causing a short. The affected
wiring was repaired which restored normal brake and clearance light
operation. Toby’s QMR included quality photos of the wiring along with
snips of the related Service Manual wiring diagrams and location grid
for the identified source of the issue.
In appreciation for going the extra mile and sharing his experience with
us, Toby will receive the following from his Field Service Engineer:

A $500.00 Snap-On gift card.
CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS
COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.

SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. IS
ISO 14001 COMPLIANT

The Subaru TechTIPS newsletter is intended for use by professional Technicians ONLY. Articles are
written to inform those Technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles, or to provide
information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly trained Technicians
have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do the job correctly and safely.
If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that your vehicle has or will have that condition.
Impreza, Legacy, Justy, Loyale, Outback, Forester, Subaru SVX, WRX, WRX STI, Baja, Tribeca,
BRZ, XV Crosstrek, Ascent, Crosstrek Hybrid and “Quality Driven” are Registered Trademarks.

ISO 14001 is the international standard for
excellence in Environmental Management
Systems. Please recycle or dispose of
automotive products in a manner that is
friendly to our environment and in accordance
with all local, state and federal laws and
regulations.

August 2019 TechTIPS

Page 1 of 9

01

QMR OF THE MONTH (CONTINUED)

The other Regional winners selected from QMRs submitted during June 2019 were:
•

Joseph Frye from Auto Nation Subaru Hunt Valley in Cockeysville, MD

•

James Harmes from International Subaru in Sheboygan, WI

•

Bill Duaime from Flemington Subaru in Flemington, NJ

•

Robert Wittig from Mitchell Subaru in Canton, CT

Any Subaru Technician can participate in the QMR of the Month program. See the February 2013 and
January 2016 issues of Tech TIPS for full details. You just might see your name and photo in a future issue
of Tech TIPS!

01

QMR OF THE MONTH AWARD PRESENTATIONS

As part of our “enhanced” QMR of the Month recognition program, we will be including a photo (whenever
available) of the recipient’s award presentation in TIPS. The winner selected from QMR of the Month
submissions received during June 2019 was Toby Costa, a Technician from Maita Subaru in Sacramento, CA.

Toby is shown above being presented with his $500.00 Snap-On Gift Card by SOA Field Service Engineer
Tom Blamey. Congratulations and THANK YOU to our June 2019 QMR of the Month Award recipient!

August 2019 TechTIPS

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Page 2 of 9

This series features TechTIPS articles frequently referred to by Techline. This month’s feature is for
helpline diagnostic information from May 1995

01

HELPLINE DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION

August 2019 TechTIPS

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Page 3 of 9

15

UPDATED INFOTAINMENT “CONDITIONS” INFORMATION

WRX STI Popping Sound from Speakers:
There have been reports received regarding a single “pop” sound coming from the speakers when the head
unit (radio, H/U) is first turned on after being powered off. If the concern has been duplicated following an
installation of the KICKER® Powered Subwoofer accessory, the sound is a characteristic of the amplifier
energizing. This condition has NO negative impact on speaker performance or sound quality. In other
instances, the sound was attributed to the installation of the accessory subwoofer harness on vehicles
equipped with the mid-grade H/U. NOTE: If a Harman Kardon logo badge is displayed on the door speaker
grilles, accessory audio kits are not applicable. Always confirm accessory applicability using the charts on
Subarunet prior to installation.
CarPlay Operation:
Recently, the number of reports concerning iPhone X intermittently failing to reliably operate in Handsfree
Call Mode (through the CarPlay app) has increased. Investigation is ongoing to determine the root cause.
It is unclear at this time if the condition is related to the phone, the H/U or the Dual USB Hub’s AUX
terminal performance. In the meantime, PRIOR TO replacing the USB Hub or H/U, confirm the vehicle
is free of concerns using an iPhone model other than iPhone X. Always verify operation while using a
Genuine Apple® USB cable as only these cables are confirmed by Apple for both charging and data
transfer rates. Aftermarket cables may charge the phone perfectly fine, but most do not meet Apple’s
requirements for data transfer rates. If the condition is consistently duplicated with different iPhones, refer to
TSB 15-226-18R “USB Functionality Concerns and Troubleshooting” and TSB 15-220-18R “Apple CarPlay/
Android Auto Connectivity Concerns” for further diagnostics. It should also be noted, a H/U unit reboot (10
second press and hold of the volume/ power knob) followed by reconnecting the phone will restore normal
operation should a CarPlay operational concern occur.
Smart Phone (Accessories) Operation Affected by High Temperatures:
Leaving the phone sitting outside in the sun or in the car on a hot day can easily cause it to overheat.
Overheating can prevent the touch screen from working properly and cause the battery to drain faster. Smart
phone operation changes from normal to conservative when battery capacity becomes “marginal” to what
the phone manufacturers consider safe. In addition to sun and heat exposure, water damage can also be
a possible cause of phone overheating. When it occurs, the customer might experience a noticeable delay
(slowdown) when using Android Auto and CarPlay applications, audio streaming or Hands-Free calling
features. Cooling smart phones while charging generally restores normal operation.
SXM Subscription Loss:
As vehicles age, SXM subscription-related concerns reported by customers are many times attributed to
changes in the contract terms or, temporary battery power loss to the H/U. Always obtain the Radio ID
(RID) information and verify the terms of the customer’s contract prior to performing any repairs. Sending
a refresh signal using the current RID to re-connect may solve the concern. This can be done by entering
the RID into the URL below and following the instructions: www.siriusxm.com/refresh. NOTE: If SXM
services only work after a refresh for a single ignition cycle then revert to Preview channels only, this may
indicate either an expired service agreement or, other possible contract errors such as expired credit card
associated with the customer’s account. Always confirm the customer’s contract is active and up to date
before performing other diagnostics. If the condition involves specific channels not working, the customer
should review their account with SXM confirm if their current service agreement includes those channels.
August 2019 TechTIPS

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Page 4 of 9

15

UPDATED INFOTAINMENT “CONDITIONS” INFORMATION (CONTINUED)

Gen 2: Denso 10 Head Unit- “Clock Shifts by One Hour when Daylight Saving Is Set
to Auto.”:
Reports have been received with customers stating their clock unexpectedly shifted by one hour when the
Daylight-Saving setting was set to Auto. Most customers reported this condition occurred in early April of this
year during the same time as GPS week rollover events reported on the internet were occurring. This is a
known condition and only affects Gen 2.0 NAVI H/U found in: 2015MY Outback/Legacy, 2015MY Crosstrek
and Impreza, 2016MY Forester and 2016MY WRX/WRX STI models. This condition was addressed in
the software update released for these Denso 10 navigation head units at the end of 2018. After verifying
the currently installed software version, perform the applicable update following the procedure supplied in
TSB 15-205-16R.
Audio (Volume) Level Adjustment When Using the Android Auto Application:
Reports have been received by Android
Auto application users regarding
the audio level failing to operate
correctly following notifications alerts.
NOTE: This is a known concern with
Google software and not with Android
Auto or vehicle H/Us. Updating Google
Play services should alleviate the
concern. A “How To” guide from the
Google Help Center page online, on
how to make sure your Google Play
Services are up to date is shown to
the right. Always confirm the customer
has the latest version installed prior to
initiating additional diagnosis or head
unit replacement

August 2019 TechTIPS

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Page 5 of 9

15

UPDATED INFOTAINMENT “CONDITIONS” INFORMATION (CONTINUED)

Phonebook Downloading:
There have been reports received regarding phonebook downloading failure during Bluetooth pairing.
Customers report after repeated pairing attempts, the condition continues.
We would like to refresh the steps involved in the process to prevent issue occurrence due to the setup. If the
phonebook or messages are not appearing as expected following Bluetooth Pairing, verify the Phonebook
Download feature has been enabled in the head unit settings. Select the “Phone” button then press
“Overview” on the head unit touch screen. Then select “Change Device” and ensure “Phonebook
Download” is enabled.

If the customer still cannot access the phonebook or messages, check the phone’s Bluetooth settings to
ensure all related sharing settings are enabled.

•

Android Device

Select the gear icon next to your vehicle device name. Ensure
all settings are enabled.

•

Apple Device

There are no additional settings to check on Apple devices
following successful pairing with the head unit. However, it is
strongly recommended to restart the vehicle to finalize the pairing
process and ensure all devices are in sync.

August 2019 TechTIPS

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Page 6 of 9

00

STIS NEW RELEASES

ITEM
CODE

15-236-18R
B321SFL020
06-72-19
F411SFL010
F411SFL000
04-17-17R
10-92-19R
J601SCA000
15-246-19
07-158-19
07-159-19
10-92-19R
07-151-19R
15-205-16R
E515SAN000
E515SAN010
06-51-15R
16-114-18R
S1090BE
11-191-19R
J201SAN000
H671SAN200
H621SAN000
H461SAN000
H451SAN100
H451SAN000
U3210BE
MSA5B2013A
MSA5B2004A
MSA5B2003A
MSA5M2014A
MSA5M2011A
MSA5M2004A
MSA5M2003A
U2570BE
L2570BE

ITEM TYPE

Technical Service Bulletin
Accessory Installation Guide
Technical Service Bulletin
Accessory Installation Guide
Accessory Installation Guide
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Accessory Installation Guide
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Accessory Installation Guide
Accessory Installation Guide
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Other/Miscellaneous
Technical Service Bulletin
Accessory Installation Guide
Accessory Installation Guide
Accessory Installation Guide
Accessory Installation Guide
Accessory Installation Guide
Accessory Installation Guide
Service Manual
Owner Manual
Owner Manual
Owner Manual
Owner Manual
Owner Manual
Owner Manual
Owner Manual
Service Manual
Service Manual
Service Diagnostics

All revised publications are highlighted in yellow.
August 2019 TechTIPS

CREATED
DATE

TITLE

Reprogramming File Availabilit...
Black Lug Nuts & Wheel Locks
ABS Wheel Speed Sensor- Design...
Crosstrek-Impreza Seat Cover-R...
Crosstrek-Impreza Seat Cover-R...
Rattling Sound from Steering R...
A/C System Inoperative
2020 Impreza Battery Warmer Ki...
New Immobilizer Registration P...
DTC B280B- EyeSight Camera Rep...
Battery Ground Cable Disconnec...
A/C System Inoperative
DTC B112C or B112E -Driver Mon...
Reprogramming File Availabilit...
2020MY Outback Engine Under Gu...
2020MY Outback Engine Under Gu...
New Front Disc Brake Pad Kit A...
DTC P0C79- Revised Diagnostics
2020MY Registration Manual For...
DTC P2610- New ECM Availabilit...
2020MY Legacy/Outback Exterior...
2020MY Legacy/Outback Wireless...
2020MY Legacy/Outback CD Playe...
2020MY Legacy/Outback Interior...
2020MY Outback Fog Lamp Kit
2020MY Legacy Fog Lamp Kit
2020MY Ascent New Car Informat...
2020MY Legacy/Outback & Forest...
2020MY Outback Getting Started...
2020MY Legacy Getting Started ...
2020MY Legacy/Outback Eyesight...
2020MY Legacy/Outback Subaru S...
2020MY Outback Owner's Manual
2020MY Legacy Owner's Manual
2020MY Legacy/Outback New Car ...
2020MY Legacy/Outback Body Rep...
2020 Legacy/Outback Service Ma...

21-Aug-19
21-Aug-19
20-Aug-19
20-Aug-19
20-Aug-19
20-Aug-19
19-Aug-19
16-Aug-19
15-Aug-19
15-Aug-19
14-Aug-19
9-Aug-19
8-Aug-19
8-Aug-19
8-Aug-19
8-Aug-19
8-Aug-19
8-Aug-19
6-Aug-19
5-Aug-19
2-Aug-19
2-Aug-19
2-Aug-19
2-Aug-19
2-Aug-19
2-Aug-19
2-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19
1-Aug-19

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
Page 7 of 9

ITEM
CODE

SOA367031
16-123-19
12-269-19
WTN-74R
WUA-86R
WTZ-85R
15-211-17R
15-177-14R

ITEM TYPE

Accessory Installation Guide
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin
Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin
Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Service Bulletin

All revised publications are highlighted in yellow.
August 2019 TechTIPS

CREATED
DATE

TITLE

2017-20MY WRX/STI Crossbars
DTC P173B- Auto Start-Stop Sys...
Rattle Sound from EyeSight Cam...
Reprogramming File Availabilit...
Harman Kardon Head Unit Reprog...
Harman Kardon Head Unit FMVSS ...
Reprogramming File Availabilit...
"Gen 2" & "Gen 2.1" Operating ...

31-Jul-19
30-Jul-19
29-Jul-19
29-Jul-19
29-Jul-19
29-Jul-19
26-Jul-19
26-Jul-19

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
Page 8 of 9

*** NOW YOU CAN E-MAIL YOUR TECHTIPS INPUT AND SUGGESTIONS TO: [email protected] ***

This is your chance to offer suggestions for use in future issues of TechTIPS! Make sure
that if you e-mail us, you place in the subject line of your e-mail “For TechTIPS Newsletter”.
Thank you!
MODEL:
YEAR:
VIN:
Description of situation encountered:

Your suggestion for repair procedure, product improvements, etc.:

Please attach separate sheets, if necessary. You may also want to include Service Manual
diagrams or references, or your own drawings to assist in describing your suggestion. All
information submitted becomes the property of Subaru of America, Inc. Permission is granted to
Subaru of America, Inc. to print your name and suggestions in TechTIPS and other Subaru of
America, Inc. publications. Mail items to: PO Box 9103; Camden, NJ 08101-9877.
Your Name:
Signature:
Dealer’s Name:
City:
Date:
Dealer Code:

SUBARU
TECHLINE
Hours of Operation
August 2019 TechTIPS

Monday – Thursday 8:30 am to 7:30 pm
Friday 10:30 am to 5 pm and Saturday 9 am to 3 pm
Page 9 of 9