ATTENTION:
GENERAL MANAGER

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PARTS MANAGER

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CLAIMS PERSONNEL

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IMPORTANT - All
Service Personnel
Should Read and
Initial in the boxes
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SERVICE MANAGER

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© 2022 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

SERVICE INFORMATION BULLETIN
APPLICABILITY: All Gen2 and Gen3 Telematics Equipped Models

SUBJECT: Repair Process for Vehicles When Subaru
STARLINK® Telematics Stolen Vehicle
Recovery is Activated

NUMBER: 15-298-22R
DATE:

07/11/22

REVISED:

09/27/24

INTRODUCTION:
This Service Information Bulletin announces the preferred practices to be used when handling
vehicles equipped with Gen2 Telematics which are enrolled in the Subaru STARLINK® Security
Plus Service featuring Stolen Vehicle Recovery Plus with Immobilizer. This feature allows a customer
with a valid Police report to contact STARLINK® Customer Care (1-855-753-2495) to activate the
remote service. The STARLINK® Customer Care Agent will work directly with the authorities to
provide relevant location information to recover the vehicle.
Once a vehicle is recovered, it may arrive at the retailer in a condition that requires repair. The
immobilizer, if still activated, will prevent the vehicle from being started and an audio message may
be emitted from the speakers indicating the vehicle has been stolen. This bulletin outlines the best
practices and the most efficient path to ensure the immobilizer system is deactivated.
Technicians should NOT replace any immobilizer components before completing
diagnostic Steps 1 through 6, confirming the Telematics Stolen Vehicle Recovery feature is
DEACTIVATED and the vehicle’s remote vehicle mobilization message has been acknowledged.
If the vehicle has been part of a theft and/or activated stolen vehicle recovery, Technicians and
Service Advisors should interview the customer about ALL concerns regarding any starting
difficulties.

CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS COULD
RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.
Subaru Service Bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians ONLY. They
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 this
Service Bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition.

Subaru of America, Inc. is
ISO 14001 Compliant
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.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: 15-298-22R; Revised: 09/27/24

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SERVICE PROCEDURE / INFORMATION:
NOTE: DO NOT replace ANY components before following the Steps outlined below. If you are
unable to confirm STARLINK® status of the vehicle, contact Techline or your District Service
Quality Manager prior to any component replacement.
Diagnostic Procedure to address theft recovery vehicles with an active STARLINK® Security
Plus subscription experiencing starting difficulties:
Step 1:
Confirm the customer has contacted the STARLINK® Customer Care and provided notification the
vehicle has been recovered.
Step 2:
ALWAYS confirm the 12v systems battery is sufficiently charged with a Pass test result prior to
performing any work.
Step 3:
Follow TSB 15-266-20R to request a remote door unlock to verify the Telematics system is
responding to remote service requests.
If the vehicle fails to respond to a remote service request, the Technician must perform the diagnostic
steps outlined in the applicable Subaru Service Manual. Refer to STIS: DIAGNOSTICS >
TELEMATICS SYSTEM > Basic Diagnostic Procedure.
Step 4:
Use the Subaru Select Monitor (SSM) to perform an all-system scan noting any current DTCs.
Resolve all current DTCs that could affect Telematics and / or starting system operation before
attempting immobilizer diagnosis.
Step 5:
Use the SSM to review the Keyless Access Control Module (KACM) and Body Integrated Unit
(BIU) data to ensure the immobilizer is “SET,” preventing the vehicle start.
•

Body Control > Immobilizer Set Memory = SET

Continued...
Bulletin Number: 15-298-22R; Revised: 09/27/24

Page 2 of 4

•

Keyless Access with P/B start > Immobilizer Set Memory = SET

If both the above PIDs are “SET,” the immobilizer may be preventing the car from starting. The
Technician will need to proceed to Step 6.
If these PIDs are “UNSET,” the root cause of no start is NOT the Telematics immobilizer function.
The Technician should reference STIS for diagnostics using:
DIAGNOSTICS > ENGINE > DIAGNOSTICS WITH PHENOMENON > LIST > ENGINE DOES
NOT START.
Step 6:
In a case where the SSM indicates the KACM and BIU PIDs are “SET” (meaning the immobilizer is
actively preventing starting) the customer or retailer should contact STARLINK® Customer Care and
perform the following:
IMPORTANT: Resending the RVM message requires a specific order of operations. Failure to
follow these steps may result in additional issues.
A. Verify Vehicle Recovery: Before proceeding, confirm the stolen vehicle has been recovered
by contacting STARLINK® Customer Care.
B. Activate Stolen Vehicle Theft (SVT) Mode (if deactivated): If SVT mode is currently
deactivated, request the STARLINK® Customer Care center to first reactivate SVT.
C. Wait 5 Minutes: Allow the system sufficient time to synchronize.
D. Resend the Remote Vehicle Mobilize (RVM) message to the vehicle: Ask the
STARLINK® agent if they are seeing a successful RVM.
E. Confirmation: Once STARLINK® Customer Care has resent the RVM message, confirm if
the immobilizer has been successfully disabled.
F. Check the SSM4 for KACM and BIU PIDs: If they have changed to “UNSET,” the
immobilizer is disabled, and the vehicle should start normally.
G. If the PIDs remain “SET,”: If the second attempt to resend the RVM message fails to unset
the KACM and BIU PIDs, contact Techline for further assistance.

Continued...
Bulletin Number: 15-298-22R; Revised: 09/27/24

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IMPORTANT NOTES:
•

If additional assistance is needed with the above Steps, contact Techline with the results from
Steps 1 through 6 above.

•

In a case where the customer had the immobilizer set, and unexpectedly, the subscription has
expired or canceled between the time of recovery and repair, it will be necessary to enroll the
car in the STARLINK® Security Plus subscription plan. The vehicle must be actively enrolled
if it is determined an additional remote vehicle mobilization command needs to be sent.
Should the customer wish not to remain enrolled, the subscription can be canceled once it is
determined the Telematics immobilizer function is turned off.

•

The only effective way to confirm the repair of a Telematics concern, is to verify the operation
of remote services through execution using the MySubaru Mobile App or the MySubaru
customer web portal. Using the SOS button or i-Button successfully should not be considered
a complete or functional test of remote services. Many conditions can occur that will still
allow the SOS and/or “i” button to function and reach a STARLINK® operator, although
some or all of the remote services may not operate. The Technician can only confirm remote
service operational status by executing a remote service request through either the MySubaru
APP or the customer web portal. Refer to TSB 15-266-20R for more information on this
topic.

CRITICAL:
Any Technician or other retailer personnel who, despite service documentation and training
to the contrary, performs a Data Control Module (DCM) swap/exchange on a subscribed
vehicle should NEVER release that vehicle back to the customer until after confirming the
proper operation Telematics system. EXAMPLE: suppose the issue is first discovered after
the car has been released to the customer. In that case, the retailer MUST contact the customer
immediately to inform them the ACN/AACN (Advanced Automatic Collision Notification)
feature may not be functioning correctly, and the vehicle MUST return for inspection soon as
possible.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
•

SOA strongly discourages the printing and/or local storage of service information as
previously released information and electronic publications may be updated at any time.

•

Always check for any open recalls or campaigns anytime a vehicle is in for servicing.

•

Always refer to STIS for the latest service information before performing any repairs.

Bulletin Number: 15-298-22R; Revised: 09/27/24

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