I have a 2015 base Outback. Whenever I open the rear door (hatch) and close it, the remote control is unresponsive for approximately 30-40 seconds. It will not lock or unlock doors.
Is that expected behavior? I have tried both remotes with the same results.
Only the hatch has that effect.
If you're saying you have to wait 30 or 40 seconds after you close the hatch before the key fob(s) are operable to lock/unlock the car, then no, that's not normal.
I doubt it has anything to do with the battery as I can replicate the behavior as I want, with both remote. It's always the exact same timing with the single door (I have tried them all individually)
I figured it out on my own. You guys will never believe.
I'd be curious to see if someone else has the same behavior.
It is all linked to the cargo area dome light.
When it is in the "door" position, the remote won't work for about the time it takes for the light to shut off after the door is closed to work. Everything works normally when the light is either at "off" or "on".
My 2016 exhibits similar behaviour (FOB temporarily unresponsive). I never had done anything about it I just thought it was a minor annoyance.
I will try to replicate. It won't change anything I do because I want the light to be in the "door" position as that is obviously what makes the most sense in day-to-day operation.
As I said in an earlier reply to this post I have experienced the same problem intermittently. But I cannot reproduce the problem consistently. Questions:
1) are you using the tailgate button or the fob button to close the hatch?
2) are you waiting for the hatch to fully close and lock before trying to use the key fob to lock/unlock the doors or are you trying to use the key fobs while the hatch is still closing?
Found this on page 2-26 of the manual. Might this be it? Are you doing the single press for driver's door only, or double press for all doors?
Unlocking the doors
Press the unlock/disarm button to unlock
the driver’s door. An electronic chirp will
sound twice and the hazard warning
flashers will flash twice. To unlock all
doors and the rear gate (Outback), briefly
press the unlock/disarm button a second
time within 5 seconds.
NOTE
If the interval between the first and
second presses of the unlock/disarm
button (for unlocking of all of the doors
and the rear gate) is extremely short,
the system may not respond.
I know this doesn't have anything to do with the rear gate or the cargo light specifically, just grasping at straws.
Unlock signals to the doors and liftgate likewise are sourced out of embedded computer.
Big clue here is that both remotes do the same thing, the wait latentcy is always the same, and others on the forum are easily able to replicate the problem on their own car.
In my profession we call this a "software bug". Or, if Subaru has some reason for doing it this way - and for the life of me I can't imagine what that would be - it would be a "software feature".