When will Harmon Kardon Hiss be Corrected?

[Subquest]

I have been checking out the new 2013 Subaru 2.5 Limited and have been very impressed. The only negative is with the Harmon Kardon premium audio system, as it has a very noticeable hiss over the speakers up in the dash. The sound gets louder for a few seconds after using the navigation console or even doing other electronic operations, such as turning on the high beams. I noticed this in every car I checked. I thought I was going crazy so I asked the technician at the dealership and he was aware of the problem with the audio system. He indicated that Subaru of America knows about it and is working on a solution. He said it is a capacitor issue. I am hopeful that someone might know when or if Subaru has corrected the issue on the new cars being made? With wanting leather, dual temp, moon roof, nav, etc. locks me into the limited with this systemL I really like the car, but don’t love the idea of what might be required to resolve this issue later.

[lashlee]

Its been covered many times with both the four and six cylinder models. As of now they don't have a fix and it generally boils down to some models are louder than others (or many other factors) but once you are driving the noise is less noticeable. It's also less noticeable with a small amount of volume, since it's mainly noticed when you have the volume down low and low ambient noise. You can replace the radio and wire around the H/K amp to fix the problem but that could get costly depending on what you want in the long run.

Personally I wouldn't let such a menial issue detract from a great car. I replaced the radio in my Limited with about 800 miles on the clock and haven't looked back.

[jkwillia]

Hi I am so relieved to find your post and to know that others are aware this is an issue. We purchased a 2013 outback limited 2.5 last weekend (11-11-12) and immediately noticed this issue with the audio...a seemingly random, sometimes loud/buzzing, sometimes hissing, staticy noise coming through the speakers in all modes of audio (fm/am radio, CD, XM, mp3, etc.) that is highly annoying and frustrating. We actually returned our black outback immediately and the dealer swapped out for a navy blue - exact same issue. Tried to negate transaction and dealership was not cooperative. Called SOA and they told me that they are only aware of the issue being specific to location that limits reception (i.e. being near tall buildings, a large truck, etc.). We do not feel this is the case. Currently, my new outback is in the shop and the tech says he hasn't been able to hear the noise so they are keeping for another day.

You are smart to hold off on your purchase. My husband and I are also dreading pursuing the lemon law process should it get to that point but certainly will if necessary. Curious to know why SOA is telling some it is a capacitor issue and/or why there are no complaints on the NHTSA website or TSA service bulletins. What do we need to do to help generate those?

I recognize this is not a safety issue; however for us it's resolve is imperative being that we have an 8 month old son with a moderate hearing impairment who wears hearing aids. As you can imagine, his reaction to the louder, buzzing static noise (best way I know to describe it is like something is being shocked in the sound system) is quite negative.

[rasterman]

Just get a good aftermarket system and get Subaru (either your dealer or SOA) to comp you something close to the cost of the replacement. You'll be happier, the car will sound better. H-K is just another watered down brand name plastered onto something cheap these days anyway.

[Subquest]

I also found the issue posted on several forums. Here is an example of one of the threads that will also be helpful to you. It appears to start with the 2012 model and continued to be an issue in 2013. Unfortunately it appears that even though a number of people have been contacting Subaru of America, everyone is being told that they are not aware of the issue. I, too, am really confused how technicians at a dealership know about the issue, but Subaru of America does not. You will see in the other thread that they are recommending that everyone is sure to submit this issue to Subaru of America.


http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/39293-2012-ob-harmon-karmon-radio-hiss-3.html

[jkwillia]

Thank you subquest for your link to the other thread. The more I read on this forum, the more regretful I become. I honestly thought we were making a great purchase being that we are an active family and we thought this would be a fun, rugged, but nice car for my son to grow with. Consumer Reports also recommended the OB and rated highly. (Obviously, they don't check out the audio.) Really wish we had ponied up the extra $5-6k and gone with the Acura RDX I was really lusting after. As I'm sure you can imagine, this will be our last Subaru regardless of the outcome. I find it ridiculous to spend over $30k on a car and immediately find yourself sorting out a hot mess.

As I believe another member pointed out, this has truly become just as much a technical issue as it is a customer service nightmare. SOA and HK should both be ashamed.

[lashlee]

In my world $6k extra for an RDX isn't worth it. I guess that this is your first purchase of anything that has an issue. I'd like to see what your past cars were so that I know what is perfect from the manufacturer. Especially since for $6k you could get one heck of an aftermarket option, and more room and more ground clearance!

As a side note, not every car has the issue. It's common, but not every model. Most people aren't as critical.

[Subquest]

jkwillia... I would be very interested in what the shop tech ended up doing or saying. A good way I found to reproduce this is to turn the car to ACC (don't start) and go from low to high beam. It doesn't matter if the radio is on or not. Also, touching any setting on the console will trigger it. You will hear the sound increase for a few seconds and then go back to a very low volume.

Have you tried calling SOA? At this point a number of people have reported it so it should be very interesting.

[jkwillia]

Originally Posted by Subquest

jkwillia... I would be very interested in what the shop tech ended up doing or saying. A good way I found to reproduce this is to turn the car to ACC (don't start) and go from low to high beam. It doesn't matter if the radio is on or not. Also, touching any setting on the console will trigger it. You will hear the sound increase for a few seconds and then go back to a very low volume.

Have you tried calling SOA? At this point a number of people have reported it so it should be very interesting.

Thank you for your advice. My husband tried it immediately but unfortunately did not have any success. We did ride around with a video recorder in the car the entire thanksgiving holiday and got some great footage of the problem. Submitted to SOA and they basically said I have to take the car back to the dealership and drive it around with a tech until we hear the sound. You can imagine how pleased I was to hear this - haha!

A number of people have reported this issue and Subaru is still saying they have no record of it. We will give them a fair chance to try and fix it again this week but should we meet any resistance from SOA, we will certainly be following through with one of the attorney's we've already contacted regarding this issue as well as continuing to pursue a buyback through lemon law. Wish us luck!

[adgjqetuo]

Originally Posted by jkwillia

Thank you for your advice. My husband tried it immediately but unfortunately did not have any success. We did ride around with a video recorder in the car the entire thanksgiving holiday and got some great footage of the problem.

Can you post the video on YouTube? I'm curious what your hearing.