Hi! I just ordered the 2020 Outback Touring, and the dealership can't seem to answer this question for me. Does anyone know if there will be a way to PERMANENTLY disable the auto on/off feature (when it turns the engine off when stopped rather than idling)? I test drove the Forrester and I found the auto on/off feature to be really distracting/annoying and apparently on early models you have to manually turn it off each time you drive. Would appreciate any insight you may have! Thanks!
Smarselos
See: https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/stop-start-with-2-4t-in-2020-ob.513143/
This post has lots of details. There is no known way to permanently disable SS without modifying the car probably. Look at my post in that thread, where I list all the conditions in which SS will work. Think about how many important sensors need to work together to make this thing go. The 2020 Outback is loaded with sensors and computer systems. Modifying the car may have unintended consequences, decrease safety, and potentially void a warranty.
You can temporarily disable SS with little hassle (turning on the rear defrost, for example). My plan for the 2020 is to drive with it on for two months to see if I can get used to it, and learn how to better control its activation with brake pressure and steering. I've been told by 2019 owners that this is pretty easy to tame with some practice.
This post has lots of details. There is no known way to permanently disable SS without modifying the car probably. Look at my post in that thread, where I list all the conditions in which SS will work. Think about how many important sensors need to work together to make this thing go. The 2020 Outback is loaded with sensors and computer systems. Modifying the car may have unintended consequences, decrease safety, and potentially void a warranty.
You can temporarily disable SS with little hassle (turning on the rear defrost, for example). My plan for the 2020 is to drive with it on for two months to see if I can get used to it, and learn how to better control its activation with brake pressure and steering. I've been told by 2019 owners that this is pretty easy to tame with some practice.
Patiently waiting for shrinks to come up with a name for the phobia of being scared of auto stop/start.
I think it would be diasalevophobia - An irrational fear of things starting-up & shuddering. This is a previously undocumented phobia. Psychologists are confused by the sudden rash of cases.
A few months back, I got upgraded to a Cadillac XT5 as a rental due to them not having a car in the class I had booked. There is a button to defeat the Start/Stop on the dash but you have to remember to press it after you start the car every time.
Instead, the guy at the rental agency said to put it in manual when you come to a stop. This prevents the engine stopping when you're not moving. Is this better than remembering to press the SS button? I doubt it but it's another way to look at it.
Instead, the guy at the rental agency said to put it in manual when you come to a stop. This prevents the engine stopping when you're not moving. Is this better than remembering to press the SS button? I doubt it but it's another way to look at it.
I'm about a month into owning a 2020 Outback and the auto on-off is driving me slightly bonkers.
It's actually been annoying me more over time, not less. For one thing, I bought the car primarily to be an enormously safe first car for a turning 16 kid. Every time the auto on/off happens while she's sitting there making front-of-brain choices at an intersection (or when she pushes on the accelerator to start and the car doesn't actually start immediately but with a little delay) she's distracted and surprised and "what was that". It's the exact opposite of safe.
Personally I've been finding it frustrating because I've now become a lame "latent" driver in freeway traffic. When the car in front of me starts driving again instead of gracefully and quickly following it, there's this little hiccup while it pulls away (the Outback puts up a little "the vehicle in front of you has moved!" sign, very helpful, yes, I know that, I'm trying to follow it, arrrrrrg) and the car behind me has to wait while I get rolling again. If everyone in the traffic jam had this "feature" the time between the "first" car heading forward and the "last" would be enormous.
And as near as I can tell it's doing almost no good for the planet. According to the little measure thing I've saved right about a gallon of gas while driving 1000 miles. Apparently that's roughly 20 lbs of CO2. A little web research suggests I could offset that (paying to plant trees) for 9 cents. Lets say the car makes it to 200,000 miles. 4000 lbs of CO2. A little under $20 worth of carbon offset. So. Charge me $20 to plant some trees and let me disable the auto stop. I would pay it in an instant.
It's actually been annoying me more over time, not less. For one thing, I bought the car primarily to be an enormously safe first car for a turning 16 kid. Every time the auto on/off happens while she's sitting there making front-of-brain choices at an intersection (or when she pushes on the accelerator to start and the car doesn't actually start immediately but with a little delay) she's distracted and surprised and "what was that". It's the exact opposite of safe.
Personally I've been finding it frustrating because I've now become a lame "latent" driver in freeway traffic. When the car in front of me starts driving again instead of gracefully and quickly following it, there's this little hiccup while it pulls away (the Outback puts up a little "the vehicle in front of you has moved!" sign, very helpful, yes, I know that, I'm trying to follow it, arrrrrrg) and the car behind me has to wait while I get rolling again. If everyone in the traffic jam had this "feature" the time between the "first" car heading forward and the "last" would be enormous.
And as near as I can tell it's doing almost no good for the planet. According to the little measure thing I've saved right about a gallon of gas while driving 1000 miles. Apparently that's roughly 20 lbs of CO2. A little web research suggests I could offset that (paying to plant trees) for 9 cents. Lets say the car makes it to 200,000 miles. 4000 lbs of CO2. A little under $20 worth of carbon offset. So. Charge me $20 to plant some trees and let me disable the auto stop. I would pay it in an instant.
I think I have read that SS is disabled when towing if the brake harness is connected? If so, if you can create a 'load' for the trailer harness to simulate trailer brakes...that may work.
I have also read it may be a bad idea if the car is designed to alter shift points or handling/braking parameters when a trailer is 'detected'.
I have also read it may be a bad idea if the car is designed to alter shift points or handling/braking parameters when a trailer is 'detected'.
Man am I glad my 2005 is still a Level 0 car. I don't get the desire to own something so expensive and so new if you're just going to get annoyed with how it was engineered.
On the other hand, I'd probably be one of those "I just want a faster horse" people Henry Ford was always talking about.
On the other hand, I'd probably be one of those "I just want a faster horse" people Henry Ford was always talking about.
I Figured it out!!! Ok, so this is really crazy and happened by accident! I googled how to disarm the beeping for the seat belt and on the Outback, you turn the car on, but not running, sitting in the driver seat fasten and unfasten the seat belt 20 times in 30 seconds - it disarms the beeper. Well since this is disarmed my car thinks I am not wearing the seat belt and that in turn makes the start stop feature not work
. The start stop feature will not work if your seat belt beeper is disabled!!! Not sure if this will work on all cars - but it did work on my 2020 Outback.
No way!! I disabled the seat belt but I haven t tried the SS to see.
So what if you have the seat belt on with the chime disabled?
So what if you have the seat belt on with the chime disabled?
That’s a high risk to achieve a minimal return.
But it won’t likely last. As soon as this is discovered by Subaru, they will likely issue a software update to fix it.
But it won’t likely last. As soon as this is discovered by Subaru, they will likely issue a software update to fix it.
I thought the point of disabling the seat belt alarm was to make the car think you are wearing the seat belt; not the other way around.
I don't want to give anyone a bad feeling, but over the Thanksgiving weekend we were on a trip to Houston and rented a Chevy Malibu which had engine on/off. As we were waiting to pull out of a church parking lot on Sunday, the guy in a brand new Chevy F150 in front of us was waiting to turn left onto the street decided to try to back up and go a different way. Before I was able to shift into reverse, restart the engine and get out of his way, he munched into the front of the car. I was honking all the while but he didn't seem to hear it riding so high. That split second of restarting the engine and moving may have made the difference between escaping unscathed and about $2k of damage (Avis claims) to the rental car.
Anyway, the engine on/off, CVT and outrageously expensive replacement windshield makes me want to keep my Gen3 for as long as I can.
Anyway, the engine on/off, CVT and outrageously expensive replacement windshield makes me want to keep my Gen3 for as long as I can.
It does not disable anything else in the car - I did this on my 2015 and it worked for 5 years with no problems.
I disabled the seat belt chime the day I bought the 2020 Outback, start/stop feature is not disabled or is anything else just the seat belt chime is disabled.
Love using the rear defroster button on the right side of the 11" display to defeat it easily.
So much effort to disable SS. I guess ours is the exception because it is almost imperceptible in operation. For those of you who dislike it so much, have you given it a chance? Ours started to smooth out passing 500 miles, and has continued to get smoother with miles, so we just leave it on all the time. By the time the foot is off the brake and on the gas, it's up and running, no muss no fuss. Two tips that work well for us (both learned from others on this forum):
1. Light pressure on the brake as you stop inhibits SS, so if you think you're going to stomp on the gas shortly after stopping go easy on the brake; if you think you're going to be sitting for a while just press harder on the brake.
2. To prevent SS from shutting off when you shift into Park only to restart again, just engage the parking brake first as you come to a stop, then shift into Park. The engine will stay running until you hit the start/stop button.
Overall it seems smoother in the Outback than in the 19 Forester, worth giving it a chance rather than hating it without really trying it. And as others have said, it's at most 3 button taps to disable when you start the engine. Seat heaters take two taps, cruise control takes 1 tap, restoring the dumped equalizer settings takes more taps than I can count, yada yada yada. If SS is the biggest problem with the car, you've got a pretty good car.
1. Light pressure on the brake as you stop inhibits SS, so if you think you're going to stomp on the gas shortly after stopping go easy on the brake; if you think you're going to be sitting for a while just press harder on the brake.
2. To prevent SS from shutting off when you shift into Park only to restart again, just engage the parking brake first as you come to a stop, then shift into Park. The engine will stay running until you hit the start/stop button.
Overall it seems smoother in the Outback than in the 19 Forester, worth giving it a chance rather than hating it without really trying it. And as others have said, it's at most 3 button taps to disable when you start the engine. Seat heaters take two taps, cruise control takes 1 tap, restoring the dumped equalizer settings takes more taps than I can count, yada yada yada. If SS is the biggest problem with the car, you've got a pretty good car.
Honestly. After 2 1/2 months of ownership. I really don't see why there is such hate for the system aside from something new in how the car works. Yes, a few times it is a little more of a shake in the car than I like, but it has NEVER been offensive to me or any of my passengers. The only time I have turned it off was when I took it off-roading. And there, it makes sense to turn off most of the systems.
With the knowledge of just needing to press the brake a little harder and it will start back up is all that I have needed. I have even had a few cases where I have needed to move just as it is stopping the car and it started it right away in the middle of the shutdown, no harm, no issue and off I went. I live in the suburbs of Seattle and venture into downtown somewhat often and even down there with the hills, it has not been an issue.
I will admit that I am a bit light on the brake and accelerator for everyday driving. I have been training myself over the last 10 years to get lighter with it to become more efficient. And most days the S/S system will engage only a few times. I am lucky enough to only live 15 - 30 minutes to work and mostly on the freeway and almost never see stop and go traffic. So I may not be a good example, but I really don't mind it. The BMW drove a few years ago, the one before they added the bigger electric starter, now that was an awful system. Taking up to a full second to start the car from the full release of the brake. Just remember that it could be worse. In comparison the Subaru one is great. But things being relative, yes I agree it could be better. But I have not once felt it to be distracting, obtrusive, or yet even remotely dangerous. I would feel 100% confident to give this to a new learner driver or even someone in their twilight years of driving.
These systems are not going anywhere, we all need to get used to having the engines stop when the car is stopped, at least until EV's become more obtainable to the masses and have better range and a good and reliable to find Quick charging network, which won't happen till we finally upgrade the power infrastructure in the US.
With the knowledge of just needing to press the brake a little harder and it will start back up is all that I have needed. I have even had a few cases where I have needed to move just as it is stopping the car and it started it right away in the middle of the shutdown, no harm, no issue and off I went. I live in the suburbs of Seattle and venture into downtown somewhat often and even down there with the hills, it has not been an issue.
I will admit that I am a bit light on the brake and accelerator for everyday driving. I have been training myself over the last 10 years to get lighter with it to become more efficient. And most days the S/S system will engage only a few times. I am lucky enough to only live 15 - 30 minutes to work and mostly on the freeway and almost never see stop and go traffic. So I may not be a good example, but I really don't mind it. The BMW drove a few years ago, the one before they added the bigger electric starter, now that was an awful system. Taking up to a full second to start the car from the full release of the brake. Just remember that it could be worse. In comparison the Subaru one is great. But things being relative, yes I agree it could be better. But I have not once felt it to be distracting, obtrusive, or yet even remotely dangerous. I would feel 100% confident to give this to a new learner driver or even someone in their twilight years of driving.
These systems are not going anywhere, we all need to get used to having the engines stop when the car is stopped, at least until EV's become more obtainable to the masses and have better range and a good and reliable to find Quick charging network, which won't happen till we finally upgrade the power infrastructure in the US.
I was sort of the mindset of trying this, and just letting it run initially, as some have mentioned.
Then, I had a day (also in a suburb of Seattle, mostly), where it was cold, and traffic was pretty plugged-up, and I swear it did an auto-S/S about 75 times, in maybe a 25 minute drive, and I sort of snapped. I've replaced a few starters in the past, and even when they were pretty exposed, they were almost never easy. Simple, yes, but something was always wedged or similar.
Nowadays there are probably 20-50 other miscellaneous pieces that have to come off, first, and the starter isn't probably 55+core, or something like that, I bet it's 755, or some such. There's got to be some sort of wear/tear on the battery, too, it's hard to imagine it not being the case, say if you do 900 more 2.5A drains/month, it's going to add up, slowly, but surely.
I think if I'd seen more of a fuel-savings indication, I'd have been more inclined to persist.
Personally (given the spirit of the idea anyway), I think it should (also) tell you an approximation of lbs/CO2 you're not outputting, it's got to be a much more impressive (looking) number, and more motivating, for some (it could simply be another item-selection, doesn't have to be either-or).
In the meantime, the person who's spent too many hours swearing at an older, stuck starter has me turning this feature off, whenever I remember (or at that first stop).
The cruise-control option someone mentioned is intriguing, given the issues with running rear-defrost constantly...
Then, I had a day (also in a suburb of Seattle, mostly), where it was cold, and traffic was pretty plugged-up, and I swear it did an auto-S/S about 75 times, in maybe a 25 minute drive, and I sort of snapped. I've replaced a few starters in the past, and even when they were pretty exposed, they were almost never easy. Simple, yes, but something was always wedged or similar.
Nowadays there are probably 20-50 other miscellaneous pieces that have to come off, first, and the starter isn't probably 55+core, or something like that, I bet it's 755, or some such. There's got to be some sort of wear/tear on the battery, too, it's hard to imagine it not being the case, say if you do 900 more 2.5A drains/month, it's going to add up, slowly, but surely.
I think if I'd seen more of a fuel-savings indication, I'd have been more inclined to persist.
Personally (given the spirit of the idea anyway), I think it should (also) tell you an approximation of lbs/CO2 you're not outputting, it's got to be a much more impressive (looking) number, and more motivating, for some (it could simply be another item-selection, doesn't have to be either-or).
In the meantime, the person who's spent too many hours swearing at an older, stuck starter has me turning this feature off, whenever I remember (or at that first stop).
The cruise-control option someone mentioned is intriguing, given the issues with running rear-defrost constantly...
While I have no problem when the SS functions as it should, which logic would dictate that when the vehicle comes to a complete stop for 4-5 seconds the engine shuts off, then restarts when you take your foot off the brake, but I DO have an issue with it when the engine starts back up at random times while waiting for a light to change. I'm not varying the brake pressure. I'm sitting dead still. It's simply no where near consistent. And here's the deal with that start up : it is jolting and abrupt when it decides to start up during those random times. It's pretty smooth when it starts back up when it should, which is when you remove your foot off the brake. It's always a "wtf" moment for me when it starts up on its own. And it pisses me off to me honest. Subaru, if you can't get the system to be consistent, then don't even have it as a feature. The ironic thing is that I don't want to disable it because I want it to work like it's suppose to. I sincerely want to know why these random start ups occur, and why they are sooooo much more jarring than they are when it works correctly... It's probably because the brakes are engaged during those random who-the -hell-knows-why engine restarts.
I figured I would video what I was referring to above. Sometimes it starts back up way earlier than this. I did not vary to brake pressure. There was nothing that the eyesite could pick up (ie, red light changing to green, the car's brake light in front of me going off). The heater was not on. The radio was not on. I would also like to think that with a car (OK, SUV really) this new, it should not be a weak battery issue. You can see how my camera jerks a bit with the engine kicking back on.
My wife has had her Onyx about 9 days so I asked her about this unexpected restart. She said she has noticed it. But she isn’t sure whether she’s unintentionally let up slightly on the brakes or done something else that may have caused it to restart. This could be a matter of people getting used to how the feature on this car works or perhaps something that requires a software tweak. Subaru may well state that it’s operating as designed. I’m considering replacing my 14 year old Legacy with the new Legacy XT. My plan is to train myself to always disable the feature when getting into the car. It aggravates me when I’m just riding with my wife.
We must have gotten a ‘good’ S/S setup. Ours is fairly smooth and easily controlled by varying brake pedal pressure on stops with a little practice during break in. Doesn’t really bother me, and find myself kind of enjoying having it engage when I want it, at what I know are likely to be long periods of idle. Every once in a while it restarts prematurely if I let up just a bit on the brake though.
So does the vehicle read the resistance of the rear defrost to determine whether it's on and to shut off auto start stop? I wonder if we can rig up a secondary switch and relay, wire it in line with the defroster, and be able to defeat the auto start stop and still have a functioning defroster switch?
Any electrical engineers want a simple side business? It'd probably sell like hot cakes on here.
Any electrical engineers want a simple side business? It'd probably sell like hot cakes on here.
Has anyone been able to add a shortcut to the home screen to go directly to the A S/S switch ?
I was able to add the "Car Settings" icon to the home screen (which saves one layer tap), but can't figure out how to get the actual switch up on the home screen (no layer taps) . . . .
I was able to add the "Car Settings" icon to the home screen (which saves one layer tap), but can't figure out how to get the actual switch up on the home screen (no layer taps) . . . .
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