2015 BRZ Limited Head unit Problems
 

The sole issue with my 2015 BRZ Limited purchased March 2015, manufactured Oct 2014 is with the head unit not working consistently with my iPhone 4s. My 2013 BRZ worked fine, the 2015 model doesn't. Brandon Tomes in McKinney TX says it's a apple interface problem, so they have no fix on a Subaru USA level.
Is anyone else having a problem?
When I took the car in for repair the Brandon Tomes maintenance personnel said to me Apple compatibility was a known problem. The problem exists even with the most current iPhone products they said.
This was a known problem to Subaru USA when I bought the BRZ.

I am considering starting a class action law suit against Subaru USA for selling a product with known problems that were not explained to BRZ purchasers beforehand.

If you have had iPhone interface problems with your head unit I would appreciate u sharing with the FT86club forum membership.

Thanks

Pretty sure there's a disclaimer saying that it may not work with app phones, or that not all functions are available with all phones.

Thanks for your response.

You make a Very good point. I'll go look in the owners manual. Though thinking that one through, Do you read the owners manual before purchase? Did you sign documents during the purchase that said you read all the lawyer-ize and you understand there are built in design flaws that may may effect you?

The last several cars from Subaru and Ford I've bought with navigation- communication-entertainment electronics I've thought of them more of computers that have a transportation function. My current Ford C-Max Energi with a Sony head unit works with IPhones. When a problem developed last month with its text-to-talk, Ford immediately replaced the unit under warranty.

I'm not feeling the same love from Subaru.

I purchased my BRZ as a fun DD. Subaru promoted itself as a safety conscious company. Hands free phone function is promoted as a safety feature. (Believe that hands free operation is not tested by the NTSB as part of its safety rating.) When hand-free fails and/or head unit to phone interface problems develop during a driving-communication session, ones eyes immedatiately are drawn to the head unit.

I'm wondering how many accidents have been caused, how many deaths have occurred where that in-cabin distraction was a contributing factor.

Any product liability lawyers out there?

Maybe you should sue apple for making a phone that is not compatible with your BRZ.

In all seriousness, buy a new head unit if it bothers you, or buy a new phone. Class action lawsuits don't benefit anyone but lawyers. It would cost Subaru a lot of money, and i'm not interested in a $3 check while a lawyer makes millions.

Owner's manuals are generally available to look through, and it's not hard to prove the cars generally may contain minor defects or issues. That's why you have a warranty. Publicly announcing your annoyance at something that doesn't work when things like this are general knowledge is not going to help you build a case.

In-cabin distraction that's the manufacturer's fault:
-Car's headliner panel abruptly fell in you and caused an obstruction of vision
-Manufacturer's built-in alarm started blaring while driving, causing you to be surprised and lose control of the vehicle
-AC vent starts spewing refrigerant into the footwell or clogged drain pipe results in water dripping on your feet, startling you and causing you to lose control

In-cabin distractions that's NOT the manufacturer's fault:
-you playing with your phone
-you playing with your stereo
-you playing with controls while moving

While driving, you're first and foremost priority is control of the vehicle and awareness of your surroundings. You should only be using all the other fancy nick-nacks when you're either fully stopped, or it's otherwise safe to do so. I believe this is also in the owner's manual as well as in your cell phone's owner's manual.


Class actions are very necessary in certain cases. many large companies will not change their practices if it were not for class litigation. Attorneys get a standard percentage of the settlement, but keep in mind that they may be working 2-3 years on a single case that may or may not result in any payment at all. The little amount you may get from a class settlement is supposed to cover the "injury" to you. Obviously, most people don't care about $3, but if you're not happy about that amount, you always have an option to opt-out of the class and bring your own lawsuit. Of course, there are those who may abuse the system, but isn't that something that happens everywhere?

As for your point of suing Apple, bingo!

OP, the car head unit's software may have been developed based on an older iOS version, and any future updates may have broken the features you are trying to use. Good luck proving that Subaru knew or should have known about the defect before the car was put on the market.

I agree with this, Class actions have their place and are certainly necessary under the right circumstances(like the BOA one from a year or so ago). I just don't think this is one that would be beneficial to owners. I haven't found one OE headunit for any manufacturer that I considered to be "good". The one in my 2012 Nissan was horrendous, bad GUI, Bluetooth was almost worthess, and music over Bluetooth didn't work. My wife's Volvo S60 is not user friendly and has compatibility issues as well. The 2015 BRZ HU is OK, but the user interface is lacking and it does have compatibility issues with a lot of phones. I wish they had an option to delete the OE HU on new cars, deduct the cost and allow me to put whatever I want in aftermarket. Or have a choice of an Android or Apple compatible HU.

Everyone has many problems with their HU and the only way you can fix it is to replace it. you're only gonna put yourself into more trouble by sueing. Try this when connecting your phone to the HU dont sync contacts or messages. Just use the bluetooth as is. Even if there was a warranty replacement, it will still have to same result. GL

Appreciate the feedback from all. I contacted Subaru USA customer service today and was told that the iOS changes that cause problems are not Subaru's issue to resolve. Also said was that the 2015 model was tested with the IPhone 6. While at the dealer level iPhone 6 are have link issues. Yet at the national level the problem is not theirs to fix nor to coordinate with Apple to resolve the issue affecting their mutual owners.

Second call today went to Apple Customer Care. The tech knew nothing about the problem, went offline to research, and will email findings in a few days. Anything of interest I'll post on this thread.

I purchased a iPhone 6 this afternoon. Paired it this evening. Hoping for the best. In all transparency my IPhone 4S began showing its age and may have contributed to the failure to maintain a pairing.

The class action lawsuit is off the table.

Again I appreciate the well thought responses.

Thought I'd share what I hope is one last bit of irony--the new Verizon iPhone 6 died within 20 hours of purchase. Verizon on-the-phone technician identified problem, verified and called the nearest store locating a replacement phone, and seemed genuinely concerned in resolving the problem to my complete satisfaction. What a breath of fresh air!