[mackemode]

I picked up a 2015 Subaru BRZ Limited from a preowned dealership last week in “As Is” condition. I bought the car knowing it had issues, but I got for a good price. When I purchased it, it was having idling/RPM stutter kind of issues and throwing CEL Codes P0102 and P0113. I assumed both of these had to do with the aftermarket Takeda Momentum air intake and the sensors associated with it.

After trailering the car home and looking into the codes more, I realized it was more of an electrical/voltage issue and decided it was over my head to try to fix myself, and took it into a local shop.

The local shop told me the car is having a much larger wiring/electrical/computer issue. They said even their Subaru specific diagnostic wouldn’t communicate with the car’s ECU/computer. They recommended I take it to a dealership, but sadly the nearest Subaru is 2 hours from me and would require towing and multiple trips back and forth. I figured I would ask around to some FRS/BRZ owners to see if this is any sort of common or known issue before doing so.

Here’s the full list of symptoms/things I know about the car so far:

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- The car dies on the first five starts, every single time. It will kill itself after about about half a second of idling until the sixth startup, where it allows itself to run and idle perfectly fine. It’s the sixth time, every single time. Security shutoffs maybe?

- The check engine light does not always come on immediately after clearing codes with an OBD2 scanner. I’ve drove it 30 miles or so since last time I reset the codes, and the check engine light has not come on again, nor have I had any stuttering/idling/RPM issues. The startup issue has remained consistent though.

- When the check engine light is on, it will throw codes P0102 and P0113, related to the voltages of the MAF and AIT sensors.

- When I purchased the car, the dealership told me they bought it from an auction where the dash was torn apart and the wiring was “messed with.”

- When I first drove the car, I noticed the traction control / sport mode buttons wouldn’t do anything. I found the module was unplugged. Even after plugging in, the traction control button only works maybe half the time.

- Knowing this about the traction control button, I tried to break the tires loose today in the rain with the traction control “off”, when the button was working. As soon as the tires broke loose, the traction control turned back on by itself (turned the light off on the cluster) and the car caught itself out of wheel spin and cut the throttle. I thought this was very odd, that button should be a full override, correct?

- The automatic lock on the driver side does not work with the door button, nor the key fob. When walking up to the car and placing your hand on the door handle, the unlock beep happens 5 times in a row, but the door does not unlock. I have to use the key from inside the fob to unlock the car from the outside.

- The other day when I drove it across town to the shop, the car completely died and the dash lit up with just about every light possible. It stuttered for a bit and then just shut off. I turned the car off, back on, and it started right back up and had no other issues the rest of the drive (~10 miles), just had check engine light on.

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I don’t know which of these issues are interconnected to a larger wiring issue (maybe all) but something is going on with the car that is way above my head. Will definitely be taking it to another shop or dealership, but figured I would ask here and see if this is any sort of common or known issue.

Does anyone have any ideas what may be wrong based on these symptoms?

Any help is appreciated!