TECHTIPS July 2021 (TIPS0721)

WARNING: This page is about the Outback Limited XT, which is a different variant/trim than selected.

Publication date: 2021-07-01
Reference number: TIPS0721

TECHTIPS JULY 2021

TECHNICAL INFORMATION TIPS

Reference Number(s): TIPS0721, Date of Issue: July 01, 2021

SUBARU:

All Models

01 QMR OF THE MONTH

We are pleased to announce this month's QMR of the Month Winner:

The winning QMR of the Month submission for May involved the diagnosis and repair of a 2021MY Outback which presented with the EyeSight and power steering system warning lights illuminated. The customer also stated the steering felt excessively stiff. After verifying the concerns on a short road test, Joseph's initial DTC scan revealed various communication fault codes including a U0131 which was found in multiple modules. At first, he was unable to communicate with the EyeSight system but, when moving the vehicle to another service bay, the warning lights went out and normal operation returned. Joseph road tested the car again and fortunately, the previously confirmed conditions returned. He proceeded to check for trouble in the CAN system. After finding normal resistance values during his extensive testing, Joseph determined the communication problems were originating in the advanced safety CAN. He proceeded with split-half testing and was able to isolate excessively high resistance in connector RF21 between pins 1 and 2. Further testing revealed an open circuit between connector RF21 pin 21 and B22 pin 5. When flexing the harness connector, he was able to change the resistance in the circuit. Closer inspection revealed a broken lock tab on one of the affected male pin terminals preventing a solid connection. Joseph proceeded to replace the bulkhead wiring harness. After completing the installation, multiple road tests confirmed the successful repair with no further warning light occurrences and normal steering system operation. Detailed step-by-step diagnostics and test results along with a video combined to document his report.

In appreciation for going the extra mile and sharing his experience with us, Joseph will be receiving the following from his Field Service Engineer:

CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.

The Subaru TechTIPS newsletter is intended for use by professional Technicians ONLY. Articles are written to inform those Technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly trained Technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do the job correctly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that your vehicle has or will have that condition. Impreza, Legacy, Justy, Loyale, Outback, Forester, Subaru SVX, WRX, WRX STI, Baja, Tribeca, BRZ, XV Crosstrek, Ascent, Crosstrek Hybrid and "Quality Driven" are Registered Trademarks.

SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. IS ISO 14001 COMPLIANT

ISO 14001 is the international standard for excellence in Environmental Management Systems. Please recycle or dispose of automotive products in a manner that is friendly to our environment and in accordance with all local, state and federal laws and regulations.

The other Regional winners selected from QMRs submitted during May 2021 were:

William Jones from Johnstons Subaru in Middletown, NY
Kenneth Kettler from LaFontaine Subaru in Commerce Township, MI
Steven Roberts from Subaru of Loveland in Loveland, CO
Johnathan Imhoff from MetroWest Subaru in Natick, MA

Any Subaru Technician can participate in the QMR of the Month program. See the February 2013 and January 2016 issues of Tech TIPS for full details. You just might see your name and photo in a future issue of Tech TIPS!

01 QMR OF THE MONTH AWARD PRESENTATIONS

As part of our "enhanced" QMR of the Month recognition program, we will include a photo (whenever available) of the recipient's award presentation in TIPS. The winner selected from QMR of the Month submission received during May 2021 was Joseph Frye, a Technician from AutoNation Subaru in Hunt Valley, MD.

Joseph is shown above being presented with his $500.00 Snap-On Gift Card. Pictured here (left to right) are General Manager, Nathan Hollis, Service Manager, Eric Nicholson, May's winning Technician, Joseph Frye, SOA Field Service Engineer, Jesse Bunting, and SOA District Parts and Service Manager Jason Raguz. Congratulations and THANK YOU to our July 2021 QMR of the Month Award recipient!

If the customer concern is a lack of boost with a Check Engine light on and DTC P0299 in memory, start by performing a visual inspection of the turbo area. SOA has received reports of the wastegate rod being disconnected and the retaining nut missing. The wastegate rod is not adjustable and the retainer nut should never be loosened. If this condition is confirmed, the turbo assembly must be replaced. If the retainer nut is in place, proceed with diagnostics per STIS for DTC P0299.

05 NOISES FROM STRUT AREA

When diagnosing suspension noise, verify the strut mount nut (item #2 in the diagram below) is torqued to the correct specification listed in STIS for the vehicle being repaired.

NOTE: this is a one-time use (indicated by the star) self-locking nut and should never be reused. It is a good practice to verify all suspension components are torqued to the proper specification listed in STIS for the model and year being repaired whenever dealing with suspension noises.

It has been brought to Techlines' attention that the MY19 and later Foresters have a new headlight control strategy. When the headlight stalk is in the off position, the BIU will refer to the ambient light sensor to control instrument panel illumination, headlights, parking lights, side markers, and license plate lamps. This prevents the customer from driving at night with only the Daytime Running Lights illuminating the road. This condition is normal, and no repair attempt should be made.

The following is from the New Car Info section on STIS, along with the explanation in the Owner's Manual as quick reference:

The driver may forget to turn on the taillight during nighttime traveling since DRL automatically turns on even when the lighting switch is at the "O" position.

By adding the automatic light function that automatically turns on the headlight/tail light etc. by detecting ambient illuminance, failure in turning on a light manually is prevented and conspicuousness at night is improved. This function is activated when the following conditions are all satisfied.

Ignition switch is ON.
Shift lever is in other than P.
Engine speed is at more than a certain level or in Auto Start-Stop.
The electronic parking brake is released.

This function cannot be set to OFF or customized since it is related to safety.

07 POWER DOOR LOCK INOPERATIVE, ERRATIC OR RAPID OPERATION (ALL MODELS)

When presented with a customer concern regarding power door locks being inoperative, erratic, or rapid lock and unlocking, it is always important to not only check the door lock actuator but to also check the door lock cable set. Technicians should remember to inspect the cable from the actuator to the Door Inner Remote handle for free cable movement as well as ensure that the cable ball is securely placed in the inner door handle lock knob, as well as in the handle plate. If there is any abnormality found with the cable positioning, correct as needed, and recheck operation. If the door inner remote handle or the lock knob is faulty, replace the remote assembly. If the cable is deformed, replace the latch and actuator assembly. Shown here is a properly secured door lock cable and lever cable. Colors of the cable ends will vary year to year and model to model.

15 GEN 3, 3.1 AND 3.1 ALPHA HARMAN AND GEN 4 DENSO CP1 - PREVENT PANDORA APPLICATION FROM AUTOMATICALLY LAUNCHING WHEN CONNECTING PHONE TO VEHICLE

There have been several reports of the Pandora application automatically launching while using Bluetooth, Apple Carplay or Android Auto. This can be resolved by adjusting settings within the app on the customer's phone. The Pandora app has an option to automatically launch the app when connecting a phone to the vehicle. This is ON by default. Customers can disable this in settings (Pandora-> Profile-> Settings Gear -> Advanced -> Toggle OFF - Launch from Car). Use the pictures below as reference.

00 STIS NEW RELEASES

ITEM CODE	ITEM TYPE	TITLE	CREATED DATE
18-214-21	Service Manual Correction	Service Manual Corrections	11-Aug-21
01-167-08R	Technical Service Bulletin	Recommended Materials (All Veh...	10-Aug-21
18-213-21	Service Manual Correction	Service Manual Corrections	9-Aug-21
MSA5T2101T	Technician Reference Booklet	Subaru Diagnostic Systems (SDS...	9-Aug-21
05-87-21	Technical Service Bulletin	Front Stabilizer Bar Bushing C...	6-Aug-21
09-77-21R	Technical Service Bulletin	Lack of Power/Hesitation Dur...	6-Aug-21
J131SVC000	Accessory Installation Guide	PORT INSTALLATION: 2022MY Impr...	4-Aug-21
12-203-16R	Technical Service Bulletin	Squeaking Sound from Front Sea...	4-Aug-21
J121SCC000	Accessory Installation Guide	2022MY BRZ Exterior Graphics -...	3-Aug-21
E771SXC020	Accessory Installation Guide	2022MY Ascent Rear Bumper Cove...	3-Aug-21
WRE-21R	Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin	Ignition Coil Replacement	2-Aug-21
12-323-21	Technical Service Bulletin	Water Intrusion/Door(s) Area	2-Aug-21
WRB-21R	Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin	Corrosion of the Air Condition...	30-Jul-21
WUJ-95R	Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin	Exhaust Pipe Front (EPF) Bello...	30-Jul-21
15-208-17R	Technical Service Bulletin	Availability of "Gracenote® Me...	30-Jul-21
07-199-21	Technical Service Bulletin	Measurement of Dark Current (S...	30-Jul-21
09-78-21	Technical Service Bulletin	DTC P015A - A/F/O2 Sensor De...	30-Jul-21
18-212-21	Service Manual Correction	Service Manual Corrections	29-Jul-21
U1450BE	Service Manual 2022MY	Impreza/Crosstrek/Cross...	29-Jul-21
	Service Diagnostics	2022MY Impreza/Crosstrek/C...	29-Jul-21
WRF-21	Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin	EGI Harness and ECM Replacemen...	28-Jul-21
15-236-18R	Technical Service Bulletin	Reprogramming File Availabilit...	28-Jul-21
Service	Diagnostics 2022 Ascent	Service Manual VH	28-Jul-21
09-77-21	Technical Service Bulletin	Lack of Power/Hesitation Dur...	28-Jul-21
09-76-21	Technical Service Bulletin	Difficulty Starting at Low Tem...	28-Jul-21
09-75-21	Technical Service Bulletin	DTC P0128/Coolant Thermosta...	28-Jul-21
04-27-21R	Technical Service Bulletin	Electronic Power Steering (EPS...	28-Jul-21
WVX-34R	Subaru Product/Campaign Bulletin	Front Lower Control Arm (Trans...	26-Jul-21
MSA5M2222A	Owner Manual	2022MY SUBARU STARLINK Safety...	23-Jul-21
16-132-20R	Technical Service Bulletin	Diagnostic Information for All...	22-Jul-21