Subaru is facing a wave of anger from drivers after full-screen promotions started appearing on in-car infotainment systems, interrupting navigation and media with what look and feel like pop-up ads. What might sound like a minor annoyance on a laptop becomes a serious safety and trust issue when it takes over the center screen of a moving vehicle and demands attention before the road gets it back.
As more automakers quietly test new ways to monetize dashboards, Subaru has become a flashpoint for a broader debate over whether connected cars are turning into rolling billboards. I see this backlash as a warning shot, not just for one brand but for an industry that risks treating drivers as captive audiences instead of customers in control.
How Subaru’s infotainment ads surfaced and why owners are so angry
The controversy started with drivers reporting that their Subaru infotainment screens were suddenly being hijacked by full-screen prompts tied to SiriusXM, often while they were already using navigation or media apps. Owners described the interruptions as pop-up style messages that appeared without warning, forcing them to dismiss the promotion before they could get back to their maps or music. The reaction was swift, with drivers arguing that this kind of surprise visual change in the middle of a trip is not just annoying but inherently distracting.
One detailed account described how the screen would flip from normal driving information to a SiriusXM promotion, with the driver needing to tap through menus to restore the previous view, a process that, according to Dec, could take several minutes if the driver waited to do it safely while stopped. That same reporting noted that plenty of cars will lock out certain functions while the vehicle is in motion in the name of safety, which makes it even more jarring that a marketing message is allowed to seize the screen at highway speeds. For owners who bought Subarus in part for their reputation as sensible, safety-focused vehicles, the idea that the car’s own software might be prioritizing a subscription pitch over a clear navigation display feels like a betrayal.
What drivers say the pop-ups look like inside the cabin
From the descriptions that have surfaced, the in-car promotions are not subtle banners tucked into a corner of the display. Drivers describe full-screen takeovers that resemble the kind of modal pop-up you might see on a website, complete with calls to start or extend a SiriusXM trial. In some cases, the message reportedly appears even when the driver is not actively using satellite radio, which makes it feel less like a contextual reminder and more like a generic ad blast.
Reports collected by Subaru owners describe these as full-screen pop-up ads that can appear while the vehicle is moving, which is especially egregious when the screen is being used for navigation or Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Some drivers say the interruption is jarring enough that they momentarily lose track of their route, while others worry that the instinctive glance at the screen to figure out what just happened pulls their eyes off the road at exactly the wrong time. The visual design may be familiar from consumer tech, but inside a cabin it takes on a different weight, because the driver cannot simply close the laptop and walk away.
Subarus, SUVs and the models caught in the crossfire
Although the backlash is being discussed in broad terms, the complaints are not abstract. Owners of specific models, particularly popular family vehicles, are the ones describing how these interruptions play out in daily driving. The focus has fallen heavily on Subarus equipped with larger touchscreens and connected services, where the infotainment system is central to navigation, audio and smartphone integration. For buyers who chose these models for long road trips, outdoor adventures or school runs, the idea of the main control hub turning into an ad surface is especially grating.
Coverage of the issue has highlighted that the problem is not limited to one trim or niche model, with Pop reports noting that pop-up ads have started appearing in Subarus and owners are not happy about it. Separate analysis of Subaru SUVs has underscored that these interruptions are affecting vehicles marketed as practical, family-friendly options, with drivers of models like the Outback and Forester describing how the ads cut into their use of navigation and media. When the very vehicles that parents rely on for safe, predictable behavior start injecting surprise marketing into the driving experience, the reputational damage can spread quickly across the entire Subaru lineup.
Subaru Outback owners and the safety stakes on real roads
Among the most vocal complaints are those from Subaru Outback drivers, who often use their vehicles for long-distance travel and off-the-beaten-path trips where navigation is not optional. Some owners of Subaru Outback models have reported that the same kind of pop-up promotions appeared while they were actively using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, temporarily obscuring the route guidance they were relying on. In a scenario where a driver is following turn-by-turn directions in an unfamiliar area, even a brief interruption can create confusion about which exit or intersection to take.
One report noted that Some owners of Subaru Outback also reported the same experience, including pop-ups that appeared when they were using Android Auto, raising concerns about driver comfort and safety factors. That detail matters because Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are supposed to provide a safer, more consistent interface that reduces distraction, not another layer of clutter that can be overridden by a marketing message. When the car’s native software cuts in front of those systems with a promotion, it undermines the very safety rationale that automakers and tech companies have used to justify integrating smartphones into dashboards in the first place.
“Clearing the screen” and near misses: when annoyance becomes danger
For some drivers, the problem is not just that the ad appears, but that getting rid of it is not instantaneous. The process of clearing the screen to get back to navigation or music can involve multiple taps or a brief pause while the system responds, which is time the driver spends thinking about the interface instead of the traffic ahead. In a stationary context that is a minor inconvenience, but at highway speeds it can be the difference between a smooth lane change and a close call.
One account described how Clearing the screen to get back to navigation or music took long enough that the driver felt they almost wrecked, a stark illustration of how a seemingly small design choice can have outsized consequences. When a driver is forced to choose between ignoring a full-screen prompt that blocks their map or interacting with the screen to dismiss it, they are being pushed into a no-win situation created entirely by a marketing decision. That is why so many owners frame this not as a minor UX gripe but as a safety hazard that should never have been allowed into production software.
Subaru’s response and the claim that this was “the first we’ve heard”
As complaints spread across forums and social media, attention turned to how Subaru itself would respond. When asked about the reports, the company’s initial reaction was to suggest that it had not been aware of any widespread problem, a stance that struck many owners as out of step with the volume and intensity of the backlash. For drivers who had already contacted dealers or customer service, hearing that the issue was supposedly news to the automaker only deepened the sense that their concerns were not being taken seriously.
According to reporting that cited outreach from The Autopian, Subaru for its part said it was the first the Japanese brand had heard of any issue, even as drivers were sharing screenshots and detailed descriptions of the pop-ups. That disconnect raises uncomfortable questions about how feedback from service centers and customer hotlines is being routed inside the company, and whether marketing experiments are being tested on live customers without a clear escalation path when something goes wrong. For a brand that trades heavily on trust and long-term loyalty, the perception that it is behind the curve on its own software problems could be as damaging as the ads themselves.
Subaru joins a controversial trend in connected-car monetization
What is happening in Subaru cabins does not exist in a vacuum. Across the industry, a growing number of manufacturers are experimenting with new ways to turn connected vehicles into recurring revenue streams, from subscription-based heated seats to paid software unlocks for performance features. Pop-up style promotions inside infotainment systems are part of that same push, treating the dashboard as a digital surface that can be monetized long after the initial sale. The backlash against Subaru is, in that sense, a referendum on how far drivers are willing to let that logic go.
Reports on how Subaru SUVs frustrate drivers with infotainment screen ads note that clearing the screen to get back to normal functions is not just irritating but potentially dangerous, which makes this form of in-car advertising especially controversial. When you combine that with broader coverage that frames Subaru as joining a list of carmakers experimenting with infotainment system pop-up ads, it becomes clear that this is not a one-off glitch but part of a larger strategic shift. I see the Subaru backlash as an early stress test of that strategy, one that suggests drivers are far less tolerant of intrusive monetization in a car than they might be on a phone or TV.
Why “plenty of cars” block features while these ads slip through
One of the most striking aspects of the Subaru situation is the contrast between how strictly automakers lock down certain features in the name of safety and how freely these promotional messages appear to operate. Plenty of cars will disable video playback, keyboard input or even some navigation functions while the vehicle is in motion, arguing that any interaction beyond the basics is too distracting for a driver. Yet in these Subaru cases, a full-screen marketing prompt is allowed to pop up over critical information while the car is moving, which undercuts the logic behind those restrictions.
Reporting that highlights how Plenty of cars will not let drivers access certain menus while driving underscores the inconsistency. If the industry standard is to err on the side of caution by limiting what drivers can do on a touchscreen, then allowing a non-essential, revenue-driven message to seize the display looks less like a technical oversight and more like a deliberate exception. From my perspective, that double standard is at the heart of why owners feel so betrayed: safety rules seem flexible when there is money to be made.
What this backlash means for drivers, regulators and the next software update
The uproar over Subaru’s infotainment ads is already shaping expectations for how connected cars should behave. Drivers are making it clear that they do not want their vehicles to behave like ad-supported apps, especially when those ads interfere with navigation or core functions. That sentiment is likely to influence how other automakers design their own monetization experiments, as few brands will want to be the next target of viral screenshots showing a full-screen promotion blocking a map at 70 miles per hour.
There are also implications for regulators and safety advocates, who may now look more closely at how in-car software prioritizes content while a vehicle is in motion. If a future investigation finds that a crash was linked to a driver interacting with a surprise pop-up ad, the pressure to set clearer rules around in-car advertising will intensify. For Subaru, the most immediate test will be whether a future software update dials back or eliminates these promotions, and whether the company can rebuild trust with owners who feel their cabins were turned into billboards without consent. For the rest of the industry, the lesson is simple: once a driver has to fight through an ad to see the road ahead, the line between clever monetization and reckless distraction has already been crossed.
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