2020 Crosstrek electronics won’t turn off… any ideas?

Subaru Forums
1

Drove the car to work this morning, no issues starting it. But when I tried to turn it off, only the engine shut down. The electronics (radio, lights, etc.) stayed on.

Tried cycling the ignition several times, turning it on and off, even with the foot off the brake. Still no luck. Finally, I had to disconnect the battery to stop it.

Has anyone had this happen with this model? Is there something else I should try before taking it to the shop?

2

The radio and lights will usually stay on until the door is opened.

If they stay on even after you open the door, the door jamb switch might be faulty. But even if the switch is bad, the system should turn off by itself after 10-15 minutes.

3

@Blaine
Same here with my '23 Legacy. Radio stays on until I open the door. The headlights shut off after I lock the car with the key fob.

4

@Blaine
Thanks, I’ll test that and see if it’s related to the door switch.

5

@Blaine
Definitely sounds like a door pin switch issue.

6

Sometimes just disconnecting the battery for a while can reset things. Give that a shot.

7

trecy said:
Sometimes just disconnecting the battery for a while can reset things. Give that a shot.

I’ve already disconnected the battery for about 30 minutes. I’ll check on it during lunch to see if it helped. Electronics can sometimes need a full reset.

Also planning to document everything with a video so I can show the dealership what’s happening. Hopefully, there’s already a service bulletin for this issue.

8

If you’ve plugged anything into the USB ports (like a backup phone battery or portable fan), those can sometimes feed power back into the system and keep things like the infotainment system on.

I had this happen when I plugged in a fan for charging—it kept the system powered even when the car was off.

9

@LandCruiserLover
Interesting, I always plug my phone in for Android Auto. Maybe that’s related. I’ll test without plugging anything in.

10

@LandCruiserLover
Yep, I’ve seen that cause similar issues before.

11

Check if the car is fully in park. Sometimes that can cause weird behavior.

12

Quick update:

Disconnected the battery for a few hours and tested again. Here’s what I’ve noticed:

  • Turned off the car, but the headlights and infotainment screen stayed on.
  • Opened and closed the door; no change, everything was still on.
  • Waited for about 15 minutes, and finally, everything shut off on its own.

I could’ve sworn that before, the infotainment screen always turned off immediately when I shut the car off, regardless of whether I opened the door or not. The headlights usually stay on for a bit, but this seems different.

Not sure if this is normal behavior or if something’s off.