Auto Stop-Start While Parking… What’s the Best Way to Handle It?

Hi all,

I have a question about the auto stop-start feature when parking. I’ve noticed that when I slow down to park, the engine shuts off just before or as I shift into Park. Then, it immediately turns back on, only for me to turn the car off manually a second later.

Is this normal, or am I missing a trick to avoid this? It feels counterintuitive. Any advice or tips to make parking smoother with this feature? Thanks in advance!

If you keep your foot on the brake when shifting into Park and then turn the car off without letting go of the brake, the engine should stay off. But if you shift to Neutral and use the parking brake first, the engine will turn back on.

@Lilnim
That’s helpful! I’ll try keeping my foot on the brake before shutting the car off. Thanks for the tip!

The car doesn’t know you’re parking; it treats it like you’re at a stoplight, so it shuts off the engine.

Zed said:
The car doesn’t know you’re parking; it treats it like you’re at a stoplight, so it shuts off the engine.

Yeah, makes sense. I was hoping there might be a workaround to avoid the engine cycling back on right before I shut it off.

Two things you could do:

  1. Turn off the auto stop-start feature before parking.
  2. Don’t press the brake pedal all the way down when coming to a stop. If you press it just enough to stop the car but not fully, the auto stop-start won’t activate. Just a thought.

@Zain
Good idea. I’ll work on that second option—it seems like a good habit to build. Thanks!

Honestly, just turn off the auto stop-start every time you start the car. You’ll be much happier, and so will your car!

I think of the brake pedal like an on/off switch when Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH) is on. If the car isn’t moving after releasing the brake, tap it again, and AVH will release so the car can move.

Shakesphere said:
I think of the brake pedal like an on/off switch when Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH) is on. If the car isn’t moving after releasing the brake, tap it again, and AVH will release so the car can move.

That’s an interesting way to look at it. I haven’t used AVH much, but I might give it a try for this. Thanks for the suggestion!

I hate that it cranks back on when you shift into Park, only to turn it off manually right after.

AlexJordan1 said:
I hate that it cranks back on when you shift into Park, only to turn it off manually right after.

Same here! That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out how to avoid.

@Finian
If you keep your foot on the brake while shifting into Park, the engine should stay off. Then, just press the start button to shut the car off completely. After that, you can engage the parking brake if needed.

@Renny
I must be letting off the brake too soon. I’ll watch for that next time. Thanks for explaining!

I’ve noticed that if you enable the E-brake after the engine shuts off, it sometimes turns back on again. It’s so annoying!

If it really bothers you, you could install an auto-stop eliminator: Subaru Auto Stop Disabler From Autostop Eliminator.

LandCruiserLover said:
If it really bothers you, you could install an auto-stop eliminator: Subaru Auto Stop Disabler From Autostop Eliminator.

Thanks, but I actually like the feature for traffic—it’s just this one issue while parking that bugs me.

The only way to prevent this entirely is:

  1. Reverse into your parking spot.
  2. Turn off the auto stop-start before parking.

I hate it too, but I’ve just learned to live with it.