- Subaru owners say SiriusXM ads appear while they are driving.
- Drivers claim the pop-up ads create serious safety concerns.
- Company says the complaints are new, despite earlier reports.
Stellantis caught widespread criticism this year after multiple owners were bombarded by unwanted pop-up ads appearing on their infotainment screens. Now, Subaru, long-known for building practical, family-friendly cars, is joining that short list in an unfolding controversy over in-car ads.
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Owners say the messages aren’t just inconvenient, they’re arriving at the worst possible time – while driving. And the way they hijack the screen, some argue, is putting people at risk.
More: Stellantis Furious At Influencers Who Tore Apart Recon Interior To Mock Its Build Quality
Those owners are posting in places like Reddit and on Subaru-specific forums. They’re doing more than talking, too. They’re sharing the images behind their complaints. One of the most widely circulated posts came from a user going by the name bajungadustin on Reddit, who says they “almost wrecked” when one such ad appeared.
“I have got this Sirius XM ad a few times over the last couple of years,” the owner wrote. “This last time was the final straw as I almost wrecked because of it. My entire infotainment screen changed which caused me to take my eyes off the road and since I was going 55 mph in winter I swerved a bit and slid and almost went off into a ditch. Something that would not have happened had this ad not popped up.“
The issue has been consistent for years now but is only now coming into the light of day. Back in 2022, a Subaru owner mentioned that they were getting Sirius XM ads despite never having the service to begin with.
What Is Subaru Saying?
When The Autopian contacted Subaru for comment, the company stated this was the first time they had heard such complaints. Subaru declined to address questions about how frequently the ads appear, how they can be disabled, or whether they might pose a driving distraction.
“We will discuss those messages in an upcoming meeting and will always consider customer feedback,” a Subaru spokesperson said. “This is the first we’ve heard of any issue. Those messages happen twice a year: around Memorial Day and around Thanksgiving to alert customers that all channels are available to them for about two weeks.”
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Earlier this year, Stellantis blamed unskippable ads at every stop on a software glitch. Then, in November, a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee owner reported new ads about buying a brand-new Jeep popping up in their SUV.
Suffice it to say, owners aren’t all that stoked about ads showing up in their car. Some in the community, including consumer‑rights advocates and prominent YouTubers like Louis Rossmann and Steve Lehto, argue that the presence of unwanted, in‑motion ads could qualify under lemon‑law or consumer‑protection statutes.
The reasoning: if a vehicle includes features that pose a distraction risk, can’t be permanently disabled, and degrade the ownership experience, then arguably it doesn’t meet the promised “safe vehicle” standard. While that remains unchallenged currently, it feels almost inevitable at this stage in the game.
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