Subaru has a disinformation problem

[Pivo]

Interesting article and videos.

Subaru has a pattern of communicating inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information about its products...

• Roof Rack Load Capacity
• Ground Clearance
• All-Wheel Drive
• X-Mode
• Wilderness Recovery Points
• Active Torque Vectoring

https://wessiler.substack.com/p/subaru- ... on-problem

[RowdyandMe]

@Pivo
But the kegerator part is ok?

[xsproutx]

What in the world is this guys agenda...? He basically says, "Subaru says these things and they're accurate but I don't like them!"

Roof rack weight limits? In the manual
Ground clearance isn't everything? Of course not but it sure helps in rocky areas like AZ. Approach and breakover angles? In the manual
AWD isn't the same as 4WD? Of course not
XMode seems to be the computer doing stuff. Of course.
I'll have to check my manual on the recovery points to see if there are any load limits mentioned there but I don't remember any being listed on my Jeep either. Seems things are communicated just fine based on what I've seen in my manual and even marketing material before I bought it.
The "conversation" posted there could be had with any one of the thousands of of people in more capable off road tacomas and jeeps that have to be recovered every year; in the end, people need to know their vehicle and skill level and people generally over estimate both. Sounds like some boomer type not understanding what these types of vehicles are really marketed for or able to read a manual

[chumley]

Contact info if you'd like to file a complaint:

George Santos
Director of Marketing
Subaru of America, Inc.

[nonot]

What in the world is this guys agenda...? He basically says, "Subaru says these things and they're accurate but I don't like them!"

Roof rack weight limits? In the manual
Ground clearance isn't everything? Of course not but it sure helps in rocky areas like AZ. Approach and breakover angles? In the manual
AWD isn't the same as 4WD? Of course not
XMode seems to be the computer doing stuff. Of course.
I'll have to check my manual on the recovery points to see if there are any load limits mentioned there but I don't remember any being listed on my Jeep either. Seems things are communicated just fine based on what I've seen in my manual and even marketing material before I bought it.
The "conversation" posted there could be had with any one of the thousands of of people in more capable off road tacomas and jeeps that have to be recovered every year; in the end, people need to know their vehicle and skill level and people generally over estimate both. Sounds like some boomer type not understanding what these types of vehicles are really marketed for or able to read a manual

He is arguing that Subaru misleads its customers with the things they advertise. I think you missed some of his main points, but I agree it is a bit ranty/ravy:

Roof racks: His main point is the load rating in the manual/advertisement isn't accurate if you intend to drive with stuff in your roof rack. The load you can have on the rack while driving isn't in any manual and is significantly less. (In my opinion, this is not a unique issue to Subaru)
Ground clearance: His main point is this number is misleading in comparing to other vehicles because of the unusual suspension/differential design of subarus compared to other vehicles.
AWD: I think he was trying to impress upon misleading marketing having people think AWD is fine for driving on steep icy roads, (In my opinion, this is not a unique issue to Subaru e.g. see the thread talking about Mt Lemmon 4WD vs AWD.)
Xmode: he is complaining that it is advertised as this awesome thing but nobody knows what it actually does and Subaru won't tell you.
Tow recovery points: His main point is you need to buy an extra one that doesn't come with the vehicle, Subaru seemingly tries to hide this? (OK, so spend 40 bucks...not a big deal?)

[xsproutx]

I get it, but some of this stuff IS in the manual (see attached). Every single vehicle out there has a different static vs dynamic load for things on the roof (and also gets the number wrong anyway). Additionally he talks about how, essentially, it's not enough for an RTT but the vast majority of RTTs come in under that static weight. Almost like the engineers did their homework. Things like, "how does xmode work" aren't *specifically* in the manual but do have the various use cases and a fair bit of information in there. The manual also doesn't mention how an internal combustion engine works or how a differential works.

Basically, a lot of the complaining seems to come down to the fact that the *author* doesn't know these things so Subaru is doing something wrong. Just seems silly to me and I always get a chuckle out of people who are so certain they're right about something but... wrong.

I'd certainly, though, agree that companies advertise zealously but that's obviously not unique to any one company

[chumley]

I always get a chuckle out of people who are so certain they're right about something but... wrong

A favorite quote of mine: I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

[nonot]

I think nowadays that people just prefer to complain, it's a much easier way of producing content and selling ads than doing actual research and reporting on your findings. You seem to have proved him wrong about the dynamic roof load not being in the manual, which means you probably already have put more effort into analyzing the matter than he did (despite his claims).

[Hansenaz]

guys who write for the internet gotta get clicks.

[AZClaimjumper]

When all is said & done, Subaru still has the 4th best CUSTOMER LOYALTY of all car manufacturers so they must be doing something right.

[chumley]

@AZClaimjumper
Sheep are loyal to their shepherd. But they’re not considered to be intelligent animals by any known metric.

[Alston_Neal]

I noticed the article made no mention of rattling spark plugs and rocks in the heat shield.

[The_Eagle]

@Alston_Neal
Nothin like pouring a little salt in the wound.

[big_load]

So far my roof rack hasn't showed any ill effects from carrying an 18' aluminum canoe at highway speeds. Or 14 years of Christmas trees (not all at once, though).

[nonot]

@big_load
I believe the issue relates to sudden stops. If you stop too quickly with a 500 lb load, the roof rack might get ripped off the roof with your cargo still attached to it (due to deceleration forces.)

[big_load]

If you stop too quickly with a 500 lb load, the roof rack might get ripped off the roof with your cargo still attached to it (due to deceleration forces.)

Regardless of what the owner's manual says, I wouldn't put 500 pounds on a roof rack.

[chumley]

@big_load Aunt Edna couldn’t have been an ounce over 130. At least not until the rain started…

[big_load]

Aunt Edna couldn’t have been an ounce over 130. At least not until the rain started…

We have a nice wicker rocking chair in the garage that would be ideal for that application, and lightweight.