My 2020 Subaru Outback was recalled earlier this year to fix the control unit after I had experienced the same issue with the screen going dark while driving. It seemed to be better for a while, but is starting to happen again. I will be driving along, using my Apple Car Play navigation and listening to radio, and the screen will go dark for several minutes. I also believe some of the safety features like blind spot monitoring and possibly Eyesight is also not working while the screen is dark.

This is a safety issue and very disturbing while driving "blind." This is my second time happening with the dark screen since the my vehicle was recalled. I also documented this for May 6th, 2021. The dealer, which is 45 minutes away, said I could drop it off and they would run diagnostics on it but did not offer a rental car. This would put a hardship on me and my family to drop it off without a rental. I think Subaru has another issue with their control units. Need them to step up and fix the issue, while taking care of their customers with a rental car while they are checking it out.

While driving using Apple Play GPS, using Sirius Radio the screen just went dark and I had no control. I don't think my other safety features were working either, like blind spot monitoring. My Outback was recalled once for a similar problem and they replaced the control unit and things seemed to be working ok for a while, but it has happened again now. It is very disturbing when you're relying on your GPS to get you someplace and the screen goes blank, and if the Eyesight and other safety features are not working either, this is an even bigger problem.

I spoke to Terry Subaru in Lynchburg, VA, and they said I could bring the car in and drop it off and they would do a diagnostic on it but I'm about 45 minute drive away from there and it would be very inconvenient to have someone pick me up and bring me home and be without my car for an extended period of time - and then have to get a ride over to pick it up too. I'm not sure how long the screen was dark but it was several minutes. I requested the dealership to provide me a free rental car but they said Subaru would not approve it. I'm not a happy customer right now.

The Infotainment System display in my 2020 Outback Limited XT periodically just goes dark (blank). This happens mostly when I'm driving using my GPS and plugged into my iPhone. When you're driving in an area that you are not familiar with and the screen goes blank, you are pretty much driving blind. Also, the audio goes off on the radio too. Other things that may be related to this is:

- The radio does not go off immediately when I turn off the ignition and open the car door. It stays on another 5 minutes or so

- My automatic door opener using my hand on the door handle seldom works. I have to use my key fob to unlock the doors

- The rear hatch remote opener does not work sometimes either, I have to use the key Fob to open the rear hatch

- Once, while returning to my car from the grocery store, it would not unlock using the key fob or anything. I thought I was gonna have to call for a tow. Eventually, after pressing the unlock on the key fob for 15-20 times, it finally unlocked

The Subaru dealer in Lynchburg, Va said Subaru has promised them an update to download on our vehicles that should fix the issue but they are not sure when it will be delivered. I am getting very dissatisfied with the Subaru brand because of this. I paid really good money for my vehicle and don't have a lot of confidence on the reliability of the system now.

I checked “Settings” on the touchscreen and saw the option to check for software updates. There turned out to be one, so I downloaded it. Thereupon the system asked me if I wanted to install it. I said yes and waited for the progress bar to complete, whereupon I received the message “Install failed. Do you want to try again?” I said yes and experienced the same result. Since it was during the evening, I decided to leave another attempt to the following morning. When I started the car the next morning, however, the touchscreen was blank.

I soon found that there was accordingly no Eyesight forward monitoring, no radio, no navigation, no cruise control, no climate control, no backup avoidance monitoring (although the backup camera still worked), and the two USB ports under the touchscreen no longer worked. Nothing I could do would bring the screen on again.

Today, the day after this discovery, I took the car to the nearest Subaru dealership, and after keeping the car for five hours, they said they had never seen anything like it and would be returning the car to me while they continued to probe the problem with Subaru’s technical gurus. Today is Friday, and since the service department is closed over the weekend, the soonest I expect to hear anything is this coming Monday. In the meantime, the car is still driveable, with working lights, brakes, turn signals, etc., but I feel as if I’m back in the 1970s. This should not be happening, and depending on how Subaru eventually resolves it (and how quickly), I may be considering a different brand the next time around.