Subaru Owners Are Annoyed by In-Car Pop-Up Ads for SiriusXM

      Subaru

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      Marketers push boundaries constantly. Just yesterday, I was recalling the days when I wasn't bombarded with targeted ads (as a 10-year-old, I saw just as many Life Alert commercials on the Game Show Network as any elderly viewer). But now, there's no escape—ads follow you everywhere, even in your vehicle. I've discussed Stellantis brands engaging in this practice twice already in 2025, and this time it’s Subaru displaying pop-up ads for SiriusXM on owners' infotainment screens.

      The Autopian reported on these intrusive notifications on Monday, and a quick search revealed numerous similar instances. This occurred around Thanksgiving, with a promotional message encouraging drivers to “Enjoy SiriusXM FREE thru 12/1.” That date has passed, but not before it frustrated many Subaru owners.

      “I have received this SiriusXM ad several times over the last few years,” commented one user in a Reddit thread. “This recent occurrence was the final straw; I nearly crashed because of it. My entire infotainment screen changed, distracting me and causing me to look away from the road while driving at 55 mph in winter conditions. I swerved and almost went off into a ditch—something that wouldn’t have happened if this ad hadn’t appeared.

      “This is unacceptable. It must be stopped. I’ve made a direct request to Subaru to cease all ‘in movement’ advertising immediately.”

      I find it hard to disagree—screen changes while driving can be extremely distracting. Many vehicles restrict access to various settings while in motion for the same reason. Whether or not such changes would lead to losing control of the vehicle isn’t the main point; it’s that larger screens demand your attention when they shouldn’t.

      Additional complaints from Subaru owners to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reinforce this concern:

      At least one owner of a 2024 Crosstrek claimed the pop-up overtook their screen even while using Apple CarPlay. Forcing a user to close an active app just for in-car advertising is particularly troubling.

      The Drive reached out to Subaru for their response regarding these marketing efforts. A spokesperson said, "We will bring up those messages in an upcoming meeting and always value customer feedback. This is the first we've been informed of any issue. These messages only occur twice a year, around Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, to inform customers that all channels are available to them for about two weeks."

      Reddit threads from as early as 2023 show ongoing complaints about in-car notifications.

      I mentioned previously in my article on Stellantis' infotainment ads, and I'll reiterate: this situation will likely worsen. Car manufacturers and their partners have access of this nature, and if you believe they won't leverage it to generate additional revenue, you may be overly optimistic. If an automaker is willing to produce a film showcasing how much data they collect, they certainly won’t hesitate to promote exclusive discounts to specific customers when it’s time to boost end-of-year sales figures.

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