Experiencing issues with your 2020 Subaru Key Fob? Many owners have encountered frustrating problems with their keyless entry systems, and one owner recently shared their detailed experience trying to diagnose an intermittent malfunction.
After noticing inconsistent behavior with their 2020 Subaru Forester’s keyless access, the owner took their vehicle to the dealership. Despite service appointments being booked out for weeks, the dealership agreed to investigate the issue as a courtesy. However, after examining the vehicle, the dealership reported “no fault found.” Interestingly, the technician did experience a single instance where the key fob buttons failed to respond initially, but the system appeared to function normally afterward. The service advisor stated that the keyless access system seemed “rock solid” during their subsequent checks, and no troubleshooting steps, such as resetting the TPMS/Keyless Entry control module, were performed.
Upon retrieving the Forester, the owner initially found the keyless features working correctly. However, after a short drive, the problem resurfaced. The car once again became unresponsive to the key fob’s lock button. Extensive testing followed, with the owner attempting to use the key fob from various positions around the vehicle – driver’s side, passenger side, and rear hatch. Despite the key fob’s red LED confirming signal transmission, the car remained unresponsive.
The keyless system only began to react when the owner approached the driver’s door, coming within a couple of feet of the handle. At this close range, the system detected the key fob’s presence, activating the welcome lighting. Once the welcome lights illuminated, the key fob buttons started working again, and the keyless access functions – unlocking via the door handle and locking via the sensor pad – resumed normal operation.
This specific failure pattern proved to be consistently repeatable across multiple tests at both the driver and passenger doors. The vehicle would ignore key fob button commands until the keyless access system detected the fob’s proximity near either front door. Only then would the buttons become functional.
This behavior differed from an earlier issue the owner had experienced, where the car was completely unresponsive to both button presses and proximity detection. However, just as mysteriously as the problem reappeared, it vanished a few hours later. The 2020 Subaru Forester began responding normally to both key fob buttons and proximity, and has continued to function correctly since.
The owner humorously speculated whether their Subaru might be experiencing a peculiar, unexplained phenomenon, comparing it to the enigmatic “Havana Syndrome.” While the cause of these intermittent 2020 Subaru key fob issues remains unresolved, this detailed account highlights the challenges of diagnosing and resolving such elusive problems.
