Fire 'em Up: Subaru Subwoofers Belt Out Hot Tunes

by Matthew Guy

November 2nd, 2017 11:00 AM

We’re committed to finding, researching, and recommending the best products. We earn commissions from purchases you make using links in our articles. Learn more here

fire em up subaru subwoofers belt out hot tunes

Look, I’ll take this opportunity and cop to the fact I spent entirely too much money on aftermarket stereo systems when I was a kid. There is a very good chance, actually, that most of my systems were worth many multiples of the car in which they were installed.

This is why I applaud manufacturers who offer oontz-oontz-oontz levels of tunes as factory options. Subaru did just this on their 2015 WRX and WRX STI. However, it would seem that teenage Matthew was not the only one to haphazardly install speaker wiring, as the Exploding Galaxy has recalled 9,178 Rexys for a fire risk in the factory subwoofer.

According to an NHTSA recall, certain 2015 Subaru WRX and WRX STI models equipped with the optional factory subwoofer could experience an electrical short in the wiring, possibly leading to a fire. According to the recall report:

The subject vehicles are equipped with a factory installed subwoofer, which is located inside the trunk. Luggage in the trunk could contact subwoofer wire and move the wire out of its fixed position. If the wire touches the metal frame of the subwoofer, this may result in an intermittent short, causing the integrated circuit (IC) in the subwoofer amplifier to be damaged. In some case, the damaged IC may create a continuous electrical current into the subwoofer. If this occurs, the subwoofer could overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.

Once again, The Man is trying to stop kids from listening to modern music.

The recall goes on to clarify that the location of the subwoofer wire makes it susceptible to potential contact with subwoofer frame when cargo in the trunk hits it. Also, the subwoofer amplifier has insufficient protection from an intermittent electrical short. Crackling noises will likely occur when intermittent short happens, so the recall recommends turning off the audio system to prevent this defect from occurring.

You can’t tell me to turn off my music, NHTSA! You’re not my dad!

Ahem, yes. Anyway.

Owners of the affected cars will be notified and can then go to their dealer, who will fix the problem by plugging the thing into the thing. Actually, the dealer apparently has one of two options: installing a spacer clip on the wire or replacing the entire subwoofer and amplifier. We recommend owners demand the latter.

The NHTSA recall number for this issue is 17V-625, while the manufacturer’s recall number is WTQ-76. Get it fixed, kids. Don’t let The Man keep you from rocking out.

[Image: Subaru]

#NHTSA #Recalls #STI #Subaru #SubaruWrxSti #Subwoofer #WRX

Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

Comments

Join the conversation

6 of 18 comments

Pwrwrench on Nov 02, 2017

I have seen electrical shorts heat wires and melt the plastic insulation even on fused circuits. A few times trouble snowballed through the electrical system until it reached something tied directly to the battery leading to a fire. Also I have seen the results of "professional" audio installers doing bad things to wiring harnesses. This results in something electrical not working, the car unable to start up, or major (expensive) repairs required. One audio shop installed kick panel speakers in a Mitsubishi. They drilled through the PCM. BTW most don't know or care about time alignment or phase distortion. They just want a loud, "Woom-Ka-Boom"

Like Reply
- See 3 previous
- DenverMike on Nov 03, 2017
  
  Actually I feel blessed i don't my "time alignment" from my "phase distortion". It'd probably drive me insane like what happens to quality "custom home" builders. Their brains fry every time they walk into a new "tract home", but have to suffer in silence. But why does it have to be all one way or the other? What if you just want to improve what the factory put in your basic 1/2 ton, a hundred times over, for around $100 in flea-market equipment? You'd be (OK maybe not YOU) amazed the "highs" a basic, poverty spec stereo can put out when you tune-out most of the bass, up the treble then crank it. OK then you "piggyback" whatever amp/box/subs you can integrate without affecting cargo/people carrying ability (much). Meaning you tap into either rear speaker for "high level" input, using the "fader" on the stock stereo to control/balance sub (amp) volume, tuning out all the amp highs. Yes OMG it's not gonna land you trophies at the local soundoffs with a picture of a hot young thing in a teeny bikini hugging on you, but it's just one of the those things that improves the quality of life a hair, makes the commute much "shorter", for not much cash outlay, and completely un-installs in literally seconds.
  
  Like
- Rpn453 on Nov 03, 2017
  
  @DenverMike I don't even want to think about that stuff either. I just want a system that plays the full frequency range powerfully, with minimal resonance, so that I can crank it up on highway trips and immerse myself in the sound. If I can't notice any distortion or harshness, then there's nothing more that I need. It always started in high school by just changing a pair of speakers or a head unit. Nothing expensive, but the results were typically so dramatic that every guy would catch the bug and want to do more. Everything was a hack job at first but we continually learned from each other. It was evolution at work. The systems were constantly being compared and we worked on things together, so it was obvious who was doing it right and using the best components. And by best I don't mean the most expensive. It really doesn't cost much to get decent sound. My favorite car speakers ever were a pair of paper cone two-way Clarion 6x9's. Speaker shopping was a lot of fun. Every electronics shop had huge soundboards, and you could listen to dozens of speakers in an afternoon between all them. You'd take a CD with some heavy guitar rock that sounded harsh on bad speakers but glorious on good ones, set everything flat, and quickly compare a bunch with the push of a few buttons. I listened to other types of music too, but any speaker can come across as decent on a quick listen with the more heavily produced electronic stuff. That stuff was used for testing subs, to make sure they can play the entire bass line without tapering off. I'm somewhat saddened at the idea that kids typically don't experience this anymore; learning about and refining those things until they have something unique that they're proud of creating. I imagine they just accept that these overpriced and overcomplicated factory stereos are good enough. They're not, if you know what you're missing.
  
  Like
- JimZ on Nov 03, 2017
  
  @rpn453 I used to work for a couple of (big name) car audio companies who had both big aftermarket and OEM businesses. 90% of the aftermarket stuff is junk. they spin these wonderful stories about their mica-and-fairy-dust-impregnated cones, the "rigid" cast tungsten basket, and their "75 watt continuous" power rating, but in reality they have 80% THD at 16 watts (typical head unit power) in the lower frequencies and terrible modulation distortion. and they sucker rubes into buying this junk because they have you listen to these things at about half a watt of power on the "sound boards" at the car audio shop. then when you put them in the car and start playing them at actual listening levels they're a blatty distorted mess. don't get me wrong, most OEM speakers are pretty bad too (though I have some which buck the trend and are rather good) but you're not automatically going to get something better in the aftermarket. maybe by the time you get into Focal territory you can find decent stuff, but I'm not going to shell out that much money just to evaluate them.
  
  Like
- Rpn453 on Nov 03, 2017
  
  @JimZ The speakers that sound better on the board are going to sound better installed. Look at it this way: if it already sounds bad on the sound board, it's going to sound even worse in the vehicle. Why do you think you can't turn the sound board up as loud as you want, anyway? I have returned aftermarket Pioneer speakers that I wasn't able to listen to on a sound board, because they were even worse than the factory speakers. But yes, I'm sure it's all just junk and it only seems better because they or their friends have been suckered into buying it and so their minds play tricks to avoid damaging any egos. Maybe it only happens in a social context, thus rendering you immune to its effects. If only we had had the guidance of a brilliant mind like yours. You should volunteer as a mentor. Make sure the next generation of kids knows that everything sucks so they don't waste any money and can just stay at home on the computer and be miserable in solitude.
  
  Like
FAHRVERGNUGEN on Nov 02, 2017

Isn't this how the term hot hatch came to be?

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Ernesto Perez There's a line in the movie Armageddon where Bruce Willis says " is this the best idea NASA came up with?". Don't quote me. I'm asking is this the best idea NY came up with? What's next? Charging pedestrians to walk in certain parts of the city? Every year the price for everything gets more expensive and most of the services we pay for gets worse. Obviously more money is not the solution. What we need are better ideas, strategies and inventions. You want to charge drivers in the city - then put tolls on the free bridges like the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. There's always a better way or product. It's just the idiots on top think they know best.
Carsofchaos The bike lanes aren't even close to carrying "more than the car lanes replaced". You clearly don't drive in Midtown Manhattan on a daily like I do.
Carsofchaos The problem with congestion, dear friends, is not the cars per se. I drive into the city daily and the problem is this:Your average street in the area used to be 4 lanes. Now it is a bus lane, a bike lane (now you're down to two lanes), then you have delivery trucks double parking, along with the Uber and Lyft drivers also double parking. So your 4 lane avenue is now a 1.5 lane avenue. Do you now see the problem? Congestion pricing will fix none of these things....what it WILL do is fund persion plans.
FreedMike Many F150s I encounter are autonomously driven...and by that I mean they're driving themselves because the dips**ts at the wheel are paying attention to everything else but the road.
Tassos A "small car", TIM????????????This is the GLE. Have you even ever SEEN the huge thing at a dealer's??? NOT even the GLC,and Merc has TWO classes even SMALLER than the C (The A and the B, you guessed it? You must be a GENIUS!).THe E is a "MIDSIZED" crossover, NOT A SMALL ONE BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, oh CLUELESS one.I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THE NONSENSE you post here every god damned day.And I BET you will never even CORRECT your NONSENSE, much less APOLOGIZE for your cluelessness and unprofessionalism.