Toby Marzell doesn't trust the lane-keep assist feature on his Subaru Crosstrek anymore after he believes it caused him to swerve into another car and cause an accident. Here is Toby's incredible story.
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Toby says his Subaru Crosstrek's lane keep assist caused his vehicle to collide with another vehicle.
Toby Marzell bought a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek because of his adventurous lifestyle. He likes to drive his small SUV to go skiing in Canada, hike in the mountains, and take road trips. It was the perfect vehicle until he was driving to work in October.
A report from CBC News Canada says he doesn't think he'll ever use the lane-centering feature on his Subaru Crosstrek again after he believes it caused an accident during his morning commute last month.
Toby put a post on a Subaru Crosstrek Facebook group page.
"Hi everyone! I'm reaching out to find out if this ever happened to any of you.
"This morning, I was on "auto steer" while holding onto the steering wheel when all of a sudden, the steering wheel decided to jerk to the right heavily, causing the vehicle to collide with another vehicle."
"I was driving the car normally like any other day and HAD FULL control of the car, except this sudden turn was pretty aggressive, and by the time it jerked, it was already too late. This was in a curve going around 70MPH / 115KM/H. After speaking to the police, apparently, this has been happening a lot, especially with cars that use lane assist instead of full autopilot."
"This may be a long shot, but does Subaru cover any type of damage? I find it fairly dangerous that the steering wheel can suddenly shift at any moment.."
On his morning commute,
The CBC News report says Marzell was driving on Highway 30 near Brossard, Quebec when he noticed the steering wheel tugging him to the left. As he headed into a curve, Marzell said he adjusted to keep the car to the left of the center line.
Suddenly, the steering "decided to jerk to the right heavily, and instantly, I collided with the vehicle on my right side," said Marzell, traveling about 60 miles per hour.
The 23-year-old mechanical engineer lives in Montreal, Quebec, and drives back and forth to work about two hours a day. It can be exhausting, so he often switched the lane keep assist feature on.
"You don't always have to be firmly gripping the steering wheel and having to correct all the time," said Marzell, 23. "It lets drivers relax a bit."
What is Subaru Lane Keep Assist?
Subaru Lane Keep Assist is an intelligent driver assistance system designed to encourage safety on the road by helping drivers remain within their lane. This functionality is sometimes called "Lane Centering" in Subaru vehicles.
Subaru says, "A lane keep assist-equipped vehicle can offer drivers an additional measure of safety accounting for human error, driver distraction, or fatigue that could lead to loss of steering control or a collision."
Toby says after he purchased the Crosstrek, the lane-keep-assist feature was much more subtle, and the tugging would stop as soon as he'd correct it.
The report says that in the past few months, he felt the wheel tug much more aggressively, but it was nothing like what he experienced the day of the accident.
Toby's Subaru Crosstrek had damage to the bumper, headlight, and hood after it collided with another vehicle while he was using the lane-centering feature.
"Even the police officer said that it's something that's been happening more and more with these newer vehicles," said Marzell. "It's honestly kind of scary."
CBC News asked Quebec provincial police if they see more accidents related to lane-assist features, but they declined to comment.
Thankfully, neither driver was hurt. But he is at fault for the roughly $10,000 in damage to his vehicle and about the same amount to the other driver's vehicle.
Transport Canada and Subaru are investigating what caused the collision.
Transport Canada and Subaru Canada are trying to find out what happened and whether it relates to the EyeSight advanced driver assistance technology offered in all new Subaru vehicles.
"Active lane centering is really to help you negotiate small turns, just to alleviate the task of driving for a long time," said Jesse Caron, an automotive expert for the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) in Quebec.
Toby took his Crosstrek to the Subaru dealership to have the windshield replaced. Usually, this calls for a complete re-calibration of the EyeSight Driver Assist System, which uses a stereo camera system mounted behind the windshield to monitor the road ahead. Marzell said he now wonders if it wasn't calibrated properly.
Caron says it will be hard for Marzell to prove the car malfunctioned or caused the accident.
"When there's an electronic component, it's often difficult to duplicate, and if it's not recorded, you have to wait for other people to report similar problems," said Iny.
In an email, Transport Canada said it's aware of a recent incident involving a Subaru Crosstrek and is closely monitoring any developments. Subaru Canada said it values the safety of its owners and is investigating this incident.
In 2021, I reported that a lawsuit was filed against Subaru. 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, Forester, Outback, and other models were included. The class-action lawsuit alleges that the owners claim that Subaru's EyeSight includes automatic emergency braking (AEB) and that lane-keep assist technology is dangerous.
The Subaru lawsuit says the EyeSight's lane keep assist feature is defective. It alleges errors in the system, such as "correcting the vehicle's steering when the driver is trying to change lanes, driving on the road with construction barriers, or if the road has multiple lines due to construction."
Check out my report here for more information.
Toby Marzell doesn't think he'll use the feature on his Crosstrek or any other car again.
"I just don't trust it anymore," he said. "I always want to be 100% in control of the car from now on."
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Have you experienced the lane-keep-assist feature malfunction while driving in your Subaru vehicle? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know.
I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.
Photo credit: Denis Flierl via Subaru Crosstrek Facebook group
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