Installing a dash camera in a Subaru around its Eyesight system
If you own a Subaru vehicle – whether it’s a Forester, Outback, Legacy, Impreza, etc. – one of the cutting-edge features that you might have enjoyed is the Subaru Eyesight. As of the year 2016, there are over a million Subaru vehicles sold worldwide equipped with Eyesight.
Meanwhile, more and more Subaru vehicle owners wonder if this feature would interfere with a dash camera. In this article, we will share some tips on your dash cam installation in a Subaru vehicle, and answer how the Subaru Eyesight might affect your footage.
Subaru was the first Japanese car to start crash testing in the 1960s, and the brand remained committed to becoming the safest car on the road for several decades. Subaru's EyeSight, released in 2008, paved the way for car safety technology.
Subaru EyeSight is a feature you can rely on during every trip. It monitors traffic movement, optimizes cruise control, and warns you if you sway outside your lane. Most Subarus now have a set of twin colour cameras mounted discreetly on each side of the rearview mirror, which constantly scans the road for unexpected hazards. Some models include a third camera to improve pedestrian and cyclist detection, providing a larger field of vision. Some other models instead only have 1 Eyesight camera, embedded into the stem of the rearview mirror.
We installed a dash cam into a WRX with this single eyesight system
Subaru Eyesight highlights safety features such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Eyesight Lane Keep Assist, Pre-Collision Braking, and Pre-Collision Throttle Management. The models that are equipped with this are the Impreza, Crosstrek, WRX, Forester, Forester, Legacy, Outback and the Ascent.
Yes, you can install a dash cam in your Subaru vehicle. However, because of the Eye-Sight sensors, certain areas on the front windshield are a no-go zone for dash cams, radar detectors, and other devices. The question is, where is the right place to mount your dash cam?
Before installing a dash cam in any car, we must ensure it is mounted outside the Eyesight camera's field of view. You should also check how far the coverage of your windshield wipers is, because if you mount it above the wiper's reach, your camera will not have clear vision.
We recommend installing the dash cam’s front camera just behind the rearview mirror—it's right next to the mount for the rearview mirror and right in the blind spots between the two Eyesight camera sensors. Check out how we installed a two-channel dash cam in a Subaru Outback with an Eyesight feature here.
Nearly all dash cams will fit in this area, but we strongly recommend a small wedge-shaped or cylindrical tube-shaped dash cam with an adhesive mount that attaches right against your windshield, like the Thinkware U3000 or the BlackVue DR970X-2CH Plus.
Moreover, since Eyesight only exists in the front, mounting the rear dash cam will be like any other. We typically mount the rear dash cam on the windshield, along the edges, with the top middle being our preferred mounting location.
Need help in installing a rear dash cam? Check out our comprehensive installation guide here.
If your vehicle has Subaru Eyesight, Toyota Safety Sense, Hyundai SmartSense, Honda Sensing, Mazda i-Activsense, or other advanced driver assistance technology, know that dash cams simply do not interfere with the sensors, which are mounted directly against the windshield and pointed outwards.
Still, if you think this is a concern, you can simply move the dash cam to a different location on the windshield, and everything will work normally. Learn more about dash cam mounting here.
Subaru Eyesight can be used as a dash cam for accidents but isn't anywhere close to being a complete solution like a true dash cam. Subaru Eyesight, a collision-avoidance safety system, was never intended to be a dash cam. The cameras can record about 22 seconds of footage if your vehicle is involved in a collision. While it's better than no footage at all, the problem is you won't be able to re-watch the footage on your phone or download it to your computer.
Imagine you get into a fender bender and want to review the footage. You will need to contact Subaru and hope they have the specific footage available.
For a few extra dollars, you can get a dedicated dash cam to record the road and protect your vehicle, at all times. With this, you will be able to replay your footage anytime you want: on the phone, on the dash cam or on your computer. That’s without mentioning the different advanced features that a dash cam can provide, such as GPS, parking mode, built-in wifi, and more.
Still thinking the Subaru Eyesight system is enough coverage? Read our blog to know why dash cams are better than your OEM recording devices.
