"SRVD Disabled" in Subaru – What's This and How to Fix?

Recently, I posted an article about BSD/RCTA Disabled error message in Subaru vehicles - have a look at it because this is just another message for the same problem.

What are the SRVD sensors doing in your Subaru?

The SRVD sensors are the two radar sensors that are located in the corner parts of the rear bumper. They are mounted on the metal body of your car with the help of metal brackets that are quite thin and weak. This is very unexpected because these sensors need super precise placement at all times to work properly. Move them several millimeters to the side and you will see the "SRVD Disabled" error message.

Also, these sensors are in charge of two main functions of your vehicle. First of all, they light up those blind spot monitoring warning lights to let you know that there is a car in the blind zone and you shouldn't turn or overtake now. So, when the "SRVD" error message is on the dash of your car, you will not get these warnings, and the blind spot monitoring system will not work.

Also, this system works to detect vehicles behind your car for the safety system and adaptive cruise control functions. Logically, it should also operate as the part of park assist or parktronic feature but there is no direct evidence of that. At least, I couldn't find anything that would prove that.

So, the SRVD is a pretty serious part of your vehicle's safety system. And when something is wrong with it, you will not have a great deal of safety equipment in your Subaru working properly. That's why, the message shouldn't be ignored.

What can damage the SRVD sensors?

As I've already told you before, these sensors are mounted on pretty thin metal brackets and these brackets can be easily bent. Also, the sensor is placed directly behind the bumper cover. It means literally any kind of impact to the bumper immediately affects the sensors.

Here are just some examples of how you can have these radar sensors damaged:

• you are reversing and suddenly touch something like another car, tree, post, or fence - even a slight touch may be fatal;
• your car is in the supermarket parking lot and some careless driver touches your bumper with their car when navigating out of the parking space;
• someone rear-ends your car slightly - there may even be no sign of this on the bumper cover itself;
• kids are playing with the ball around your car and the ball hits the bumper cover right in the place where the radar is located;
• you get into a deep puddle and water comes inside the bumper cover area damaging the electrical connection of the sensors.

These are just some examples. There are dozens of other situations when you can have these SRVD radars damaged. These situations are really common and can happen to anyone any day of the week. Unfortunately, some of them are even out of our control.

In most cases, the radar itself will not be damaged. It's located in a pretty tough plastic box that is not likely to be broken just because of the impact of the ball. But the metal bracket can easily be bent which will lead to issues with radar calibration.

How to fix this problem?

The first idea you may get is to go to the dealership. But unfortunately, this is the worst method of repairing this problem. Your Subaru dealer may charge you several thousand dollars for replacing and recalibrating both sensors. In most cases, this is not needed, but dealers don't care. They find the problem with the sensors and they will replace those sensors without thinking much about your budget.

Here's how you can solve the problem without throwing away so much money:

1) Do it on your own

You will need to take the bumper cover off the car. There is nothing extraordinary - watch a video on YouTube about your specific model and year of Subaru and you will do that. After that, locate the damaged sensor and buy a new one. The OEM new sensor will cost you between $300 and $450.

Alternatively, you may buy the bracket only. Actually, this will help you in most cases. I couldn't find new OEM brackets on sale but you can go to scrapyards or find it on eBay.

2) Just manually adjust the sensor

Many Subaru owners report in forums that they managed to deal with the "SRVD Disabled" error message just by adjusting that metal bracket. After doing that, check if everything works before you put the bumper cover back in its place.

You may need to clear the message with the scanner and check if it reappears after that.

3) Buy used sensors

You may find a lot of them offered online. The price starts from $50 per sensor and you may get a single one or a pair of them if you need them. Replacing the sensor is not that difficult. But after that, you may need recalibration. Actually, the recalibration is not needed every single time the sensors are replaced - sometimes they will just work well "out of the box".

If you still need recalibration, you should stay away from dealers who charge huge money for that. Just go to any independent repair shop that works with Subaru cars and have these sensors recalibrated for a hundred dollars or so.

Are there any other possible problems that cause this message?

In 98% of cases, the most obvious culprit of the "SRVD Disabled" message in a Subaru vehicle is the rear radar sensor. But there are three more issues that can lead to more or less the same problem.

Here they are:

1) Electrical problems

The rear radar sensor in your Subaru car is connected with a pretty strange electric clip or clamp that is located behind the bumper cover. If water gets there (and there is more than one way it can do that), the electrical connection may be lost. It will be corroded over time and the sensor will just stop receiving power and sending data.

To solve the problem, you will need to take off the bumper cover, locate this electrical connection, and clean it. Sometimes, the clamp itself will need to be replaced. But for this, you will need some professional help.

2) Software issues

This is not common for Subaru vehicles, but the "SRVD Disabled" message may still be shown when there are problems with the software of your vehicle. In this case, you will get other problems, too. These will be random error messages and warning lights.

Also, the clear sign of the software problem is that the issue is not persistent. After you turn the engine off and on again, the message may be gone and the blind zone monitoring system will work again.

To cope with this problem, you will need a software update. But before you pay for it, try disconnecting the battery for several minutes and then connecting it back. Maybe, this will reset the control modules and let you cope with the problem that way.

3) Low battery voltage

Modern cars are just like gadgets. They need proper voltage in the system as we need air. If the voltage of your battery is low, all kinds of different error messages and warning lights may pop up on the dash.

Just measure the voltage of the battery and ensure it's 12.5 volts when the engine is not working. If it's significantly lower than that (even if it's just 12.2 volts, for example), it means that the battery is almost dead and will let you down in the near future.

After replacing or recharging the battery, you may notice that the error message is gone. If this is what happened, the problem was with the battery, not with the SRVD sensor.

Final thoughts

Your Subaru is a pretty great car but when it comes to error messages, you just can't understand it. If this happens to you, the best way to cope with the problem is to check what other Subaru owners did with this. Usually, you can find some ways that lead to free or cheap repairs without paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the dealership.

If you see the "SRVD Disabled" message in your Subaru, it means that one of the SRVD sensors is likely damaged. In most cases, the metal bracket that it is mounted on is just bent and needs some adjustment or replacement. Sometimes, the sensor itself needs to be replaced. And the majority of car owners can do that on their own or in independent shops.