Why does Android Auto keep disconnecting after updates in my 2020 car?

[AuroraNM]

I recently updated my phone and my car's head unit software, and now Android Auto in my 2020 vehicle is incredibly buggy, with frequent disconnections, laggy touch response, and sometimes it just fails to launch altogether until I restart both the car and my phone. I've tried different USB cables, including the official one, and cleared the cache on the Android Auto app, but the problems persist, making what should be a convenient feature more frustrating than helpful. For others who have faced similar instability, what troubleshooting steps finally resolved your Android Auto issues? Did you find a specific setting on your phone or in the car's system that was the culprit, or was a factory reset of the head unit ultimately necessary to get a stable connection again?