I would admit it could be possible that the iPhone is what slams the brakes while I'm slowly and cautiously reversing, or turned on the parking brake while I'm trying to move, but since the pairing wouldn't restore on start up, and I gave up on having Spotify or a good map app, in fact the phone was often not connected at all.

I have no pairing problems in general. What I did notice if that if certain apps are running, e.g. Youtube Premium, then it seems to pair for audio rather than full Android Auto.

The phone had absolutely nothing to do with it.