Takata recall notice was received

- Arlington, OH, USA

This car has suffered a persistent failure of the passenger seat occupant detection system. It happens at random with or without a passenger in the seat, and there is no specific trigger for it that I can discover. The dealer diagnosed this issue after several failures on January 7, 2019 and on the dealer's advice, we gave the car to the dealer for service on January 9, 2019, and we have been in a loaner since then. The last we have heard from the dealer is that the parts to repair this issue are currently not available and they won't be available until April, 2019. This is not an isolated incident and we have seen on the internet numerous other Subaru owners with this issue

- Wake Forest, NC, USA

Passenger airbag off warning is given in hot weather. Dealer says new sensor is needed. We have been waiting since August 2018 for the part to be received by our dealer so repair can be made.

- Metuchen, NJ, USA

Subaru Forester 2017, bought new. The dashboard monitor information signal read there was no airbag on for the passenger while one was seated there and the car was in motion. This had occurred earlier in June when I was driving from pa to ca but no passenger was seated there. I assumed it was just an oddity - and it did not occur regularly. July 16 (2018) I took it for repair which Subaru determined was an electrical problem in the passenger seat. They expected the part in late July, then late August or early September, on September 11 I called and asked more specific questions to learn that no airbags would work while driving that car, and they agreed on September 12 to loan me a car while I waited for the part and repair. It is now November 29 and the part and repair have not occurred. Subaru national customer service can barely do more than say "sorry" and gave me a repair date of December 4, which as of November 26 was moved to "some time in December". first: This is a serious problem that I was not fully informed of: With this problem the airbags will not activate. Second: I have been repeatedly assured of the part's arrival and repair but it continues to be delayed as if safety is not a priority at Subaru. I have learned through a comment made by Subaru customer service person that there may be others having the same problem. For the safety of us all, I think this situation deserves investigation.

- Palm Springs, CA, USA

Front passenger airbag warning light started coming on during May 2018. Dealer determined fault is in passenger seat cushion and ordered part which was back ordered to mid October. On 10/23/18 the dealer says the part isn't expected until November 15. The warning light remains on most of the time while driving with a passenger.

- Sisters, OR, USA

The passenger airbag will stop working while the passenger is seated in the front passenger seat. Two alerts show up in different areas on the dash lights indicating a problem with the passenger air bag advising to have it check immediately by the dealer. When I took the vehicle to the dealer they first advised me that the airbag light was do to the seat being wet, placing a cell phone or lap top on the seat. None of those things have caused the malfunction light to go on in my vehicle. The light would randomly come on advising me that the passenger seat airbag was not on. When this occurred the vehicle was in motion every time. The dealer claimed that my problem was caused by a stain on my seat, they claimed the mechanic cleaned the seat and they were going to release the vehicle to me. I insisted however that my seat was never wet nor stained. The service advisor then spoke to a manager and they then informed me that the problem was the airbag sensor in the seat. They said it would take 2 days to get the part. Two days later they told me it was a national back order on the part. My vehicle has been at the dealer since 09/11/2018 and I am still waiting for the part which they keep calling me and telling me it is on backorder. They have provided me with a loaner. Corporate Subaru personnel have also contacted me concerned about this issue. As of today 10/18/18 Subaru as not corrected the issue.

- Westminster, MD, USA

Less than one year after purchase of a new 2017 Subaru Forester I noted periodically the passenger airbag failure light would turn on and stay on when a passenger was in the passenger seat. This did not occur immediately on seating of the passenger and was sporadic. It occurred both in motion and while the vehicle was not in motion. Once lit it remained so until 2 or 3 new restarts. Taken to dealer they found a code verifying the complaint. Told it was due to a cellphone on the seat. Cellphone removed. Same problem. Took it back to dealer held for a couple of days and told a specialist in codes indicated that it was due to usb cell phone wire. This was not an acceptable explanation. This resulted in their specialist reviewing their code reading again. They indicated a sensor failure and that the part would take about a month to obtain. I could drive the car in the interim including with a passenger.. I therefore requested written certification of the safety of the passenger seat regarding the airbag. This resulted in a rental car which I have had for 7 weeks. Called 2 weeks ago with the response that they were waiting for a new airbag. I want to be certain that the ntsb is aware that there may be a problem with Subaru airbags in the 2017 Forester. How this potential problem is dealt with is also a concern. Is a recall in order? the consumer stated the manufacturer offered a new vehicle as a settlement.

- Crestview Hills, KY, USA

Within the last two months while driving with my wife in the passenger seat the passenger air bag system has disengaged several times and we receive three warning lights. A red SRS light in the lower dash. A white "I" on a red background next to the trip odometer letter, and the SRS indicator in the middle of the dash next to the time indicator comes on sayinf the SRS is off. Took to dealer on 8/24/2018 and they sad they got codes B1650 and B1760 which they reset. They could not duplicate the problem and said water must have gotten on the seat, which has never happened. This weekend, 9/2/2018, we started having the same exact problems while driving. Restarted the car and the lights went off after a short drive and then came back on while driving. The lights only come on when there is a passenger in the front seat.

- Denver, CO, USA

29 June wife and I are on the highway driving when the passenger airbag light goes to off and the fault code appears on the heads up display tell us to take into service immediately. Well we car off and we don't hear anything back for a few days. We called them back on the 5th of July because of the holliday. They told my wife on the phone they were going to replace seat cushion because that seemed to be the issue. Fast forward to 9 July my wife recieves a call telling her the car is ready for pickup. My wife asks what did you end up doing to the vehicle" he said we functional tested the seat it's good to go. So I call the service department and speak to the service manager. I said so let me get this staight you had our car for 10 days and you did a test and hand my wife back the keys? where is the new seat cushion? he said to me sir I want to help you but corporate won't release the parts they instructed me to do the functional check and if it passed they would not release the parts. So I ask what if it happens again what then" well sir we would need to submit the service history problem with the next request to escalate the issue. So I call the wife tell her to go pick up the car but ask the service manager to take a little ride in the passenger seat to ensure it works.... so my wife starts the car then goes at sits in the passenger seat. Boom air bag fault light come on immediately with the service manager standing there. Service manager turns red. My wife's smiles and says I can't take this car home it's not safe. So they keep the car to try and order the seat cushion again. The service maanger call me back to (10 July) to let me know they hack escalated the problem to Subaru corporate and the cushion is now on order. However turns out 73 cushoins are on back order for pretty much the same issue. This may require a recall.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

Passenger air bag light remains off when passenger seat is occupied, or turns off after seat has been occupied for several minutes. This results in SRS airbag error light on dash illuminating. Dealer claims "seat was wet" and it will resolve itself when seat is dry. Seat has never been wet - no spills, no wet swimsuits, nothing. Problem started intermittently 1-2 months ago and now occurs nearly every time car is started. Dealer "fixed" before 500 mile interstate trip only to have problem return mid-trip.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

Front passenger airbag warning light comes on intermittently, either on start up or while driving, stays on for hours or days at a time, unrelated to whether the seat is occupied or not. When it is on, passenger seat belt light indicates it is not fastened even if it is. The seat has never had spills, rain or otherwise wet. This has been going on for at least 6 months. Subaru dealer states past error code B1760 which they reset and say there is nothing they can do because they can not find an immediate problem. Dealer admits that when warning light is on, the airbag will not deploy. This is so unsafe I hesitate to Transport any front passengers. It is a large safety issue that is being ignored! can you do anything?

- Coatesville, PA, USA

SRS airbag system light comes on intermittently since May 2018. Occurs while the car is in motion with or without front passenger. Light will turn on several hours into the drive or after several minutes. Usually when I start the car the light is not on. By the time I could get to the dealer the light was no longer on. Dealer advised this can happen if the seat gets wet. Occurred when there was no rain, my clothing wasn't wet, no spilled drinks. Still not resolved and I do not feel safe driving my car knowing that airbags are off. I chose Subaru due to their safety record.

- Reston, VA, USA

There is an intermittent problem where the passenger air bag is disabled. I have had the dealership look at the problem and they claim Subaru knows about it and it is caused by a sensor getting wet in some fashion. The front passenger seat is never wet when the problem occurs. Most recently, today, June 10th 2018 the front passenger airbag disabled light came on while driving in dry conditions and no beverage or moisture of any kind was in the car. This is always the case. After I park the car, turn it off, have the passenger exit the vehicle and get back in the system is fine again. I find it incredulous that I have a 16 month old car that this happens repeatedly in. I have made the dealer aware twice and they simply list my Subaru maintenance records as routine and never show the detailed reason my car was taken in. I am afraid there will come a time when the system will stay disabled and I will have to have my wife ride in the back seat. The problem is there are only 2 of us in our family and I sometimes have the rear seats folded down and the cargo area is full. There would be no safe place left for her to be seated in the vehicle. If the NHTSA requires airbags it should require the manufacturer to make sure the system is not defective. I have the Subaru starlink system and received an email today that they were notified of the airbag system issue. The vehicle is always in motion when this occurs and is either on a city street or highway. It has occurred no less than 8 times and the dealership has been made aware twice prior to today.

- Galloway, OH, USA

SRS airbag system needs to be checked light is on and passage air bag off indicator shows off. The dealership ordered replacement part which has been on back order since Sept. 9, 2017. Problem started in Sept. 2017, occasionally when a passenger was in the front seat and vehicle hit a bump, the SRS showed warning indicator and passenger airbag turned off. System would reset when vehicle was restarted, but would occasionally duplicate the problem. Took vehicle to dealership on Sept. 9, they said they ordered part and would call me when part arrived. I didn't hear back from dealership, so called them on Oct. 26. they said part would be in and I dropped vehicle off for scheduled service for Oct. 31. on Nov. 3 after not hearing from dealer, I called to see why service not completed yet, and was told part was still on back order, should be in sometime in Dec. The SRS airbag system worked fine and no problem until the end of Feb, 2018. The random SRS warning indicator when passenger was in the front seat and hitting a bump started reoccurring again. I have called the dealership again numerous times, and part is still on backorder. Now the SRS airbag system needs to be check indicator is on all the time, regardless if a passenger is in the seat or not. I called the dealership on April 24 and they were going to escalate the part order and get back to me. As of May 2 I have not heard back, and SRS airbag system is not working.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

The passenger airbag periodically turns off without notice. The airbag indicator light shows that there is an issue and Subaru has contacted us about the issue. When we talked to the dealer they said it was a known interference issue related to cell phones and other devices and that if it continues to happen we should bring it in to have the passenger seat replaced. It has continued to happen periodically. Once the warning light indicates that the airbag is off, it remains that way until the vehicle is turned back on. Sometimes it is on when you start the car; sometimes it comes on quickly, and other times we drive for a long time and even go weeks without noticing it. Based on the fact that the company knows about this and that it is a safety system that is affected, it seems like it should be a recall.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

Passenger side air bag warning light indicates that the air bag is off when we are driving with the passenger seat occupied by an adult passenger. Our starlink system is constantly alerting the dealership of the problem.we have brought the car in for service 3 times.they tell us they cant find the problem.although the warning light indicates that the problem still exists. Thank you bill

- Royal Palm Beach 33411, FL, USA

I purchased my car in July 2017 with 8800 miles. One week after delivery, my SRS airbag system warning light came on. Per the owners manual, I took it in for service the next morning. The service dept. Said there is something faulty in the seat cushion & a new one is on order, but with no delivery time provided. It's already been two months since the order was placed - not sure what the real issue is. The warning light was random at first but, now it's on continuously. I just hope everyone is protected in my car, if I get in an accident. I have recently contacted Subaru's customer service to see if I can get any additional answers.

- Plano, TX, USA

My air bag (SRS) warning light has come on repeatedly since the car was new. It was mentioned at the 5000 mile service, but no action was taken. I August 2017 it began staying on most of the time. I took the car to timmons Subaru in long beach, ca, where I was told a passenger seat cushion had to be ordered due to a defective sensor. The car has been there three weeks with no progress, and they are saying they have multiple vehicles in for the same issue but there is no recall.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

Driver's Subaru was struck from behind by a box truck while stationary on a highway (driver had stopped just short of a multi-car collision but the box truck behind her was unable to stop); box truck pushed the Subaru into the car in front. Driver's seatbelt was on, but driver's chest struck the steering wheel and her head possibly hit the side window. Airbags did not deploy and seatbelt did not stop driver from striking steering wheel. Also, the empty front passenger seat rocketed forward on its rails all the way to the front, and at least three hinges flew off the passenger seat rail mechanism.

- Leominster, MA, USA