This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the SRS warning light illuminated when a passenger entered the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired from a previous recall with the OCS wiring harness. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the OCS Mat sensor/seat bottom which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 107,784.
In November 2023 I noticed a warning light indicating an issue with the passenger side airbag. Additionally I noticed that even when a passenger was sitting in that seat, the status light still displayed 'airbag off'. I took the car to a Subaru dealer who told me the sensor was bad and the whole seat assembly would need to be replaced. After waiting 2 1/2 months I was told by the dealer that they could not locate a part anywhere in the U.S., and they had no timetable for completing the repair. I was encouraged to contact Subaru Customer Service for help. I've done so, but have received no satisfaction. I've since learned that this exact same defect was part of an earlier recall of my vehicle (I bought the car used; see attached). As of now, I have a car with a defective airbag with no prospect of resolution from the dealer or manufacturer.
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the passenger-??s side air bag sensor showed that there was no passenger in the seat. The contact stated on other occasions while there was a passenger seated in the seat, the occupant detection system failed to detect a passenger seated in the seat. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but recurred several times. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger-??s air bag sensor needed to be replaced; however, the contact was advised that the sensors were on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and advised the contact that the sensors were on backorder. The contact was recently advised that he would have to take the vehicle back and return the loaner vehicle to the dealer. The contact was advised by the dealer not to have a passenger sit in the front passenger-??s seat until the air bag sensor was replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
2017 Subaru Forester. Air bag sensor light for the occupant occasionally flashes on and off. We brought it to the dealer and was told the sensor was defective and would not deploy if an accident occurred. The Subaru service tech informed us that the air bags would not deploy in case of an accident. The car only has 55,500 miles. It is garaged and has had no front end problems or accidents. This is a safety hazard that could cause a death if the sensor is not working properly and the vehicle was in an accident.
My vehicle had the WUM98 Safety recall completed on March 09, 2020. In July 2022, the SRS system started giving error messages that the system needed to be checked. It seemed to reset when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. When it happened for the 3rd time in 3 weeks, I took it in to the Subaru Dealership where they found this: B1650 Perform Diag TSB#07-108-16R. They claimed that the seat must have gotten wet to create this error code, but it seems to me to be the same problem as was reported in the :NUMBER: WUM-98R NHTSA ID: 19V-701 DATE: 10/14/19 REVISED: 12/13/19 documents that I found on the NHSTA site. I think the same issue is in this newer harness that was in the older one. On August 16,2022, we picked up the vehicle from its other repairs (60,000 mile service and AC condenser replacement). The dealer had just reset the B1650 code. We drove less than 50 miles before the -??SRS airbag system needs to be checked-?? error message came back on. It only seems to come on at certain times when the passenger is over 190lbs. In addition, every once in a while the passenger seatbelt alarm goes off with no one in the seat. The only way to get it to stop is to engage the seatbelt. The Subaru dealer wants to replace the seat cushion with the harness and the ODS mat for a total of $1600. I believe that this was one of the options to do in 2020, but they opted for only replacing the cable, not the full sensor and seat.
- Baltimore, MD, USA
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The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side front seat and air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
2017 Forester SRS airbag sensor defective two years after purchase, the SRS airbag warning light appeared. This light flickers on and off, at random, whether or not a passenger is in the seat. (no passenger will be driving with me until this is repaired.) my Subaru dealership service manager told me that there was a recall (he misspoke, perhaps he meant 'should be') and said that he "sees this all the time". he immediately knew (prior to testing it) that they would be replacing the passenger seat bottom, for a new sensor pad. He said they are usually backordered. Backordered indicates to me that there is a high demand to correct this error in this critical safety system. At this point, I have Subaru corporate involved; I've emailed and spoken at length with kris drechsel, a supervisor in customer service, and charles hosier, a customer service advocate. While they both were superb in their interactions with me, I learned nothing about what Subaru is doing or intends to do about this reprehensible situation, other than pass along my complaint. I was emailed that they are "not aware of any trending issue with the passenger side seat sensor". Subaru is clearly aware there is a problem and is neglectful in not being fully transparent with owners that there is the potential that an airbag may not deploy in a collision due to this sensor defect. Subaru noted that they rely on customer feedback and that the appropriate protocol will be followed for such complaints. Considering the gravity of this issue, I assume, then, that I am the only customer who has provided this complaint and that they are now going to discover the 'trend' and provide notice of this SRS airbag defect to the public. There are 25 complaints on this site alone (of how many that "may appear"?), countless online forums, and apparently law suits pending. Is a death what's prerequisite here?
Passenger air bag switches to "off" despite passenger sitting in seat. Subaru dealership diagnosed faulty sensor. Air bag light switches to "off" at random times even when passenger is seated in seat. On the dashboard, next to the odometer, a red square with a lower case "I" appeared and below to the left the red airbag indicator lit. The system says to check SRS airbag and bring to dealership. This often occurs when car is stopped/parked and passenger gets out while car is still running. Dealership agreed to replacing sensor but the part has been unavailable for 6 months now. We keep being told "it's on order, can't say when it will arrive. " vehicle is unsafe to drive with a passenger as a result. See more complaints here:
My 2017 Forester began having the passenger airbag light switch off when there was a passenger in the seat and the vehicle was in motion. On the dashboard, next to the odometer, a red square with a lower case "I" appeared and below to the left the red airbag indicator lit. Also on the upper dash, the passenger airbag on light switched to off. In order to rectify this, I had to pull over, shut off the engine and restart it. This happened several various times during normal city street driving. Returning from a 1200 mile trip recently, it occurred near the end of my trip about every 40 miles. Very distressing! took to dealer and they said no codes were in the computer showing any problems. Said the seat might have had something spilled on it which never happened! they said that the red square with the white "I" in it meant the eyesight was malfunctioning which was ridiculous!! why would the airbag light make the eyesight malfunction" I have never had a problem with the eyesight and I use it all the time. When I looked online, I discovered that there were many people who had the exact same problem with exact same symptoms!! surprised that Subaru has not had a recall for this. Are they waiting until someone dies in an accident before they do anything" I recently had a person turn in front of my my 2015 Forester and all the airbags deployed reducing injuries. If my 2017 Forester airbags are not working in an accident, my passenger could be severely injured and Subaru would be responsible!! they need to fix this problem now!!!
The upper dashboard passenger air bag warning light above the steering wheel is going off and on weather there is a passenger in the seat or not. It may stay on after starting the engine and continue during driving. The last 45 minute trip I took it stayed on the entire time. Other times it has come on while a passenger was in the seat in the middle of a trip @ 45mph. The dealer on 2/28/19 says it's a "B1650 occupant detection system malfunction" and that the passenger seat bottom needs replaced but there is no replacement available at this time. Said they would call when it was available, but don't hold my breath. This is a safety issue as the air bag will not deploy in a crash if the light is on. I find many complaints about this issue online but no recalls. Why not. How many people will need to be killed before this safety issue is quickly resolved? this vehicle has 25,437 mile on it.
Passenger air bag switches to "off" despite passenger sitting in seat. Subaru dealership diagnosed faulty sensor, suspected cause being seat covers. Removed seat cover, sensor is still faulty. Air bag light switches to "off" at random times even when passenger is seated in seat. Dealership agreed to replacing sensor but the part has been unavailable since Sept. 2018 (6 months now). We keep being told "it's on order, can't say when it will arrive." Vehicle is unsafe to drive as a result.
The front passenger air bag sensor is defective in the seat cushion. Light on the dash shows passenger air bag is turned off even when someone is sitting in the seat.the problem occurs intermittently while driving. There is no predicting when the light will turn on or off.the problem began in July of 2018 when the forrester was one year old. The seat has not been wet.the problem began in July 2018. The new seat cushion was ordered in August 2018.the new seat cushion did not arrive until February 2019. 5 1/2 months later. Does it take this long for Subaru to replace safety equipment under warranty ? kelly Subaru, in chattanooga, tn. Scheduled the repair to be done 2/22/2019. We live approximately 75 miles from kelly Subaru. The appointment was scheduled for 10:00am eastern time. At around 9:45 am ben carter ( service representative) called stating the service department was "swamped". the appointment was cancelled and now is scheduled for March 4th.my wife had driven from our home in mcminnville tn., and was within 5 minutes of the dealership when the appointment was canceled. This is apparently a fairly common problem with Foresters per carcomplaints.com.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gilbertsville, PA, USA