10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
8,314 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2018 Subaru Forester seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2018 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #35

Dec 312021

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While turning in a parking lot car accelerated and hit a tree. Foot was on brake and airbags didn-??t deploy despite extensive damage. Body shop estimator said computer wouldn-??t confirm problem. It was not caused by floor mat! No warning lights prior to incident.

- Cumming , GA, USA

problem #34

Jan 282021

Forester

  • miles
Repeatedly the passenger air bag turns off even when car is in motion (warning lights turn on) with passenger in front seat. We have heated seats but apparently are not part of the recall that covers other Foresters with the exact same problem. Anytime we are in the car and it is deactivated it puts the passenger at risk if an accident would occur. This is extremely dangerous and can lead to death from a problem that the company appears to be aware of. It used to be we could turn the car off, have the passenger get out, restart the car, and the sensor will work, but now that does not happen. We would love to get rid of this vehicle but that is not an option at this time.

- Bent Mountain, VA, USA

problem #33

Oct 152021

Forester

  • miles
NHTSA Recall No. : 19V-701 Manufacturer Recall No. : WUM-98 The issue in this recall is affecting my car and it fits the description in the recall and the exact issue is happening in my car but dealership is charging me $1087.58 to fix it.

- Eagle Mountain, UT, USA

problem #32

Sep 122021

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Repeatedly the passenger air bag turns off during road trips (warning lights turn on) with passenger in front seat. This will be my second complaint because I felt you all needed time to add my cars VIN to your recall list. Anytime we are in the car and it is deactivated it puts the passenger at risk if an accident would occur.

- Fredericksburg , VA, USA

problem #31

Aug 242021

Forester

  • miles
Passenger air bag light came on two weeks after the 3 year warranty expired. Vehicle was purchased on August 4th 2018 and light came on last week on Tuesday August 24th. No previous issues. Passenger air bag is deactivated even with passenger in the seat. Resetting ECU and other basic troubleshooting did not solve the issue. Wiggled wires and connectors under seat and light went off but came back on during driving. Upon research, this is a known issue with my car that has heated front seats, which mine does. However, for whatever reason, my car VIN is not associated with the recall. ODS issue. The NHTSA campaign number is 19V701

- Burke, VA, USA

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problem #30

Aug 022021

Forester

  • miles
Passenger side airbag sensor malfunctioning, vehicle has heated seats. Sometimes when passenger is seated the passenger airbag does not turn on and the airbag malfunction light comes on. There is a recall for the same issue for the same year model Subaru Recall #19V701000. However, my particular Subaru does not fall within the date range listed on original recall, though it appears to be the exact same problem based on the description.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #29

Jan 012021

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When a passenger sits in the front passenger seat of my Subaru Forester, the airbag notification light indicates that the airbag is "OFF". It is my understanding that there was a recall for this very issue but when I contacted Subaru to get it fixed, they said that my vehicle wasn't on their list of recalled vehicles and would not service it under the recall.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

problem #28

Dec 012018

Forester

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The air bag system was deactivated. The seat belt alert was activated. The vehicle was taken to Subaru of kennesaw (905 ernest w barrett pkwy nw, kennesaw, ga 30144) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was later diagnosed and the contact was informed that there was a wiring harness connection failure, brake pedal sensor and that the seat bottom needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that she felt unsafe operating the vehicle and requested that the manufacturer buy back the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Canton, GA, USA

problem #27

Sep 132020

Forester

  • 29,670 miles
While driving the vehicle with a front side passenger, intermittently over the past three weeks, the display screen indicates "passenger air bag off", the display briefly gives a message to have the SRS checked, and the red airbag dashboard light illuminates and remains illuminated for the duration of the trip. (these trips included both city and highway driving.) the dealer (adventure Subaru of mentor, Ohio) was unable to replicate this problem. More troubling though, the dealer stated that a scan revealed no active or retained alarm codes. This car was built after the end date of recent NHTSA campaign 19V-701, but this problem is exactly as described in that campaign.

- Mentor, OH, USA

problem #26

Sep 112020

Forester

  • 10 miles
Subaru Forester 2018 air bag won't turn on with adult in front passengers seat. I have several photos to show that it is off for several minutes. Not the first time this has happened but the first time I was able to document it.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

problem #25

Jun 222020

Forester 4-cyl

  • 21,236 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger airbag occasionally shows as 'off' even though an occupant is in the seat. The info center (as shown in the attached pictures) also indicates an issue with an airbag and to check the owner's manual. A similar airbag defect was reported in NHTSA bulletin - 19V701000 - Subaru wum-98, however for whatever reason my vehicle was not included even though it has similar symptons.

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #24

Nov 112019

Forester 4-cyl

  • 35,000 miles
There is a current recall affecting 2018 Subaru Forester's (NHTSA campaign number: 19V701000). I currently own a 2018 Forester that the VIN number does not match the recall. However my vehicle I doing the exact thing that the recall is for, the passenger side airbag turns off, light comes on and an SRS airbag warning message comes on. Took my vehicle to the dealer while still under warranty, they said there was nothing wrong with it, even though there was a trouble code for the passenger side airbag that they just cleared. Six months later and now not covered under warranty, vehicle is doing the same thing, turning the airbag off, error message coming on. I feel as though Subaru didn't include all of the correct VIN number of vehicles that were affected. It creates a safety issue for the passenger, being that the airbag turns off and will not work in the event of a crash. I also don't feel like I should have to pay to fix something that is obviously a problem with other vehicles of the same year model having the same problem just cause my VIN number is not included. They should extend the VIN's to all 2018 models.

- Kingsport, TN, USA

problem #23

Mar 032020

Forester

  • miles
Dealer is unable to get parts for the recall. Safety recall: Wum98|NHTSA campaign: 19V701000 autonation Subaru is saying it's going to be about 2 months for them to get parts. This recall has been active since October 2019. Address. 9955 E arapahoe rd centennial, co 80112

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #22

Dec 032019

Forester

  • 5,615 miles
NHTSA recall 19V-701 (Subaru recall wum-98) includes only Foresters with seat heaters manufactured from 1/20/15 - 8/1/17. My Forester was manufactured on 6/6/18 and is not currently included. Page 3 of product campaign bulletin wum-98R revised 11/20/19 (copy attached) states if the date code on the front passenger seat cushion wiring harness is 18074 (74th day of 2018) or before and the supplier code is 6578, "the harness is ng and the seat cushion assembly must be replaced". as you can see from the attached photo (img_1295), the date code on the harness label in my vehicle is 18019 (19th day of 2018), the supplier code is 6578, and the Subaru part number (64084sg020) matches the part number on the defective harness label on page 3 of wum-98R. Also, how can the cut off date for defective wiring harnesses (74th day of 2018) be 7 1/2 months after the last recalled vehicle was produced on 8/1/2017" what happened to all the defective wiring harnesses made in that 7 1/2 month period " after several emails to Subaru customer service, Subaru still refuses to admit that the wiring harness in my vehicle is defective, stating only that the vehicle was not manufactured between 1/20/15 and 8/1/17, even though according to page 3 of wum-98R the harness is clearly defective. Note also that page 3 of part 573 safety recall report 19V-701 claims the wiring harness defect was corrected on 2/19/2018, and lists 17 recalled part numbers, but does not include the part number in the photograph of the defective harness label on page 3 of wum-98R (and the harness label in my vehicle). This recall clearly warrants further investigation by NHTSA.

- Hewlett, NY, USA

problem #21

Jun 132019

Forester

  • 10,000 miles
When my husband shuts off the car, gets out and refuels, I remain seated in the passenger seat. He starts the car and drives off. The passenger airbag light reads that the airbag is off even though I am seated in the passenger seat. The first time it happened starlink told us to take the car in to be checked, but the didn't find anything wrong with it. This has happened so many times that I get out when he gets gas, so we don't have to pull over on the highway and shut off and get out to reactivate the airbag. I have taken the car in to the dealership at least 3 times for this.

- Park Falls, WI, USA

problem #20

Aug 162019

Forester

  • 6,500 miles
The airbag system became disarmed and seatbelt warning light came on when smartphone weighing 3lbs was on front passenger seat. This occurred multiple times the passenger front seat sensor is supposed to become armed when a 40lb passenger sits in passenger front seat only. Reading through the owners manual states that both driver and passenger airbags may not deploy which puts driver and passengers at risk for injury.

- Exton, PA, USA

problem #19

Sep 232019

Forester

  • 4,000 miles
Front passenger airbag has been intermittently on and off, with and without a passenger, with and without items on the seat. This is the third or maybe fourth occasion vehicle is at the dealer. One of the first times they inspected the car, and their solution was to relocate the "module" (whatever the module is) for that seat. They stated it will solve the problem. A month later the car started to do the passenger airbag warning light on and off again. Car back again to dealer but then light was gone off. Yesterday, Sep 23, 2019 car was dropped again at dealer with light on and the car still on, in order not to lose the situation at restart. They just called me and state the seat airbag was replaced $1,100 under warranty, car is 6500 miles or so. That we could not locate anything other than a passenger on that seat. Any item, cellular, tablet, computer, battery, bags, pursues, shopping items, papers, documents on that seat will possibly cause the situation again and they wont cover it under warranty. Also nothing in front of that seat by the floor.."?? not possible to recline the back of the seat.... what" this is my first car doing that. I don't care what they say to us, it's their responsibility and a deadly risk drive this car with the passenger light on and a passenger in it and been involved in an accident. This happens with the car on, but parked, stopped waiting for a light to change, moving, going forward, going reverse, and is intermittent.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

problem #18

Sep 182019

Forester

  • miles
Ever since I purchased the car, the passenger air bag indicator light has shown 'off.' The NHTSA site shows numerous people have had the same experience. Some of those people were advised by Subaru service technicians that they must have spilled something on the seat, affecting the sensor. I was told the same when I took my car in. Subaru techs ran a diagnostic that indicated no error codes. I discovered on my own the apparent cause of the problem with my car. I have dogs and customarily place a towel on all seats to keep them clean. When I removed the towel my human passenger was seated on, the air bag indicator showed 'on.' If you look at the 2018 Subaru manual, this is mentioned in section 1-56. In addition to not using seat covers, cushions, etc., the passenger is advised to take off 'unnecessary items' or sit in the back seat to ensure the air bag will activate. This seems to be a serious design flaw, one which should be brought to Subaru service techs and customers' attention.

- Lutherville, MD, USA

problem #17

May 272019

Forester

  • 8,300 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact took the vehicle to annapolis Subaru (149 old solomons island rd, annapolis, md 21401, 888-409-1189) because the air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently when the vehicle was started. Although the vehicle had been serviced at the dealer, the failure continued. While the contact's wife was driving 55 mph, the preceding vehicle suddenly slammed on the brakes. During this incident, the contact noticed that both the side passenger air bag and the driver's air bag warning indicators were illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that a representative would call him back. The contact had not heard back from the manufacturer. The dealer was not notified of the recent failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 8,300.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #16

Aug 082019

Forester

  • 20,000 miles
SRS warning light comes on while vehicle is stationary or in motion at random intervals. Based on my knowledge this means the SRS airbag system is completely deactivated. When bringing it to Subaru's attention they blamed moisture on the seats messing with the sensors, but the seats have never had a spill on them.

- Spring, TX, USA

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