This is a known recall in 2019 with Suburu Foresters manufactured between 2015-2018 when the passenger seat has a heating feature. The recall was because the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness malfunctions over time causing the passenger to not be detected so the airbag does not deploy. My 2015 Suburu Forester which has heated seats happened to not be included in this known recall. However, my vehicle has the same malfunction as the recall. We have taken the vehicle to the dealership where they confirmed the malfunction in the ODS when running a diagnostic test. We notified Suburu’s customer service about the malfunction but they are not willing to repair this known major safety issue and are expecting us to pay out of pocket for the all parts and labor because my VIN was not included in the 2019 recall. The recall number was WUM-98R and the federal safety agency ID is 19V‑701. This is a major safety issue that could result in a death or severe bodily injury and it is unacceptable that my vehicle, which meets all the criteria of the recall, was no included in the recall. We should not have to pay out of pocket for a malfunction for a device that is intended for safety.
2015 Subaru Forester airbags complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 102, newest first, as owners wrote them.
SRS airbag light with and without passenger in front passenger seat. Brought to dealer for diagnostic and code B1650 is coming up.
With no one sitting in the passage seat the warning light will not turn off unless the seat belt is buckled The CVT transmission is making a high pitch whining sound The dealership informed me the transmission is going out. There is a manufacturer extended warranty for up to 100,000 miles that I have not received. My car started to make the sound at 110,210 miles Subaru was fully aware of the CVT problems and are not being held accountable for the repairs. I have been quoted I’ve $7000 from the dealership for a replacement The CVT is not repairable My car is now unsafe to drive. The CVT transmission can fail and not shift or not stop while braking
The passenger airbag light switches to ON when no one is in the seat, and switches to OFF when I have a passenger. The seat is completely stock (no back support pads or cushions or baggy clothing) and my passengers sit in the seat normally. Restarting the vehicle does not fix the issue. There is an associated recall for this specific issue, but my forester is a few months outside of the covered range. The listed fix for this is replacing the entire seat bottom, and is incredibly expensive, especially for such a crucial design flaw regarding passenger safety in the event of an accident.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. While the contact's wife was driving at 30 MPH, she crashed into another vehicle causing damage to the front driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact's wife was injured. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that "there are many types of collision that are not necessary for the deployment of the air bag". The manufacturer used "if the vehicle hits a parked vehicle it would not deploy" as an example. The failure mileage[ was 80,000.
First the sensor for the passenger seat failed and I had to keep the seat belt buckled even when no one was in the seat because the alarm would sound. Then the air bag light came on and says it is not operational. When I checked with Subaru I was told we must have spilled a drink on it. Once the airbag light came on and stayed on the seat belt alarm stopped going off. The interior seats are also frayed and I do not know if that is part of the problem??
The SRS warning light came on, indicating that the car be taken to the dealer for inspection. The light was not on by the time the car arrived at the dealer, but they were able to find code DTC B1760, indicting that the Occupant Detection Sensor Mat on the passenger side was not working properly. This is the system used to determine whether the air bag should deploy in an accident and at what force it should deploy. After following a diagnostic tree, they suggested replacing the passenger seat bottom. I called Subaru of America on 12/13/2021 to discuss the issue before telling the dealer to proceed and after being on hold for 23 minutes I left a number for callback. I then sent an email using their online contact form. As of 12/15/2021, I have not received any response from Subaru. This was obviously a safety issue that had to be fixed immediately, regardless of cost, so I told the dealer to complete the repair while I waited to hear back from Subaru. No passenger was in the seat when the warning light came on. After doing some research , it appears that I am not the only Subaru owner with this exact issue and I even found recalls for other Subarus made the same year as my vehicle.
Subaru dealership in Rockvile, MD diagnosed a defective airbags' occupant detection system (ODS) mat harness on my 2015 Subaru Forester. Recommend replacing part for $1200. Subaru America issued a recall WUM-98 (the federal safety agency 19V‑701) on Oct 3, 2019 to adress this very issue on 2015-2018 vehicles. Dealer states my vehicle not covered by this recall... This is a very serious safety issue and I question whether Subaru has recalled a sufficient number of vehicles beyound the stated 336,282 .
The passenger airbag light has been on and has been disabled whether there is someone in the passenger seat or not. This is due to the sensor in the passenger seat malfunctioning. Because of this malfunction, there is no access to the passenger airbag which poses a risk to the passenger in the vehicle in the event of an accident. The problem has been confirmed by Charlie's Subaru in Augusta, Maine. The airbag light came on in September 2021. It went on and off for a few weeks and has been on since.
Front passenger seat doesn't detect passenger. Airbags off and come up with warning signs stating that they are off. "SRS airbag system needs to be checked."
The passenger side airbag warning light goes on and off. It came on when I went for a state inspection and caused a rejection. Computer reading listed 3 possible codes for repair investigation. When I took it to a repair center, the light did not come on and stay on and was told that it should pass inspection. I took it back to the inspection station, and the previous 3 codes did not come on the computer, but a different one did suggesting it may be in the sensor in the passenger seat. (The front driver and passenger seats have independent seat heating elements--not in use at this time, but was listed in Subaru recall information for 2015-2018 Forester's.
Airbag warning light comes on when passenger is in seat. Information panel indicates that the passenger airbag is deactivated. This issue appears the same as the federal safety agency 19V701, but the VIN for my car does not appear to be included. When this occurs it is necessary for the passenger to move to the back seat. Currently this issue only happens occasionally. An appointment for the car has been made on Aug. 9 and a call has been made to Subaru of America.
Pulling into parking spot, vehicle started to stall, gave a little more gas and vehicle launched forward and hit cement pole. No damage to pole car damage around 8k.air bags did not deploy. This has happened when pulling out into traffic also
I have continually been having the SRS light coming on telling me that someone is sitting in my passenger seat when there is no on there or when my 15 year old sits in the front seat it does not register that anyone is sitting in the front seat. I took it to our local dealership as I am the original owner and they want over 1600 to fix this issue
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that the instrument panel showed that the front passenger's air bag was off. The contact became aware that other subaru vehicles with heated seats were known to experience the failure. The contact called subaru of morristown (175 ridgedale ave, morristown, nj 07960; (866) 910-3466) and was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
Driver was rear ended on the highway when at a dead stop by a vehicle going around 60-70 MPH. The bottom of the driver's seat jerked forward and impacted driver leg causing contusions and the back support and head rest portion flew backwards, causing driver glasses and hat to come off and land toward the back hatch of the vehicle. Spare tire was dislodged from trunk area and impacted driver's head due to the seat back being in the reclining position. Air bags did not deploy at any level as well.
When driving with a passenger in the front passenger seat, the "check airbag" message comes intermittently as if the passenger airbag switch is malfunctioning. When no passenger in front passenger seat, there is no alert/warning message. There is a recall notice wum-98 for the same problem by doesn't appear to apply to my VIN.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to brandon tomes subaru (1100 s. Central expy, mckinney, tx 75070, (469) 907-2205) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the air bags sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the failure was like the failure stated in the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v701000 (air bags). The manufacturer was contacted however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Been having repeated issues with the passenger air bag sensor thinking someone is in the passenger seat when unoccupied and the seatbelt light and tone beeps. Then the airbag SRS light illuminates on the dashboard showing passenger airbag off. My vehicle has heated seats but is not included in the current recall.
When the vehicle is in motion, the passenger airbag does not accurately sense when a passenger is in the seat. It sometimes senses a passenger when the passenger is present and sometimes it does not. The airbag turns off randomly when it should be on. There is an active recall, wum-98, which outlines the exact issue and shows my vehicle description (2015 subaru forester with heated seats), however, my VIN does not show it being affected by wum-98. I believe this is a severe safety issue and it needs to be included in the recall. I have called two subaru dealerships and subaru. No help. In addition, the passenger seat belt randomly dings when no passenger is in the seat. Please let me know what I should do.
The passenger airbag sensor cannot detect if there is a passenger in the seat or not. There is an active recall, wum-98, which outlines the exact issue and fits my vehicle description (2015 subaru forester with heated seats), however, my VIN does not show it being affected by wum-98. I believe this is a severe safety issue and it needs to be included in the recall and resolved by subaru. I called the dealer and they said there is no recall. But there is a recall and my car should be in it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that the SRS air bag off light illuminated while driving at various speeds. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
The passenger airbag does not accurately sense when a passenger is in the seat. It sometimes senses a passenger when no passenger is present, and other times it will not sense a passenger when a passenger is present and will turn off the airbag when it should be on. There is an active recall, wum-98, which outlines the exact issue and fits my vehicle description (2015 subaru forester with heated seats), however, my VIN does not show it being affected by wum-98. I believe this is a severe safety issue and it needs to be included in the recall and resolved by subaru.
Passenger air bag will intermittently disable with a passenger seated in the front passenger seat. There is a current recall for this situation for 2015 -2018 foresters with heated seats. Somehow the recall does not affect my vehicle because it was manufactured in 2014 yet still uses the exact same defective sensor mat in the recalled vehicles. The recall should extend to all foresters using this defective sensor mat. Subaru corporate refuses to accept responsibility.
I believe my car should be subject to the wum-98 recall but is not listed as one on your website.
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that a truck ran a red light and the contact t-boned the truck at 30 MPH. The contact stated that the truck flipped as the front passenger side collided with the truck. The contact and her passenger were injured and had to be transported to the hospital. The contact's wrist and arm were sore and she required physical therapy. The passenger was in a back brace with two compression fractures in the back, a few broken ribs, she had a concussion, and a swollen foot and ankle. A police report was filed. None of the air bags deployed with the frontal collision. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was towed to a junk yard to be investigated by the manufacturer. The dealer harvey subaru (3351 benton rd, bossier city, la 71111 (888) 232-4109) said to contact the manufacturer. The contact was informed by the dealer that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency recall number: 19v-701000 (air bags). The contact was upset that the recall notices was not received until november of 2019. The contact did not believe the manufacturer in why it took so long to investigate, why the air bags did not deploy. The manufacturer just recently sent an email saying everything was fine. The contact did not yet receive a full report of the investigation. The vehicle was currently at a salvage junk yard. The failure mileage was 35,000.
There is a current recall for the passenger air bag sensor for 2015-2018 subaru foresters but somehow ours is not included in that. However, we are receiving an warning light stating that out passenger air bag sensor is failing. We took our subaru to get service and we were told ours was not affected and would not be repaired. It is going to cost us $1000 to repair the sensor. What can we do to remedy this as a sensor malfunction should not be the responsibility of the owner.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. Contact stated that while the passenger seats was occupied, the airbag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to carter subaru shoreline (17225 aurora ave n, seattle, wa 98133 (206) 202-7308) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the airbag sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The repair was pending. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The manufacturer offered to pay a majority of the cost for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that the passenger's side frontal air bags sensor failed to indicate when a passenger was seated in the front passenger's seat of the vehicle. Kenny ross subaru located at 11299 lincoln hwy, north huntingdon, pa 15642 (724) 864-5100) was contacted and an appointment was made to have the vehicle diagnosed which was still pending. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v701000 (air bags). The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v701000 (air bags). The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that kearny mesa subaru (located at 4797 convoy st, san diego, ca 92111) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted nor informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
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