Around 83,000 miles my passenger safety air bag warning sensor started coming on and off intermittently. It would happen both when a passenger was in the seat and when no one was in the seat. There have been no previous issues. I immediately scheduled my car to be diagnosed at the Subaru dealership and they notified me the passenger occupancy sensor pad is faulty and that it would cost $1,483.47 to replace. The dealer stated that the passenger airbag might not deploy if the sensor is not replaced. This puts the safety of the passenger at risk. I researched and found that there was a recall with 2016-2018 Subaru Forester SUV's with heated seats. Recall WUM-98. However, when I called Subaru they said that there were no open recalls on my car.
2018 Subaru Forester airbags complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 99, newest first, as owners wrote them.
We took the car in for servicing because the SRS light went off. Upon inspection, the Subaru service department found that the SRS sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. They said if not replaced, there is a chance the airbag would not go off in the event of an accident. The part is backordered until January, but Subaru won't ok a rental or car loan until the part arrives. Their solution is to inform us that there is nothing they can do until the part arrives, and released our vehicle with instructions to not have anyone in the passenger seat until then. This cannot be a safe and appropriate course of action.
When there is a passenger in my Subaru Forrester, the Occupant Detection System deactivates the passenger airbag. When I researched the issue, I noticed there is a recall for Foresters but my specific vehicle doesn't fall into the recall. When reviewing Product Campaign Bulletin on the federal safety agency website, the Harness Label Inspection Procedure states to inspect the label and if its has supplier code 6578 AND the date code before 18074, the harness must be replaced. My Forester has both the supplier code and the date code before 18074 but my vehicle doesn't have a recall associated with it so the Subaru service center won't replace it. I'm currently driving with a deactivated airbag and that can't possibly be safe. Please the federal safety agency, widen the recall!
The SRS passenger warning light comes on intermittently. Sometimes with a passenger the indication is the air bag is "ON" and everything seems to be fine. Sometimes with a passenger we get the message that the "SRS SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED". And sometimes we get that message even without a passenger. This started at around 80K miles.
I'm unsure why this 2018 Forester wasn't one of the many manufactured that year recalled for an intermittent passenger seat air bag sensor malfunction since the focus of that recall remains the problem with this particular Forester: it has heated seats and displays an intermittent on/off passenger seat air bag light while a passenger is seated in that seat. The malfunction has been occurring for the past several years, however, our attempts to document and diagnose it have occurred much more recently. We took it to a dealership on 5/9/23; despite keeping it overnight and making numerous attempts to duplicate the problem (at a cost to us of $142) they were unable to do so. However, on 6/27/23, as I drove my wife a distance of approximately 150 miles and she sat in the front passenger seat, the airbag light displayed “off” almost the entire trip. Also, she and our son traveled about 400 miles between 16-19 June; he drove, she sat “front right”. During that trip the sensor light showed intermittently on and off and my wife was able to take time and date stamped photos of the sensor light from her point of view in the passenger seat; both when it was on and when it was off. I reported "all of the above" to the dealership and received a reply referring me to the "apparent" minimum weight limit needed for a passenger to trigger the sensor (100 lbs; I've seen 75), together with the explanation that "electronics" could interfere with operation of that sensor. Although my wife at times weighs just under 100 lbs, that weight limit doesn't explain why the sensor light is INTERMITTENTLY on and off on the same trip. At the very least, since she's now always concerned about failure of the airbag to inflate in the event of an accident, a recall/replacement/addition to the previously issued recall applicable to the exact same malfunction should be required. Based on dealership response, it will take an order from you before any additional repairs/replacements are made.
Airbag light has come on stating that they will not deploy. Upon looking my vehicle (2018) has the passenger side airbag product with supplier code 6578 and date code 17346 meeting the NG status per bulletin released by the federal safety agency in October of 2019. I purchased my vehicle 1/2021 from a certified Subaru dealer who did not fix this product despite being notified of the faulty part in December of 2019. However, my VIN does not flag the recall (recall WUM-98, recall number 19V70100). Currently my airbags are not working. It has periodically happened in the past but then would fix itself and the light would go off. Now it has maintained staying on.
My 2018 Subaru Forester should be included in a recall and subaru is denying that this recall exists. My SRS air bag light is on. The dealership wants to charge $1216.73 to replace the passenger side seat occupant detection sensor mat Information from October 3, 2019 the federal safety agency CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V701000 Occupant Detection System May Deactivate Airbag If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash. the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V701000 Manufacturer Subaru of America, Inc. Components AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected 366,282 Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen. Remedy Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.
the federal safety agency 19V‑701 is for Subaru Forester's concerning the passenger airbag being off while the passenger seat is occupied. The recall stops with Forrester's built after August 2017. My Forrester has this problem but was built in October of 2017 so Subaru says it is not covered! That's ridiculous. The exact recall problem not being honored because of some Subaru created arbitrary date? Subaru should repair this for me. I reported it to them and they never followed up as they indicated they would. Since I'm driving the "safest car in America" according to Subaru, my passenger airbag should work while someone is riding in the passenger seat!
My srs airbag system has just started going on and off. What I read is there is recall for this. 2018 with heated seats caused by faulty wiring. Yet when I put in my vin shows no recalls. Filed complaint with Subaru they stated basically go get it fixed and will notify you if there is a recall.
Since purchase in 2019, Subaru indicates that front passenger seat air bag will not turn on unless passenger is 65 lbs or more. My passenger seat air bag registers "on" if I place any item such as 1 gallon Milk (full bottle from store) in the passenger seat and furthermore, the Warning chime for passenger seat belt (not buckled) will sound continuously until I buckle the seat belt? Our local Subaru dealer will not look at issue unless we are willing to pay $100-$200 for diagnostic test? And then warns us we will have to pay labor and parts costs if sensor is found defective.
The contact's mother owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt warning light failed to illuminate and alert the passenger to fasten the seat belt. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side seat and sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that a credit towards the repair would be provided. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.
The airbag SHOULD automatically turn on and off when someone is in the passenger seat. Most of the time when there is a passenger in the seat the airbag won't turn on, so we're driving around with no airbag in the passengers seat This sounds like the issue with the federal safety agency 19V701 but we are not covered in that vin range. This vehicle was also equipped with heated seats.
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat was extremely hot. Additionally, air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that the taillights were inoperable. While his wife was driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the taillight bulbs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 90,400.
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who reset the fault light; however, the failure persisted. The contact was aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
The passenger sensor light is on and Subaru says I need to replace the seat. There was a recall for certain vehicles but my Vin was not part of the recall - however, if the issue persists why isn't the recall expanded? Do we really want drivers like me to have to replace seats because Subaru is not living up to the standards - due to their faulty wiring? Please expand the recall.
My dashboard for the past several months has intermittently indicated that there is an issue with my front passenger airbag. I just discovered there was a recall for this issue for cars manufactured with heated seats the same year as my vehicle but my vehicle is not part of the recall. This recall may need to be expanded.
I have had a airbag light on for the passenger side of the car for a long time. Subaru said it is from water damage. I do not recall water damage - I didn't drive through a flood. I understand there is a recall on 2015-2018 Subaru Foresters with and has heated seats but even though my car falls within those parameters my VIN shows up as not being recalled. Something seems fishy!
Air bag sensor in passenger seat doesn't recognize when someone is in it therefore keeping it from activating in the event of an accident. There was a recall (Subaru # WUM98R, the federal safety agency campaign # 19V701) for that problem for 2015-2018 model years which mine is and with heated seats which it also has. Subaru told me there is no open recall based on the VIN and won't repair without being paid for. There are many reports of the exact same thing across both the internet and the federal safety agency's own site. It's quite obvious there is a problem with more vehicles than being admitted to by Subaru. The repair for a potential death causing issue shouldn't be the burden of the consumer.
Passenger air bag light displays intermittently on and off (mostly off) regardless of whether there is a passenger in the seat. It has not yet been inspected by any dealer, service center, manufacturer, police, insurance, or others.
The passenger airbag is disabled when my light weight wife is riding in our 2018 Subaru Forester. There is a recall for this issue including 2018 models but it looks like Subaru thinks the fault is caused by heated seats. We don't have heated seats - so maybe that's why our VIN doesn't register ??? However it is definitely a safety problem that Subaru must fix. I don't want to get embroiled in a lawsuit if my wife ends up injured in an accident.
I have been getting an airbag warning light for the past few months. I took it into my local Subaru dealer and they confirmed that the issue was the passenger recognition system. The system will recognize a passenger and turn the airbags on sometimes, and sometimes it will not. This puts the passenger’s life at risk in the event of an accident and the airbags don’t deploy.
Passenger seat when empty will at times indicate person is sitting in seat without buckling seat belt and sound alert
Similar to recall notice WUM-98R (the federal safety agency 19V‑701). Passenger seat occupancy sensor is intermittent indicating no passenger when one is present or, at times, indicating a passenger when none is present causing the seat belt warning and air bag system to malfunction. Currently, this occurs about 80% of the time. When I queried the internet about this issue, I found the referenced recall. Subaru claims that my vehicle is not included in the recall group. I have asked them to review this claim.
We went it because the ODS (Occupant Detection System)/SRS (supplemental restraint system lit up on our dashboard. I took it in to Subaru of America after seeing that there were no VIN specific recalls on this issue. They immediately said they would cover the parts but we would have to pay for the labor. I then checked for recalls again and found that there was this exact same issue with 2015-2018 Subaru Foresters accounting for almost 370 thousand vehicles but apparently not ours. Obviously the car was no longer safe to drive as we weren't sure if the airbags would trigger in the event of the crash so we are paying out of our pocket to fix the issue but this seems like the old recall needs to be extended to cover other 2018 Subaru Foresters as well because from what I've seen on complaints here and on message boards, the problem is widespread. Hopefully, the federal safety agency can investigate and see that the issue is further reaching than the initial 370 thousand vehicles. It's also important to note that 370 thousand subaru foresters between 2015-2018 is about half the amount sold in the US. If this issue affected that many vehicles on the road, it seems like the issue could be further widespread.
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.
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.
the federal safety agency 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.
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.
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 federal safety agency campaign number is 19V701
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.
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