The Airbag warning light has been lit within the dashboard. The front passenger seat airbag is faulty and is not able to correctly sense when a passenger is within the seat or not, which disables the airbags. This can be deadly to the passenger if in an accident. The issue seems to be in the ODS passenger seat mat that determines when the airbag is active or not. If moisture is able to get within the mat, then it can short the circuit and cause airbags to not deploy. My car was "supposed" to already been fixed with the issue in 2015 on the recall #WQT55, the federal safety agency Campaign 15V419000, but I don't believe the underlying issue was fixed correctly or the same part has failed again. Looking further into recalls, the exact same issue is happening again with Subarus with #WRA-24 and the federal safety agency campaign 24V227. The dealer has asked me to pay over $1700 on to replace this part. Subaru America should fully cover the cost of any Passenger ODS issue especially when there have already been two recalls with the exact same issue.
2012 Subaru Impreza airbags problems
105 complaints (43% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 41,000. 7 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 105
- of this car's complaints
- 43%
- typical mileage
- 41,000
- crashes
- 7
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Sensor: occupant classification8
- Sensor: occupant classification: front passenger3
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Subaru Impreza airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Subaru Impreza airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2012 model year Subaru Impreza 4-Door and Station Wagon vehicles (except WRX/STI models) manufactured April 21, 2011, to February 16, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may deactivate if a front seat passenger operates a device that is plugged into the power outlet such as a music player or cell phone, or touches a metal part of the vehicle such as the forward/rearward seat adjuster lever.
- Risk
- If the ODS deactivates, the front passenger air bag will be turned off and the front passenger air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Occupant Control Unit with a modified one, free of charge. The recall began August 21, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQT-55.
Recall number 15V419000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Passenger Front Air Bag Suppression
The Office of Defects Investigation opened this investigation on April 10, 2015 based on 26 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire reports involving the passenger frontal air bag in MY 2012 Subaru Impreza vehicles.These vehicles use a capacitive type Occupant Detection System (ODS), which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full sized, small stature, a child seat, or other object.The reports alleged that the ODS failed to operate properly and incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied.In a frontal crash sufficient to warranty deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On June 25, 2015, Subaru of America, Inc. submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) advising the federal safety agency that it would conduct a safety recall to remedy the ODS in 32,400 MY 2012 Subaru Impreza vehicles equipped with a capacitance type ODS for the front passenger's seat.The DIR notes that the WRX/STI models are excluded from this recall as they are equipped with a different type (weight-recognition based) ODS for the front passenger's seat. ODI is closing this investigation based on Subaru's recall action.The ODI reports cited above can be viewed at http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues under the following ID numbers:10668512, 10668243, 10662987, 10641835, 10640574, 10626384, 10622234, 10621456, 10619273, 10605789, 10604506, 10575908, 10559081, 10557856, 10556661, 10545059, 10538562, 10532118, 10481308, 10478660, 10473662, 10472608, 10470865, 10468157, 10463432, 10672345, 10712288, 10713178, 10731645.
PE15012
What 2012 Subaru Impreza owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics and the contact was informed that there was a defective gasket on the transfer case and the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced. The contact stated that while a relative was seated in the front passenger’s seat, the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where a code reader determined that there was a defect with the front passenger’s side air bag sensor. A dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was made to have the vehicle serviced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Over the past three months, the front driver and passenger airbag lights have been on in my 2012 Subaru Impreza while driving. Documented videos attached were on 01/11/23, 01/20/23, and 04/04/23. It has happened at least 6 times and possibly more. I contacted Subaru after it happened and took it to the local Subaru dealer, who advised me to bring the car in when the airbag light was on, as at my 1/17/23 visit, they could not figure out the cause of the airbag light. On 4/4/23, while driving on the expressway, the airbag light came on, and as advised, I drove it straight to the local dealership. Code B1650 was pulled off the airbag system, which I am told could be 3 different reasons. On 4/10/23, I contacted Subaru Customer Advocacy and said the local dealer's solutions were unacceptable and to wait and see. Again on 4/12/23, while my daughter was driving on the expressway with my son in the passenger seat, the airbag lights on again for both the passenger and driver. As I told Subaru on 4/10/23, this Subaru Impreza is unsafe to drive, and the airbags would not deploy in the case of an accident with both airbag lights on. This is a very dangerous situation that could end up with some very dire consequences. The ODS system was previously replaced under the federal safety agency #15V419000, but it appears that the recall part may also be defective. The passenger seat has not been altered or wet to cause malfunctions. It is a defect in the Subaru airbag system.
I just bought this car. I looked recall history. I saw that one of the recalls for this car was faulty (ODS)occupants detection system and the record showed that it is fixed. However, I just found out today that ODS system is still faulty.
Passenger airbag system intermittently remains off when passenger is seated in front passenger seat. Sometimes it appears to operate normally, but about half the time the passenger airbag indicates off when it should be on. Vehicle motion does not seem to matter, wet conditions does not seem to matter either. Unknown whether this is a passenger detection malfunction or a passenger airbag malfunction.
The passenger airbag light is off at all times. I am presuming it is not functioning. It used to turn on and off in the last few years and I was able to fix it following the manual instructions but now it is permanently off.
Passenger airbag indicator will show off even though a passenger is seated. This happens whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion.
The airbag sensor on the front passenger seat does not detect a person sitting in the seat. The sensor will turn off the airbag, while a passenger is occupying the seat. Most of the time between 30-45 minutes after the car has been in motion.
The airbag sensor under the passenger seat turns of at random times when the seat is occupied by a full-sized adult. It typically occurs on a long drive, which is incredibly dangerous. It has also occurred during city driving. It always occurs when the seat is occupied. The problem closely matches the description of the 2015 recall on the occupant detection system, even though the subaru records show that the required repair in accordance with the recall was made on my vehicle at that time. The dealership claims the current problems may be caused by a water spill, but I have no recollection of this occurring, and a safety system in a car than could not withstand a small spill is incredibly unsafe and poorly designed.
Front passenger ods malfunctions exactly per the description listed in recall #wqt-55 under safety campaign 15v419000 and had made previous attempts to have it addressed for at least 2 years now through subaru. However my vehicle was manufactured just outside of the manufacturing date range of the recall. Took vehicle to dealership to address other outstanding recall items and asked to have issue diagnosed for the ods. Technicians found code b1650, which matches one of the dtcs of the recall. Called subaru corporate again to request the malfunction be addressed and they could not cover the cost of the repair of the ods as the vehicle does not fall under the manufacturing date range. A copy of the subaru recall has been attached with this message for reference.
Questions about the 2012 Subaru Impreza airbags
Does the 2012 Subaru Impreza have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 105 complaints about the airbags of the 2012 Subaru Impreza, 43% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2012 Subaru Impreza airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 41,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Subaru Impreza airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 15V419000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Subaru Impreza have bad airbags?
The Subaru Impreza model years with the most airbags complaints are 2012 (105 complaints), 2013 (79 complaints) and 2014 (39 complaints).
Other 2012 Subaru Impreza problems
Engine 56Electrical 30Transmission 26Brakes 15Seats 15Acceleration 11Steering 10Fuel system 7Wheels 7Body 6Visibility 6Suspension 5Lights 4Seat belts 4Tires 2Driver assistance 1Locks 1
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