Air bag light is on (on dash).
2009 Subaru Legacy: airbag warning light
21 of the 65 complaints about the 2009 Subaru Legacy describe airbag warning light.
- owner complaints
- 21
- of this car's complaints
- 32%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,900
- typical mileage
- 57,000
- recalls
- 9
Is there a fix? There are 9 recalls and 12 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Airbag warning light by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 subaru legacy. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated first week he bought it. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. Steve moyer subaru (201 s centre ave, leesport, pa 19533), was contacted by phone. The contact was informed that the passenger side air bags sensor was replaced as part of a recall previously by an unknown dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. Dealer told the consumer they could fix it but the consumer would need to pay for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 96,800. *bf
Air bag light came on while driving, turned the car off and back on and light turned off, days later same thing now is on and wont turn off, this started since the vehicle got the takata recall done at the dealer. Google the problem and there is thousands of complaints about it and seem to happen to all subaru cars specially legacy, and when people take car to dealer they want to charge 2,000 for the fix. I made the appointment for april 26,2017 to take the car to the dealer and hope wont be ask to pay anything or will have to find the ways to get a lawyer since seems to be a defective part from factory.
I noticed airbag sign comes on even after the recall for airbag was completed on the car within last 10 days. The dealer says it will cost $350 dollars to investigate and repair as an approximate estimate for budgeting over the phone. So I did internet search on similar problems, and found out via youtube videos and car mechanic blogs that it is subaru's electrical solder problem (electrical connection) that triggers the passenger airbag light on and off intermittently and therefore the airbag warning sign turns red. What is the point of doing a recall when they cannot check the entire system ? The federal safety agency has erred by not mandating manufacturers to "test the entire airbag system for normal functioning". The dealer told me that the only thing the recall does it replace the faulty unit, thats it. So basically, the system may malfunction, but that is not covered by safety airbag recall ? Can someone explain me the logic here? A lot of subaru customers are facing this electrical solder safety problem . Some might not even be aware of the warning light. It is my strongest opinion that the federal safety agency take this request very seriously and issue an addendum to airbag recalls to test the entire safety system for optimal functioning . Yes, I intended the caps to be on because I cannot stress enough. Meanwhile, a blanket recall should be issues by subaru to fix the faulty airbag indicator connections that is triggering the warning signs. Check these youtube links to understand the exact issue I am facing: 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxepano_e8 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pviahpepj9a also, I am not able to find any documentation that explains if this warning light means that the system has disabled airbags ? If that is the case, can get subaru's attention and resolution ? Or how many people's lives does it take to get the attention?
The passenger air bag light on the dash board goes on and off periodically on my 2009 subaru legacy. Some days it does not come on at all, and other days if will do it 2 or 3 times, sometimes staying on for the entire time the vehicle is turned on. It doesn't matter if a passenger is in the seat or not - although usually I don't have a passenger in the seat. This started happening at 80k miles, and I now have 100k. Subaru dealership wants to charge $100 to diagnose it, but probably a sensor that needs replaced in their opinion at a cost of $500. Appears to be a problem for other owners of make / model / year of subaru. I think this should be a subaru issue that is looked at by an independent party before something catastrophic happens.
Airbag light goes on and off. No accidents on the vehicle. This started after 70000 miles on the vehicle. Lights keeps on under extreme temperature conditions (below 32 f and above 80f)
I was driving the vehicle at highway speed when indicator lights came on in the display area. Odometer was just over 83,000 miles. The engine began to make noise as though accelerating but there was no change in gear and the vehicle lost speed and engine continued running leading to near accident. Vehicle was towed to dealership. They found trans code p0766 and reprogrammed the transmission. Vehicle was road tested with normal findings at highway speed with up and down shifts and kickdown all normal. Dealer replaced transmission fluid after finding brown transmission fluid. This occurred after no previous transmission problems and transmission fluid replacement approximately 20,000 mi prior. Transmission oil pan was removed and cleaned. The cooling system was flushed. Vehicle was road tested again with normal operation with a note that the airbag light turned on (no further action taken by dealer). Airbag indicator has alternated between on and off following this but mostly remains on.
Starting in fall of 2014 the passenger airbag light would go on & off intermittently; during the following winter the light rarely came on. Once warm weather hit in may of 2015 the light continually stays on. There seems to be no correlation to the passenger seat being occupied or not occupied. In light of the recent airbag recall for earlier subaru models, subaru may want to check into their 2009 models as there appears to be several other similar instances recorded on this site. I'm concerned about the safety issue (not knowing if the bag will deploy properly, if at all) & do not have thousands of dollars for repair costs of something that appears to be happening in other like vehicles.
The air bag indicator lights up on the panel when I start my car engine and the indicator light stays on and never goes off while I drive. I am worried that the air bags will release unnecessarily while I'm driving.
Seems to be a common problem but the red air bag light won't go off in my car. It used to be intermittent but is now staying in longer. Only had a slight accident where a lady couldn't stop in time on black ice and only chipped paint off my rear bumper (no deployed air bags though). The passenger side lights work fine. I think it's absurd that safety features this important aren't covered for the life of the vehicle. Not to mention a subaru dealer wanting $100 just to diagnose it for a code. Wow.
Passenger side air bag light comes on and off intermittently.
I had the dealership install a subaru remote starter for my 2009 subaru legacy. About a year later I started having issues with having the air bag light come on when I started the car and stay on (with remote starter, or the normal way). Sometimes it would re-set if I turned the car off and on again. But recently it just stays on and the indicator lights on the over head display (for the passenger air bag) does not light up at all . Not sure if the remote starter was the instigator (probably not), but subaru had said that the issue is a faulty sensor and that I would have to pay to fix it. I believe this should last the life of the car since it is a safety matter for the air bag system, this should be a recall.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This announcement provides information on Takata Recall Escalated Towing Program.
- Air bags
- Air bags
- Takata Front Passenger Airbag Module / Inflator “Like for Like” Recall
- Air bags
- Takata Like for Like recalls- TKA20 (Zone A), TKB20 (Zone B), TKC20 (Zone C).
- Subject: Takata Recall Expansion ? New Subaru Recall Campaigns TKA-16, TKB-16, TKC-16 covering all...
- The federal safety agency announced in a press conference today, the planned expansion of the airbag...
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.
Recall number 20V001000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.
Recall number 20V002000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.
Recall number 20V003000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-18.
Recall number 18V012000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2010 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-18.
Recall number 18V013000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-18.
Recall number 18V014000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models) and Tribeca vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-17.
Recall number 17V026000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-17.
Recall number 17V014000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑856‑488‑8500. Saab owners may contact GM at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-16.
Recall number 16V358000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2009 Subaru Legacy airbag light
Is airbag warning light a common problem on the 2009 Subaru Legacy?
21 of 65 owner complaints about the 2009 Subaru Legacy (32%) mention airbag warning light. The model year with the most reports is 2009.
How much does it cost to fix airbag warning light on the 2009 Subaru Legacy?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,900 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2009 Subaru Legacy?
There are 9 recalls and 12 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2009 Subaru Legacy?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history