The car's air bag light came on. It was recalled for an air bag issue one or two years ago so I took the car to the subaru dealership to fix the issue. But now this light came on about a month ago. It turns off at times, but it comes back on eventually.
2006 Subaru Outback: airbag warning light
8 of the 277 complaints about the 2006 Subaru Outback describe airbag warning light.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 125,010
- recalls
- 4
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls and 21 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Airbag warning light by model year
What owners say
Air bag light stayed on after engine start. Research indicated that the solder joints on the circuit board located in the overhead console fail over time (the same board that contains the indicator lights for the passenger air bag status). Apparently the air bag system is disabled when the air bag light stays on - meaning that none of the air bags may work if the circuit board becomes defective. Replacement board, if found, is over $300. I repaired mine by re-soldering the various bad contact points on the board.
Airbag light is on due to passenger on/off overhead light not functioning properly. It cannot register whether or not there is a passenger in the car, and therefor the airbag light is on. I know that the airbags will not deploy in the event of an accident with the light on.
Traveling from my home to denver, co I noticed the 'air bag warning light' come on. This has occurred on several occasions. I called the auto nation subaru dealer to try and get an appointment. The service rep said they were full for the day. He asked me what the issue was and I told him about the 'air bag warning light' coming on. Moreover, he said that the air bag would not function with the warning icon on. He then asked me if I may have placed my cell phone in the passenger seat? I told him that I had indeed placed my cell phone in the passenger seat. The service rep added further that my cell phone may be interfering with the electronics of the air bag warning system. This sounded very odd to me. This phenomena is very disconcerting as it could readily result in serious injury if the air bag should fail to deploy in a head on collision. I also spoke to a service tech at another subaru outlet who told me that he had heard of this odd cell phone/air bag situation. As this air bag phenomena that is occurring in my vehicle is not an isolated situation, I feel that this issue should be addressed and repaired immediately.
Airbag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated after bit test completed on engine start. Owners manual states an illuminated airbag warning light could mean the airbag system will not deploy or perform as designed in the event of an accident. I believe this is result of a subaru design flaw that subaru needs to address and correct via recall.
The air bag light comes on and goes off randomly and sometimes you will be driving along at about 35 MPH and the car will jolt once and the air bag light, check engine light will come on as well as the cruise control light will start blinking and will not be operable. Then all of the lights will go out until you turn the car off and then back on.
Within week of purchase of used vehicle, subaru outback 2006, had intermittent red airbag trouble light indicator on and inconsistent passenger airbag on/off light. Vehicle came with 6 month warranty from independent company. Told by small independent shop (temple auto mart, temple, pa) of purchase vehicle has code 26 indicating passenger airbag module with passenger airbag indicator on/off light mounted on inside roof above the rear view mirror is bad and that they are not able to help with this problem. Called warranty company and told this item is not covered. Went to local subaru dealer (steve moyer subaru, leesport, pa) who confirmed code 26 problem and the passenger airbag module needs to be replaced and charged $97.52 for evaluation. Dealer ordered part and estimates $299.97 for part, labor, and state sales tax. Told by dealer when red airbag trouble light indicator is on the all airbags will not activate when needed. Believe this safety item cost should be subaru's responsibility. I am requesting a manufacture recall to cover all costs and include assurance this is problem does not occur again on this vehicle.
My 2006 subaru legacy outback has a passenger side airbag that will not stay "on" when a person under 125 pounds is in the passenger seat. I weigh 115 pounds. The airbag light is in the "off" position about 65% of the time I am sitting in the passenger seat. It happens every time I am in the car and has since I bought it in 2005. Subaru has tested the sensor calibration many times. I have gone for a drive to demonstrate the problem to head mechanic at my dealership and he was very appalled! Nothing has ever been done to try to correct the problem as subaru says this would require re-engineering the entire passenger airbag system. Subaru has told us that it is functioning as designed and is calibrated correctly. This has been an ongoing issue since the car was purchased new by me in 2005. I have reached the end of the road with subaru and they are aware of this issue but can offer no solution to fix it. My research has shown many other the federal safety agency complaints open on this same issue relating to all makes and models of subaru cars and their passenger side airbags. Please do something to protect the public and require subaru to find a solution to this problem.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This announcement provides information on Takata Recall Escalated Towing Program.
- 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).
- Recall Bulletin Revised
- Based on ballistic testing results, it has been determined that affected vehicles with registration...
- We announced late last month that the WQR-53 takata front passenger air bag inflator recall has been...
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 model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V‑399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V‑763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed the federal safety agency of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.
Recall number 15V323000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2006 Subaru Outback airbag light
Is airbag warning light a common problem on the 2006 Subaru Outback?
8 of 277 owner complaints about the 2006 Subaru Outback (3%) mention airbag warning light. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2006 Subaru Outback?
There are 4 recalls and 21 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2006 Subaru Outback
Check engine light 102Adaptive cruise 69Loss of power 24Stalling 10Won't start 9Brake failure 8Won't shift 8Ball joint 5
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