A couple of months ago I noticed the airbag lamp stayed on after starting my car. After I had parked and later restarted the car, the airbag light went off as normal. A month or so later the airbag light again stayed on after starting the car. I also noticed that the passenger airbag indicator (on or off) didn’t seem to be working. It didn’t say “on” or “off”. It only said “Passenger”. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed it and said I needed a new overhead lamp assembly that would cost $400 installed. They said it would take several days (it took over 2 weeks) to get the part. In the meantime, they could not tell me whether the airbag system would function properly in an accident. The part was ordered and I kept driving the car, hoping the airbag light wouldn’t stay on which was very stressful. The repair was finally made today and appears to be functioning properly. After some online research, I found out that this is a known issue with these cars. There is a soldered connection inside the overhead lamp assembly that was either improperly or insufficiently soldered or used defective solder. People have videos posted online of them taking the assembly apart and re-soldering the connection which appears to resolve the issue. I wasn’t comfortable doing that since properly functioning airbags are a critical safety component. I believe that Subaru either knows about this or should know. I would bet they have fixed this issue on newer vehicles. But lots of these vehicles still on the road.
2007 Subaru Outback: airbag warning light
18 of the 131 complaints about the 2007 Subaru Outback describe airbag warning light.
- owner complaints
- 18
- of this car's complaints
- 14%
- typical mileage
- 121,000
- recalls
- 4
Airbag warning light by model year
What owners say
The Airbag light on my dash was lighting intermittently. I called Kendall Subaru here in Fairbanks, AK and was told I shouldn't drive the car as such a light indicated a problem with my airbags and that even a low level bump could set them off or that they might not function at all in a major accident. I scheduled an appointment to have this problem diagnosed. They told me there was a fault in the wiring and that I'd have to have the passenger seat indicator replaced. I have done some online research and found that there are several instances of faulty soldering in the wiring for the indicator. This would seem to me to be a reason for Subaru to issue a safety recall as a pot hole hit could set this thing off or people could get killed because the airbag didn't deploy! Kendall told me that they didn't have the part in stock. It would be in in 7-10 days. That was a month ago. I have noticed that since my vehicle was in for diagnosis, that the light has only come on whe the car is started, like it's supposed to!
As I'm driving my airbag light comes on and all the lights on the dash starts flashing and cruise control gets disconnected one day it will happen next day it won't
2007 subaru outback airbag light is on. Subaru customer service says the airbag system will not function if the airbag light is on. This defect should be covered for no charge. Please issue a safety recall. The airbag light is on under all conditions after starting the vehicle
I bought the 2007 subaru outback ll bean new. This is the second time that the airbag light goes on and off intermittently. The first time I replaced the overhead circuit board. This time I am having trouble finding one. The solder joints in the circuit board are faulty, causing loose connections. This is a dangerous situation that has been reported to the federal safety agency many times by other owners. When the air bag light is on, the air bags will not deploy. Some people have been seriously injured because of this. There should be a recall on this problem. There is currently a second recall on the air bags themselves, but not on the circuit board. How many accidents does there have to be for you to demand a recall on this problem?
We have experience a multitude of electrical issues with the ll bean version of the 2207 outback. Most recently the airbag light staying on consistently, which appears to be a reported issue. This is a safety issue since the air bag will not function with the light on, it is costly to repair over $400 + diagnostic of $115. Several weeks ago, it would com eon intermittently, no it remains on 100% of the time. I commute 100 miles each day 5 days a week on a two-lane, rural highway and worry I need to get rid of the vehicle sooner than later due to a safety issue. This only passing the safety issue to a new owner. This safety issue should be subaru's responsibility to fix as there are many that cannot afford such a fix and is not regular maintenance. This should never be an issue. Not sure if I would buy a subaru again after owning this one. The other issue is with the rear wire harness that controls the rear defroster, etc. $800 to replace this after we had diagnostics completed during our last tune up. Seems as though there are many faulty electronic assembly issues that were not of the highest quality - maybe a taping or soldering issue. Hopefully it doesn't spark and start a fire....
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 subaru outback. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. Through online research, the contact found that the map light needed to be replaced in order for the air bag indicator to turn off. Liberty auto city subaru (1000 e park ave, libertyville, il 60048, (847) 362-3800) confirmed that the map light needed to be replaced in order for the air bag indicator to turn off. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 97,000.
Bought this car used from a dealer as is .I was told of a recall for air bag wich is showing zero for recalls. The air bag light in the car is red though .
Airbag light on. Diagnosed as code 26. Dealer recommended replacing overhead console due to faulty LED light for passenger airbag indicator. Estimated $300 part. Ended up finding a cracked solder joint and resoldering. Premature failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 subaru outback. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but the failure was unable to be determined due to the air bag warning light no longer being illuminated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 121,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 subaru outback. The contact stated that the air bag light remained illuminated, which disabled the air bags. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Driver side airbag warning light remains lit after starting vehicle. This is a common issue for 2007 outbacks due to faulty soldering of the overhead chip.
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 2007 Subaru Outback airbag light
Is airbag warning light a common problem on the 2007 Subaru Outback?
18 of 131 owner complaints about the 2007 Subaru Outback (14%) mention airbag warning light. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2007 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 2007 Subaru Outback
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