Front Air Bag Sensor Control problems of the 2014 Subaru Forester

Occupant detection system (ods) malfunctioning. Passenger airbag is off when an adult is seated in the front passenger seat. Sometimes the passenger airbag is on while there is no one (and nothing) on the seat, causing the seat belt warning chime to occur until seat belt is buckled. Supplemental restraint system (srs) light appears on dashboard and shuts down airbag system while driving. These things occur somewhat randomly when starting the car, continue while driving in the city and highway, and don't go away until the car is turned off. Sometimes restarting the car will correct the problem. I brought my Forester to the dealership today (1/26/2021) and they reported that the sensors of the ods system were not working properly and will need to be replaces. Cost estimate is about $1,100 and I have to wait until the part gets shipped in. They said the likely cause is moisture or the seat got wet. I live in a dry climate area and have not gotten the seats wet at all recently (and barely ever in the past). Through research, I have found a very similar problem has occurred in the 2015-2018 models and there is a recall (wum-98) for those years. My Forester is a 2014 and is of the same generation but isn't included in the recall for some reason. Is it possible that the 2014 model should also be included if the same problem is happening? appreciate any help and insight you can offer!.

My 2014 Subaru Forester has recently started having warnings about srs. Passenger seat sensor occasionally does not recognize a passenger is seated and therefore the airbag is �off� even if seat is occupied. Both front seats are heated and it looks like this is the same issue that lead to a recall for 2015 Subaru Foresters. Please extend the recall to include 2014 models. Very unsafe and costly ($900-$1,200 according to other complaints) to repair this sensor in order to have the passenger airbag operational. Passenger seatbelt warning also occasionally comes on even if there is no one sitting in seat.

While my son was driving normally with a passenger in the right front passenger seat 2 days ago, the red airbag sensor light came on and passenger airbag sign went to "off". I took it to the Subaru dealer in olympia, wa and they claimed this was caused by water damage (we had never spilled water in that seat) and they wanted $2100 to fix the problem by replacing the entire right passenger seat assembly. We are going to have it fixed elsewhere, but then while driving on the way home from the Subaru dealership yesterday, the airbag sensor light went off and the right passenger airbag started working again. Right now it is working again. While it was not working, it didn't matter whether the car was in motion or stopped. This is a very unsafe condition if a passenger is riding in the front seat. We can't depend on the airbag being there if needed in an accident.

Passenger occupancy sensor faulty. With an adult passenger present in the seat, the passenger airbag system will frequently turn off while the vehicle is in motion. This can sometimes be resolved by pulling over and restarting the vehicle. Restarting the vehicle does nor reliably resolve the error.

Our Forester has a problem with its airbag system. It would alert us on the dashboard that 'srs airbag system needs to be checked' and a red warning symbol of the airbag being inflated. In addition, it would show my passenger airbag is off even when someone was sitting in the passenger seat. This happened one time when we were on our driveway just starting to leave; other times while we were driving down local streets; maybe one time on a highway too. It seems to be more frequent in recent months. Now no one sits on the passenger seat upfront while we try to find a solution to the airbag problem that our Subaru dealership seems to be clueless. We believe this is a manufacturer issue, just based on the fact that Subaru dealership mechanic could not identify what the problem is or its cause. So far I have been told the passenger seat sensor is somehow defective and that it is not covered under any warranty. This is a major safety issue that Subaru should have it rectified real fast before any life is lost.

Air bag sensor for the passenger seat does not alway recognize when there is a passenger in the seat, or gives a warning that it does recognize, but is not active. This has been ongoing for two years. I think Subaru should warranty their airbag systems much longer than 3 years, 36k miles.

Occupant detection system (ods) malfunctioning. Passenger airbag is off when an adult is seated in the front passenger seat. Sometimes the passenger airbag is on while there is no one (and nothing) on the seat, causing the seat belt warning chime to occur until seat belt is buckled. Supplemental restraint system (srs) light appears on dashboard and shuts down airbag system while driving. These things occur somewhat randomly when starting the car, continue while driving in the city and highway, and don't go away until the car is turned off. Sometimes restarting the car will correct the problem. I brought my Forester to the dealership back in 2017 and they reported that the sensors of the ods system were not working properly and will need to be replaces. Cost estimate is about $1,100. They said the likely cause is moisture or the seat got wet. I live in a dry climate area and have not gotten the seats wet at all recently (and barely ever in the past). Through research, I have found a very similar problem has occurred in the 2015-2018 models and there is a recall (wum-98) for those years. My Forester is a 2014 and is of the same generation but isn't included in the recall for some reason. Is it possible that the 2014 model should also be included if the same problem is happening? appreciate any help and insight you can offer!.

This Subaru occupant detection system in my 2014 Forester is defective. It does not detect my wife and the passenger air bag does not turn on. We have been told by Subaru that they have recently changed to an "electrostatic capacitance sensor" to replace the previous "weight sensor". My wife needs to sit on a seat cushion as the seats are too hard for her medical condition. Subaru told us the seat cushion will not allow the ods to verify a person is sitting in the seat and will not turn on the passenger airbag. I also discovered that wet clothing (wet raincoat) will also defeat the sensor and the airbag will not be turned on. This is totally unacceptable and dangerous to all passengers. The only suggestion from Subaru was for my wife to sit in the back seat. Subaru customer service advised me that your department is mandating that all vehicles use this electrostatic capacitance sensor. I strongly urge your department to reconsider mandating this sensor as the old "weight sensor " in my 2011 outback works just fine with a cushion.