Eight problems related to side/window air bag have been reported for the 2016 Subaru Forester. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2016 Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the 2016 Forester.
On November 7, 2020 around 630pm, I was driving on city street going NW on sunset in fair oaks, CA in a far right lane. I was driving about 35 to 40 mph with one other cars infront or besides me. Certainly while I was driving, I heard a loud boom. Immediately after the loud boom, I could not see and realized my steering wheel airbag deployed. Then I looked to my right I saw a deer limping. So I immediately knew I just hit a deer from my front left corner bumper after I pulled over to the side street. After I pulled over to the side street I notice all airbags in the car deployed including the seats, dashboard, roof and side airbags. I took my car to get estimate for the repair. I was told that base on the damage of the vehicle hit by the deer, there is no way that the entire airbags in the car shouldn't be deployed. So I comaint to Subaru. It is still under investigation. I believe hitting the deer should have not made the airbags to deployed especially the entire airbags system. The estimate came out to be over $15000 to fix. More than the value of the car.
2016 Subaru Forester. Consumer writes in regards to front passenger side airbag safety recall. The consumer stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time completing the recall repair.
The passenger side airbag does not function. The sensor cannot tell when a passenger is present. This began happening intermittently, shortly after I purchased the vehicle new. In the past month, the airbags have not been on at all.
My vehicle all of a sudden began giving me a passenger side airbag censor error. No accidents occurred it just out of the blue appeared. I had to take my Forester to the Subaru dealership to be serviced where they confirmed that there was a problem with the passenger air bag.
The occupant detection sensor for the front passenger seat does not work properly. It will occasionally set a warning while the vehicle is in motion, saying that the air bag system needs to be checked out, but then you can turn the vehicle off and back on and the warning disappears. The 'cure' is to replace the entire front passenger seat assembly! the following text from another complaint perfectly describes my situation: "Subaru is knowingly building its cars with faulty passenger side air bag sensors which will randomly turn off the air bag while the passenger seat is occupied under normal life driving conditions. It is in the 2016 and 2017 owners manual that if there is a cell phone or electrical device in the front area of the car then the air bag sensors could malfunction. It also states that if your passenger is wearing a jacket or sweater this could cause the sensors to turn the life saving air bag off. ".
I copied this message from another complaint which explains exactly what I am trying to complaint. Subaru is knowingly building its cars with faulty passenger side air bag sensors which will randomly turn off the air bag while the passenger seat is occupied under normal life driving conditions. It is in the 2016 and 2017 owners manual that if there is a cell phone or electrical device in the front area of the car then the air bag sensors could malfunction. It also states that if your passenger is wearing a jacket or sweater this could cause the sensors to turn the life saving air bag off. My 17 teenager had no electronics but a sweater on and it shut off air bag while traveling on highway. How is this legal to knowingly sell a car with faulty safety equipment. . Read more...
Passenger side air bags shuts off while passenger is in the seat while driving. Reported to Subaru and was told seat covers and phone charging cables might be causing the problem . Upon further research others have been having the same problem with older Subaru models and Subaru will not fix so you have a 50/50 chance of your passenger air bag engaging in a accident.
Subaru is knowingly building its cars with faulty passenger side air bag sensors which will randomly turn off the air bag while the passenger seat is occupied under normal life driving conditions. It is in the 2016 and 2017 owners manual that if there is a cell phone or electrical device in the front area of the car then the air bag sensors could malfunction. It also states that if your passenger is wearing a jacket or sweater this could cause the sensors to turn the life saving air bag off. My 17 teenager had no electronics but a sweater on and it shut off air bag while traveling on highway. How is this legal to knowingly sell a car with faulty safety equipment . Attached is the pages from the 2016 Subaru Forester owners manual.