Front Air Bag Sensor Control Problems of Subaru Forester - part 2

Front passenger seat airbag sensor began not recognizing passengers sitting in the seat shortly after purchasing my brand new 2018 Subaru Forester. This started occuring while driving, turning off and on. After a while, it completely stopped recognizing any person sitting in the seat even after only just turning the car on. The dealership replaced it since it was in the warranty period but blamed us for it malfunctioning saying that we must have gotten the seat wet, causing the sensor to fail. We told them that we hadn't ever gotten the seat wet. One year and 3 months after we'd gotten our Forester back from the dealership after the airbag sensor repair, a passenger that sat in the seat brought to our attention the fact that the part of the seatbelt that sits to the left of the front passenger seat was loose. We took it to the same dealership again and they told us that the technician had reinstalled the seat belt incorrectly after the airbag sensor repair and that it was missing a part and that's why it was loose and not anchored properly. They were ordering the part and it would arrive within a week. When we returned a week later they informed us that they ordered the wrong part and now we'd have to wait another week for the seat belt to be anchored properly. Still waiting for the correct part to arrive for the seat belt to be anchored properly.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Forester 🔎.

When in motion, the occupancy detector sensor light intermittently illuminates even when there is no passenger in the seat. This is currently happening in my 2016 Forester and also happened in my 2014 Forester.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Forester 🔎.

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.

See all 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 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!.

I understand the NHTSA is investigating possible passenger airbag defects in 2016-2018 Subaru Foresters. The passenger airbag sensor in our 2017 Forester is not working on a consistent basis and has been defective since we bought the car. . My wife needs a seat cushion for her bad back and many times, when my wife sits in the seat, the air bag stays in the "off" status. We also found that the same issue comes up when she does not use the cushion. Also, when she is wearing a winter coat and not using her cushion, the sensor stays in the "airbag off" position. Also, we find that the air bag stays "off" if the car is running before she gets into the seat. If she gets into the seat before the car is turned on, we find that the airbag sensor seems to work (not always, but some of the time). The dealer has looked at this issue several times and cannot fix the sensor. I understand that the sensor is in the lower seat back and not in the flat part of the seat so my wife needs to adjust her sitting posture for 5-10 minutes before the airbag "off" light goes off. My wife does not have any issues when she is driving with her seat cushion - we assume the drivers airbag is always on. Once we are moving and the "off" light is gone, we have no issues while driving until the next time the car is turned off/on. Again - sometimes it works -- sometimes it doesn't. Not safe !!!.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Takata recall hello, I received a safety recall notice from Subaru regarding my 2009 Forester. The recall states that parts are not currently available and to not allow passengers to ride in the front passenger seat until the repair is performed. This vehicle is my family's main mode of transportation and it's not feasible to not use the front passenger seat for an unknown period of time. What is Subaru's responsibility as far as making sure that I have a vehicle that is safe for myself and my passengers? I am uncomfortable driving my vehicle at all until the repair is performed as if the passenger occupant sensor were to malfunction during an accident, I (or my passengers) could be seriously hurt or killed by the airbag. Thank you, katharine dawson.

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I would like to make all prospective Subaru forrester owners aware that the front passenger airbag does work if you sit on an additional cushion. These sensors do not work on weight but on some sort of electrostatic sensor that is blocked by any cushion or pillow. This if a dangerous problem for back patients and also for short prople who sit on cushions to elevate themselves. Needless to say that, although this is a documented problem the dealer who sold me the car did not notify of this situation although I mentioned that I always sit on a pad because of a fused back. With all the saftey notices posted in cars today, this is one problem that needs to be made obvious. Needless to say I have a $35,000 useless vehicle being used as a spare car. I cannot take this car on the road.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Forester 🔎.

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.

The contact owns a 2008 Subaru Forester. While the contact was seated in the front passenger seat the air bag deactivation light on the dashboard illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician checked the sensors and stated that it was set to the appropriate weight according to manufacturers specifications. The dealer informed the contact that there was nothing they could do and suggested that the contact sit in the back seat. The contact stated that she had to place weights on the seat in order for the air bag to be activated whenever she rides in the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that they could not offer any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.

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The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Forester. When the contact's wife, who is of normal height and weight, sits in the front passenger seat, the air bag light dims. The contact stated that the light should be illuminated at all times and his wife must jump around in the seat for the light to turn back on. The failure occurs every time he and his wife are in the vehicle. Speed is not a factor. The contact stated that the air bag in the front passenger seat has only deployed once while he was in the front passenger seat. The current mileage was 3,500 and failure mileage was 1,000. Updated 01/07/08. Updated 12/12/07.

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Since purchasing my vehicle brand new on 7/4/05, the front passenger occupant detection system fails to activate the front airbag for passengers who are both larger and heavier than the purported cutoff of 80-pound children. The passenger is 5'3", 105lbs, yet the airbag light goes to the "off" position intermittently despite the passenger sitting straight. The airbag also sometimes fails to arm upon start up of the car, and will remain "off" for more than 15 minutes while the car is moving. The car was also involved in a safety campaign, in which my passenger seat wiring was already checked by the dealer and found to be routed properly, which may have affected the airbag if routed improperly. Thus, the wiring is a non-issue. The fault is in the passenger sensing equipment. Attempts to bring the car to the dealer to be checked with diagnostic equipment, ended in being told that the system is "working as designed". I contacted Subaru corporate and local dealer on 10/18/07, who told me that nothing can be done to fix/change the situation, as the system cannot be adjusted, nor do they perceive a problem with the system. I already explained to Subaru that a number of other known owners of 06-08 Forester models have the same problem, and that 130lb passengers still have the same problem. I have concluded that while the intent of Subaru's design was good, the design is flawed, as the sensor pad is not sensitive enough for many passengers, and the intermittent-nature of the sensor is quite dangerous should a frontal-impact occur. This problem has existed on my car for over a year in which I started taking notice, and there is no known fix, nor have I been told that Subaru is admitting to a problem or seeking a solution. This is a big liability and safety concern of mine, and hope to find some resolution.

See all problems of the 2006 Subaru Forester 🔎.

When the passenger seat is reclined the car seat pinches the cable that connects the voltage that operates the air bags. When the cable is pinched it deactivates the air bags, preventing them from deploying. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, who was asking $600. 00 for repairs of a manufacturer's defect.

See all problems of the 2003 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Airbag light will come on when starting the car and will stay on during the time the ignition is on. It will do this for days and then it will work correctly for a few days before repeating the above behavior.

See all problems of the 2002 Subaru Forester 🔎.

I was making a left turn and was hit head on damaging the right front of my vehicle. The damage totaled over 8000. 00 . Damage included the front hood, right front fender, front bumper cover and reinforcement , radiator support and the radiator. Also, the ac condensor, the whole front was bent to the left resulting in damage to the chassis. The engine was tilted, the windshield cracked, and the sub rail , where the airbag sensor is, cracked in two. There was additional damagealso. With all this damage, the airbags, failed to deploy, shocking the police , the insurance company and the repair shop. I contacted Subaru to inform them that there may be a problem with the air bag system and was told not to touch the car. They said they would send engineers to inspect the car within 72 hours. A week later,I contacted them again and they requested copies of the police report and insurance information. I complied and for the next three weeks , I waited for an answer. Finally, an employee of Subaru contacted me and told me to bring the car to a dealer to check if the air bags are working. I told them obviously, they didn't work when I needed them too, especially since the impact was right over the sensor. He then said why was I worrying , that the damage was paid. I explained that I no longer felt safe in the vehicle and that maybe other people might experience the same problem with serious circumstances. To date, I am driving a rental car and incurring expenses for the rental and also storage fees of my damaged vehicle. On a tv program, featuring brian o'neill, from the insurance institute for highwaytest safety, air bags should deploy at an impact of 12-25 mph, resulting in damage cost of $585. My question to Subaru was, why didn't the airbags deploy in a impact the resulted in $8000 in damage?.

See all problems of the 2001 Subaru Forester 🔎.