Air Bag Not Deploy problems of the 2012 Subaru Impreza

We were broadsided (t-boned) in an intersection with traffic lights. We were eastbound going 25mph & had just left home. Two blocks from my home as I proceeded through the green light and bam she hit my driver side. Recessing my front tire 3 or more inches in towards my engine. She was traveling southbound on the intersecting road. She must have been traveling 25 mph or more because damage continued all the way down the driver side (both doors) finishing on my rear tire where it bent it inwards as if it was a steering tire making a turn. The rear tire has a large gash in the side wall. The following where my wife's injuries as she was driving: acute cervical myofascial strain, cervical strain, closed head injury, dysarthria, elbow contusion, headache, muscle tension headache, post concussion syndrome, and shoulder contusion. She received all these injuries because the side impact airbags did not deploy which has to be a major manufacturing flaw of some type. Please explain to me why this happened. The insurance adjuster has totaled my wife's car. It is a 2012 Subaru Impreza premium. I have included some documents/photos.

I was driving down the interstate highway with my mother in the passenger seat when I suddenly noticed that the airbag light on the dashboard had come on. I then looked at the passenger airbag sensor light and noticed that it was in the "off" position. It concerned me that my passenger was not being detected by the airbag sensor, especially considering that I was driving at a speed of 65 mph. We continued to our destination and then shut off the car and restarted it to see if the airbag sensor would detect my passenger, which it did not. After this incident, I brought the car to my dealership service center and was told that the sensor in the seat was faulty and, as a result, the entire seat bottom needed to be replaced, at a cost of about $1000. They claimed that the sensor can be rendered ineffective by liquid spills, though I have no recollection of ever spilling anything liquid on the passenger seat of this car. . Read more...

The airbag sensor recall was performed on my vehicle, but the indicator light continue to malfunction. The dealership where the car is currently being serviced says they have 3-4 other 2012 Subaru Imprezas with the same post-recall problem. The only fix they recommend is replacing the entire module under the seat which they quoted as an $800 fix. The problem with the airbag sensor is exactly what is listed on the initial recall where the light turns to "off" when a passenger is sitting in the seat and something is plugged into the power outlet or they move around in the seat. This is a serious safety issue as it could cause the airbag not to deploy if a crash were ever to happen.

The contact owned a 2012 Subaru Impreza. While making a left turn, another vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a head injury and injuries to the left arm that required medical attention. After inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that the air bag wiring was fractured. The vehicle was towed and destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000.

Falsification of recall service work performed for recall wqt-55 that is related to the air bag not deploying based on an issue w/ the occupant detection system. Waldorf Subaru states they performed that they didn't do. Subaru has been extremely slow an unresponsive in addressing this issue. My car was originally taken to waldorf Subaru to have the recall performed, after which I had a service work order indicating it was complete. I receive a phone call 2 days later from the parts manager indicating the "part that was needed for the recall is now in stock. " as a second check, I took my vehicle to another Subaru location (herb gordon Subaru/mile one) to check it out and verify if the recall had been in fact fixed, this proved that it had not been fixed. I obtained a service work order with these details. I contacted Subaru to have them address this, and they have been slow to respond and have been unresponsive to the concerns that have been raised. Their internal complaint number has been opened to address this issue: sr #:1-17536427192.

When a passenger sits on passenger seat the air bag light does not go on indicating air bag engaged. I am fearful that if I did have a crash that the air bag would not deploy and passsenger get seriously injured or die.

Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, another vehicle crashed into the drivers side of the vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained neck and back injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 58,000. Djr.

The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Impreza. While driving on an icy road at approximately 30 mph, the brakes were engaged and failed to stop the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle and the frontal air bags failed to deploy. It was unknown if any injuries were sustained or if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound yard and then to the dealer. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Followed too closely through a double intersection with a non-functioning light. Police officer directed traffic through the intersection but apparently we had to stop before the second intersection. Apparently I slowed down enough that the airbag did not deploy. I indicated 20 but surely my airbag would have deployed at that speed. Was able to drive the car under its own power off the road into a subway parking lot. As I was maneuvering into a parking spot the engine caught on fire. It seems strange to me that if I was going slow enough for the airbag not to deploy but for some components to catch on fire that the car is road worthy. Worth looking into?.

Passenger airbag sensor stated that it was disabled randomly (whether car was in motion or not), even though seat was occupied. Airbag light would illuminate on dashboard. To correct issue, vehicle had to be restarted multiple times, so that airbag would reactivate. This would need to be repeated, as issue recurred multiple times per day. In the case of an accident, airbag most likely would not have deployed due to faulty passenger sensor. Subaru stated airbag module required replacing, after inspection was made.

Driving down mountain after day of skiing. Roads were treacherous and icy. 20 minutes into the drive, driver and passenger airbag lights turned on, indicating that airbags would not deploy in the case of a collision. Several months later I was wearing a damp bathing suit while driving and the same situation occurred, indicating that the airbags would not deploy in the event of a collision. On another occaision, I was driving on a hot day with the windows down. I was sweating quite a bit and the airbag light on my Subaru Impreza turned on yet again. This issue was brought up with the dealership while the car was still under warranty. The dealer's service department simply reset the sensor, not solving the issue or comprehending the severity of this issue. The occupant detection sensor in the seat must have faulted and turned off the airbags when a small amount of snow/water/sweat on my rear caused a fault in the elecrostatic sensor. The occupant detection sensor is an electrostatic sensor that will fault when it senses an arbitrary amount of moisture. An internal memo in August 2012 from Subaru to it's dealers in north America acknowledged, but not solved this problem with the airbags not engaging when the seat is wet. From Subaru's internal memo: "when water or anything with high moisture content is spilled on the front passenger seat cushion, the airbag is designed to remain off until the seat cushion is dry".