Three problems related to side/window air bag have been reported for the 2004 Subaru Outback. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I received a recall notice on passenger side airbag in July 2016. . I was told I would be informed by mail when parts were available for repair by my local Subaru dealer. It's 14 months later and I have not received any further notice. I do not believe this has been handled in a timely manner and still cannot have passengers in front seat.
As a result of a multi-vehicle traffic accident the passenger side airbag deployed causing the female occupant to have a frontal skull fracture from shrapnel like pieces and neuro trauma. These injuries lead her to be unconscious and on life-support for 6 days and ultimately her death.
My 2004 Subaru Outback comes equipped with front side airbags. With only 900 miles on my car, I was "t-boned" by a Ford explorer under full acceleration. We were struck on the drivers side with enough impact to cause my wife, in the passenger seat, to hit her head on the passenger side door post causing a concussion. Subaru claims that the side airbags performed correctly by not deploying. Total damage to date including drive train replacement parts is $9000. It is my understanding that the NHTSA has not tested the side impact bags on the Subaru models. If that is true, how can Subaru claim that the bags responded correctly?.
| Air Bag problems | |
| Side/window Air Bag problems | |
| Air Bag On-off Switch problems | |
| Warning Light On problems | |
| Air Bag Not Deploy problems |