Front Air Bag Sensor Control problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback

The sensor turns off intermittently when my wife sits in the front passenger seat (5 ft, 4 inches, 110 lbs). It will also turn off when she shifts her sitting position. The sensor will remain off, regardless of how she is sitting, for long periods of time (80+ miles) or until I restart the car. I spoke with two Subaru dealers and they said that they have seen this issue with lighter passengers and don't thing a recalibration will help due to the sensor's sensitivity.

I have told the Subaru dealer(s) that the front passenger airbag sensor light says "off" unless the passenger weighs over 150 lbs or so. The dealer(s) deny knowing anything about it. However, it is on a Subaru blog and there are many complaints about it. The dealer is unable to tell me if the airbag is working or not. My brake pedal makes a clicking noise when I release the break pedal. The Subaru dealer told me he knew this happened to all of the 2010 models but didnt realize it was happening to the 2011 models and he said there is nothing he can do about it until Subaru comes out with a recall. So far I haven't heard back from Subaru, it's been 5 months.

The passenger airbag does not turn on when adult female ~120lbs is in the passenger seat. Minimum weight to consistently activate airbag seems to be about 140lbs. The car was taken to the dealership and they re-calibrated the passenger seat weight sensor but this did not resolve the issue. The dealership said they were aware of other customers complaining of this issue but they did not have a solution (and did not think the re-calibration would help). They also stated they have been unable to solve this problem for other customers.

A longer version of the following letter was sent to Subaru on 1/3/2012: the purpose of this letter is to file an official complaint regarding the operation of the passenger airbag for our 2011 Subaru Outback and to request your help in resolving this problem. We purchased our Outback in September 2010 from steven's creek Subaru in san jose, California. The airbag sensor has worked intermittently since we first took ownership of the vehicle. Specifically, it turns on and off frequently when my wife (approximately 120 pounds) is seated in the passenger seat. Over the past year, we have made numerous complaints to the service technicians with no resolution. We have serious concerns for my wife's safety and it is un-excusable that Subaru does not have a resolution to this life-safety issue. I am extremely disappointed that Subaru did not disclose this issue before we purchased the vehicle. I have provided Subaru with a series of email correspondence between the dealership and myself regarding the issue from late 2010 and early 2011. In one of the emails I provided links to youtube videos documenting the issue. We waited until this time to file our formal complaint as we were hopeful that steven's creek Subaru could help us to resolve this problem. Unfortunately they have not been able to resolve our concerns and have directed us to contact Subaru headquarters directly.

Passenger airbag is often turned off, even though a person is sitting in the passenger seat. This is repeatable. Often, when my passenger (120 lbs, 5'7" tall) sits in the passenger seat, the airbag remains in the off position (as if no one is sitting in that seat). I've noticed that when the passenger sits, and puts their feet directly on the floor, the passenger's knees and upper thigh right above the knee do not make contact with the seat. When sitting in this position, the airbag will remain in the off position. When the passenger sits, with legs fully extended, so that the knee and upper thigh make better contact with the seat, the airbag is enabled. With the right combination of passenger length, and position of the passenger's legs while sitting, it is possible for the airbag to remain in the off position, even though there is a full-sized adult sitting in that seat. I believe the airbag (weight on seat) sensor, may be located too far forward on these seats.