Seats Problems of Subaru Outback - part 2

I took the car into dealership service to report an electrical drain on the battery, requiring the car to be jumped started if left several days parked. Service department tested electrical system and replaced the battery. Car was parked in their lot for several hours and on return the car was was found to be heavily damaged by smoke and fire from passenger seat. The car was totaled by my insurance company.

See all problems of the 2013 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Front passenger seats loosened at the floor level (perhaps from their anchorage to the floor or at their tracks). Specifically, rear part of seats can move up and down and forward on an arc with driver and passenger in respective seats. Event happens when decelerating and when vehicle is diving forward as a result of a bump. This unintended seat movement causes the driver to move closer to the steering wheel and windshield with the seat. The front passenger also gets pushed forward toward the windshield and dash. This issue happen(s/ed) at city and highway speeds. Issues were made aware to service technicians at 3748mi on 08 oct. 16 and 4573mi on 22 oct. 16. Driver's seat is loosening again with vehicle at 9090mi on 03 Mar. 17.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The seat sensor for the passenger side is not working causing the airbag to be deactivated. The seatbelt indicator signal beeps regardless of whether someone is sitting in the seat with the seatbelt on or no one is sitting in the seat. It is failing to sense any weight. I bought this car brand new on 9/9/13 and this should not be faulty.

See all problems of the 2014 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The passenger occupant detection system (ods) malfunctioned or shorted out for no apparent reason. As a result, the passenger airbag will not enable even when occupied by an adult passenger. The passenger airbag is constantly in “off” mode. In addition the ods apparently controls the seatbelt warning feature. Regardless of whether or not an adult passenger is occupying the seat the ods is constantly detecting a passenger and the passenger seatbelt warning light and chime continuously are on. When the passenger seatbelt is buckled the warning light and chime remain continuously on. The vehicle has 40,000 miles and this system is not covered under the manufacture’s extended warranty or the extended service contract sold by Subaru through cna. The dealership is recommending a new ods be installed and calibrated at a cost of $1,200 plus applicable tax and fees.

I have a new 2015 Subaru Outback limited. Within a month of purchase, it started giving me lower back pain. Several owners of new 2015 Outback including professional reviewers are also reporting back pain and injuries because of over extending lumbar support - some examples attached below. When contacted Subaru, I was advised that nothing can be done to reduce the lumbar support. Dealer also advised me that nothing can be done from their side. It would be greatly appreciated if this can be investigated. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Outback 🔎.

With no passenger seated, the seat belt chime started ringing. To try to stop it, I latched the passenger seat belt. Chiming continued. I notice the air bag warning light was lit. I drove the car straight to my Subaru dealer and was told the passenger side air bag sensor had failed. I was also told the only way to fix it was to replace the seat at well over $1000. I was still left with the problem of the seat belt chime. The dealership wouldn't disable the chime so I searched the internet for a solution. What I found is that this is a very common problem with 2011 Outbacks. I did also find out how to disable the seat belt chime. Because this is such a costly repair and a common problem, I have to believe there are many Subaru owners driving around with unprotected passengers having disabling their seat belt chimes and having no air bag protection. In fairness to Subaru, I contacted customer service and they offered to split the cost of the repair. It will still cost me $798 for what should be a simple repair but because of poor engineering, a replacement seat. I would appreciate you looking into this matter.

See all problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I used the optional seat warmers and turned the engine off at the end of a trip. When I started the engine again later that day, the seat warmers were on. When I felt the heat, I was confused, and thought there might be a fire, until I noticed the seat warmer light was on. I think when the car is stopped and turned off, the seat warmer function should be cancelled.

Air bag is not being turned on when a passenger is in the seat. They meet the 80+ weight requirment.

The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, he heard an abnormally loud popping noise from the seat. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis of the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 52,000.

The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 45 mph, the passenger side air bag warning indicator illuminated. The failure occurred intermittently at various speeds. The dealer stated that the seat pressure sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

See all problems of the 2010 Subaru Outback 🔎.

********** notification of case change (all times are gmt-0500) project: NHTSA hotline center case: 2010 Subaru Outback crash case number: 401427 escalation: none status: open date: 11/15/2011 time: 22:14:06 creation date: 11/10/2011 creation time: 07:50:07 description: entered on 11/15/2011 at 22:14:06 est (gmt-0500) by texan_at_heart@hotmail. Com: thank you but I am not sure what this email is telling me. Please explain and let me know if I need to do or send something. [duplicate message snipped] entered on 11/15/2011 at 17:43:19 est (gmt-0500) by tbent: thank you for contacting the u. S. Department of transportation¿s vehicle safety hotline information center. For crash tests information that is not available on the NHTSA web site or in the hotline database, please send an e-mail to crash. Test@dot. Gov with the year, make, and model of the vehicle. We hope that you find this information helpful. However, if you need additional information on our services please feel free to contact us at 1-888-327-4236. Thank you, NHTSA. Dot. Gov response team entered on 11/10/2011 at 07:50:06 est (gmt-0500) by NHTSA. Webmaster@dot. Gov: sender name: danny day sender email: texan_at_heart@hotmailcom subject: 2010 Subaru Outback crash comments: a month ago I was driving a 2010 Subaru Outback and was rear-ended while I was stopped at a red light after being hit I was pushing into another stopped vehicle I was injured question ~~ the seat I was in bent backwards in the middle I can send a picture is something like this usual? how can I find out if it is the result of such an impact or if it is a design flaw in the seat? I hope to hear from you thank you danny day burleson TX conttact information: NHTSA 334375.

The passenger side airbag fails to activate or cycles on and off while the adult passenger remains seated in the proper position. Dealer claims no defects detected yet is unable to resolve the problem. Manufacturer representative is also unable to provide any assistance in the resolution of the problem even to the point of not acknowledging that a problem exists. I feel this is a serious safety issue as you cannot rely on whether or not the airbag will be properly activated or even deploy in the event of an accident.

While at a stop lite or standing the car send a vibration throw the door panels brake pedal, back of driver seat had it back to dealer and they ran check on it and came up with normal I think they are wrong it scares me that it could start on fire.

Almost every time I sit in the passenger seat the airbag sensor does not come on at first. I am a 5'2", 120lb woman. I have to wiggle and set on one cheek just right in the middle of the seat, sometimes lift myself up and then sit back down again to get the passenger airbag sensor to show on. When this happens there is nothing under the passenger seat as the dealership has blamed it on that. The service department has re-calibrated the sensor but I still have the same problem. Heavier people do not have this problem.

I was quite hurt (to the degree of having to go on ssd) in a rear end collision in a 1998 Subaru legacy wagon. In trying to recover the original head rest of this car I learned it is no longer available and can only be replaced with a much safer model. In doing a recent crash analysis with this new head rest I realized the significant differences and how much safer the new head rest is. I learned on your car safety web site of the national caution on the whole seat of this model seats and head rest. I have had numerous orthopedic (left arm, all/whole back, right leg, both knees, posture) and brain injury problems from my car accident. I recently learned (3/06), that Subaru started unofficially replacing the seat and head rest of this model legacy 1998 thru 1999 whenever possible. Meaning whenever these models requested new parts, there is an unofficial recall in that it is impossible to get the original part only the safer new parts. I keep thinking about how easy a recall for approximately a 2 and a half years model car is (I have experienced a gm recall of a part that went very smoothly). There is a great cost to society and myself of there not being an official recall. Please respond to this email with a letter or I will send another letter by signed receipt email. Sincerely, marcie ellis.

See all problems of the 1999 Subaru Outback 🔎.