2015 Subaru Forester

WHILE TAKING GROCERIES OUT OF BACK SEAT, I FOUND A 14MM SHINY NUT ON BACK FLOOR, LEFT BACK SIDE OF FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. IT FELL OFF THE BOLT HOLDING THE FRONT PASSENGER SAFETY BELT RETAINER (PART YOU CLICK BUCKLE INTO). AFTER PUTTING IT BACK ON, AND TORQUING THE HECK OUT OF IT, I FOUND THAT THE TWO BOLTS HOLDING FRONT PASSENGER SEAT DOWN, WERE LOOSE AND STANDING ABOUT 0.75" ABOVE BRACKET SURFACE. I ALSO TORQUED THOSE DOWN TO AVOID SEAT BECOMING LOOSE. I THEN CHECKED ALL OTHER BOLTS FOR FRONT SEATS AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. WE WERE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE HAD THE SEAT BELT NUT FALL WHERE IT DID, OR MY WIFE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE SEATBACK EMITTED A LOUD "BANG" SOUND. IT THEN LOST ALL SUPPORT AND STRUCTURE, FORCING ME TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN AN UPRIGHT POSITION. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE I WAS NOT ADJUSTING ANY ELEMENT OF THE SEATBACK -- I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO SET IT ONCE WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR AND HASN'T TOUCHED THE ADJUSTMENTS SINCE THEN. I BROUGHT IT TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP, AND THEY STATED THAT THE SEAT FRAME BROKE INTERNALLY AND THE ENTIRE SEAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS PURE LUCK THAT IT OCCURRED AT A MOMENT WHERE I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DESPITE SUDDENLY FALLING BACKWARDS.

DRIVER WAS REAR ENDED ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN AT A DEAD STOP BY A VEHICLE GOING AROUND 60-70 MPH. THE BOTTOM OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT JERKED FORWARD AND IMPACTED DRIVER LEG CAUSING CONTUSIONS AND THE BACK SUPPORT AND HEAD REST PORTION FLEW BACKWARDS, CAUSING DRIVER GLASSES AND HAT TO COME OFF AND LAND TOWARD THE BACK HATCH OF THE VEHICLE. SPARE TIRE WAS DISLODGED FROM TRUNK AREA AND IMPACTED DRIVER'S HEAD DUE TO THE SEAT BACK BEING IN THE RECLINING POSITION. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT ANY LEVEL AS WELL.

WHEN A PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THE AIRBAG WILL FREQUENTLY FAIL TO TURN ON. AN AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WILL INSTEAD APPEAR ON THE DASH. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INSISTED (BEFORE EVEN LOOKING AT THE CAR) THAT SOMETHING MUST HAVE BEEN SPILLED ON THE SEAT AND THAT THE SEAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED (FOR $895). NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN SPILLED ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, NOR HAS IT GOTTEN WET. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE SEAT SHOWS THAT IT'S IN PRISTINE SHAPE. SOMETIMES THE AIRBAG ALERT WILL APPEAR WHEN THE CAR IS STILL STATIONARY. OTHER TIMES, IT HAS ONLY APPEARED ONCE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION.

IN MAY 2019 THE AIRBAG SENSOR WARNING WENT ON UNEXPECTEDLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE DRIVER AND A FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WERE IN IT AND THE CAR WAS IN MOTION GOING APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MPH ON A TOWN ROAD. ADDING EXTREME DANGER TO THIS SITUATION IS THE FACT THAT THE SENSOR TURNING ON MADE THE PASSENGER 'AIRBAG OFF' WARNING IMMEDIATELY LIGHT UP EVEN THOUGH A PERSON WAS IN THE SEAT WHEN IT HAPPENED, THE AIRBAG HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ON WITH THEM IN THE SEAT, AND THE CAR WAS MOVING. IT WAS CHECKED BY THE DEALER WHO SIMPLY CLEARED A CODE AND SUGGESTED A CELL PHONE COULD, PERHAPS, HAVE INTERFERED AND CAUSED THE SENSOR LIGHT TO GO ON. DEALER ALSO ALTERNATIVELY SUGGESTED THAT IF SOMEONE SPILLED SOMETHING THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED IT. (NOBODY SPILLED ANYTHING AND DEALER VERIFIED IN WRITING THAT NO STAIN WAS FOUND ON THE SEAT TO SUGGEST OTHERWISE.) OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT MONTH THE AIRBAG SENSOR RANDOMLY WENT ON (DANGEROUSLY CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO TURN OFF AGAIN, OFTEN DESPITE SOMEONE BEING IN THE SEAT!) IN THIS SAME MANNER SEVERAL TIMES. SOMETIMES THE CAR IS IN MOTION WHEN IT HAPPENS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS AND HAS CAUSED US TO STOP ALLOWING A HUMAN TO BE IN THE FRONT SEAT BECAUSE WE CANNOT RELY ON THE AIRBAG AT THIS POINT. OTHER TIMES, THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AND WHEN I TURN IT ON THE AIRBAG SENSOR TURNS ON. TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALER 7/11/19 HERE IS WHAT THEY STATED UNDER 'CAUSE' AND 'CORRECTION' ON OUR INVOICE: "...CODE B1760 STORED IN SYSTEM INSPECTED SEAT FOUND NO STAINS ON SEAT INSPECTED WIRING FOUND WIRING TO BE GOOD REC REPLACEMENT OF SEAT BOTTOM" AND "CUSTOMER HAS BEEN ADVISED THAT DUE TO NO ELECTRONICS BEING ON THE SEAT WHEN THE LIGHT AND FAULTS KEEP RETURNING REPLACEMENT OF SEAT BOTTOM (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR) IS THE NEXT STEP..." THEY ESTIMATE $1032.45. THE CAR IS JUST UNDER 90K MILES AND THUS, ACCORDING TO SUBARU, OUT OF WARRANTY FOR THIS PROBLEM.

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT FIRST CAME ON AS SOON AS I STARTED MY CAR ONE MORNING IN MID-OCTOBER 2018, IN WHICH I TOOK MY CAR TO SUBARU OF KENNESAW, GA TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. THEY FIRST ASKED IF I HAD SPILLED ANYTHING ON THE FRONT SEAT (IN WHICH I RESPONDED "NO") AND THEN ADVISED ME THAT THE WHOLE SEAT BOTTOM WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED (ABOUT $989 PARTS AND LABOR) AND THAT THE PART WAS ON BACK-ORDER. I FOLLOWED-UP WITH THEM IN DECEMBER 2018 AND NEVER HEARD BACK. WHEN I RECENTLY WENT THERE FOR AN OIL CHANGE FEBRUARY 18, 2019 THEY BROUGHT THE ISSUE UP TO ME AGAIN, IN WHICH I RESPONDED THAT NOBODY EVER RETURNED MY CALL. THEY CHECKED AGAIN TO SEE IF THEY HAD THE PART BUT STATED IT IS STILL ON A NATIONWIDE BACK-ORDER. WE ARE NOW GOING ON 5+ MONTHS OF MY PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT BEING ON (IT SOMETIMES TURNS OFF INTERMITTENTLY, BUT IN THOSE INSTANCES THE PASSENGER SEATBELT LIGHT WILL COME ON AND DING REPEATEDLY UNTIL THE SEATBELT IS PLUGGED IN - EVEN IF THERE IS NO PASSENGER). I HAVE DONE QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH INTO THIS ISSUE AND IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF OTHER CONSUMERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR ISSUES. SUBARU SEEMS TO HAVE DIFFERENT EXPLANATIONS AND SEEMS VERY UNWILLING TO FIX THEIR FAULTY PASSENGER SEAT SENSORS. IT IS UPSETTING AND DISCOURAGING TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE ALLOWED ME TO DRIVE AROUND THIS LONG WITH A DEFECTIVE AIRBAG/PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR.