2015 Subaru Forester

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, he heard an abnormal grinding sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the driver’s side wheel bearing had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the passenger’s side wheel bearing needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear passenger’s side and rear driver’s side wheel bearings needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the rear wheel bearings were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The independent mechanic replaced the wheel bearings for a second time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The SRS warning light came on, indicating that the car be taken to the dealer for inspection. The light was not on by the time the car arrived at the dealer, but they were able to find code DTC B1760, indicting that the Occupant Detection Sensor Mat on the passenger side was not working properly. This is the system used to determine whether the air bag should deploy in an accident and at what force it should deploy. After following a diagnostic tree, they suggested replacing the passenger seat bottom. I called Subaru of America on 12/13/2021 to discuss the issue before telling the dealer to proceed and after being on hold for 23 minutes I left a number for callback. I then sent an email using their online contact form. As of 12/15/2021, I have not received any response from Subaru. This was obviously a safety issue that had to be fixed immediately, regardless of cost, so I told the dealer to complete the repair while I waited to hear back from Subaru. No passenger was in the seat when the warning light came on. After doing some research , it appears that I am not the only Subaru owner with this exact issue and I even found recalls for other Subarus made the same year as my vehicle.

Subaru dealership in Rockvile, MD diagnosed a defective airbags' occupant detection system (ODS) mat harness on my 2015 Subaru Forester. Recommend replacing part for $1200. Subaru America issued a recall WUM-98 (NHTSA 19V-701) on Oct 3, 2019 to adress this very issue on 2015-2018 vehicles. Dealer states my vehicle not covered by this recall... This is a very serious safety issue and I question whether Subaru has recalled a sufficient number of vehicles beyound the stated 336,282 .

The passenger airbag light has been on and has been disabled whether there is someone in the passenger seat or not. This is due to the sensor in the passenger seat malfunctioning. Because of this malfunction, there is no access to the passenger airbag which poses a risk to the passenger in the vehicle in the event of an accident. The problem has been confirmed by Charlie's Subaru in Augusta, Maine. The airbag light came on in September 2021. It went on and off for a few weeks and has been on since.

Tire developed a bubble in the sidewall about 1.5" in diameter and 3/4" high. Tire removed from service and replaced as a safety issue. I have the tire in my storage. Car is a Subaru Forester used light duty and on paved roads. Approximately 75% to 80% of tread remaining. TPMS operational, so tire was not run low on air. When tire pressure removed (to replace tire), bubble disappeared. Vehicle has 70,000 miles. Vendor declined to reimburse.

PREMATURE WHEEL BEARING FAILURE, SUBARU ALREADY HAS A SERVICE BULETIN (#05-70-19 ANNOUNCED ON SEPT 30, 2019) RECOMENDING INSTALLING REVISED BRAKE BACKING PLATES DUE TO FACTORY INSTALLED NON-FLAT BACKING PLATES WHICH DISTORT THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS/HUBS CAUSING PREMATURE WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED OCCURANCE NOTED ON NATIONAL SUBARU WEB PORTALS FOR MULTIPLE MODELS WITH POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC OUTCOMES.