IllustrationThe front passenger airbag sensor is faulty. It is a known issue and can be found in the owners manual to not have any electronics or clothing on the seat. Subaru wants to charge over a grand to replace the entire seat bottom whenever this issue.
2016 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Forester years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Subaru Forester are substantially higher than the model-year median of 131.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
690–25K
7825–50K
4350–75K
1175–100K
9100–150K
7150K+
217 reports with mileage · 196 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 99 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 93 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
39 crash reports3 fire reports14 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
99 reportsIn March 2020, I took my 2016 Subaru Forester to the dealership to fix the issues associated with the Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (unstable electrical connections causing issues with the occupant detection system in determining the correct status of the right front seat occupant, which would prevent the fr…
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In March 2020, I took my 2016 Subaru Forester to the dealership to fix the issues associated with the Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (unstable electrical connections causing issues with the occupant detection system in determining the correct status of the right front seat occupant, which would prevent the front passenger-side airbag from deploying in the event of a crash). Service was performed and the ODS harness was replaced. In August of 2021, I took my Forester back into the Subaru dealership (where previous service was performed) because the “airbag warning” light and the “Passenger airbag off” indicator began to illuminate, however this occurred somewhat inconsistently. Sometimes both warning lights illuminate when someone sits in the front passenger seat, sometimes they do not illuminate at all and everything seems fine. Other times, the lights illuminate when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. Additionally, sometimes the seatbelt alarm sounds when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. However, this is also inconsistent. In August 2021, the Subaru dealership told me that the issue is likely caused by water damage (a spill) on the front passenger seat that has caused the sensors within the seat to malfunction. I told them that I did not recall spilling any liquids on the front passenger seat. Now the dealership is telling me to replace the passenger seat bottom assembly sensor for $1,211 USD.
While returning home from a trip in our 2016 Subaru Forester the driver’s side airbag warning light remained on; additionally, a SRS warning appeared briefly on the screen indicating that the airbag/seatbelt safety system could not be relied upon.This all occurred after restarting the Forester following a brief rest stop. Adheri…
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While returning home from a trip in our 2016 Subaru Forester the driver’s side airbag warning light remained on; additionally, a SRS warning appeared briefly on the screen indicating that the airbag/seatbelt safety system could not be relied upon.This all occurred after restarting the Forester following a brief rest stop. Adhering to the Subaru owner’s manual guidance we went to our Hendricks Southpoint dealership. The dealership scheduled an appointment for one week later. The occurrence of this problem without a timely resolution by Subaru creates a unnecessary safety situation for owners.
ON NOVEMBER 7, 2020 AROUND 630PM, I WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREET GOING NW ON SUNSET IN FAIR OAKS, CA IN A FAR RIGHT LANE. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35 TO 40 MPH WITH ONE OTHER CARS INFRONT OR BESIDES ME. CERTAINLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING, I HEARD A LOUD BOOM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LOUD BOOM, I COULD NOT SEE AND REALIZED MY STEERING WHEEL AI…
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ON NOVEMBER 7, 2020 AROUND 630PM, I WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREET GOING NW ON SUNSET IN FAIR OAKS, CA IN A FAR RIGHT LANE. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35 TO 40 MPH WITH ONE OTHER CARS INFRONT OR BESIDES ME. CERTAINLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING, I HEARD A LOUD BOOM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LOUD BOOM, I COULD NOT SEE AND REALIZED MY STEERING WHEEL AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THEN I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT I SAW A DEER LIMPING. SO I IMMEDIATELY KNEW I JUST HIT A DEER FROM MY FRONT LEFT CORNER BUMPER AFTER I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE STREET. AFTER I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE STREET I NOTICE ALL AIRBAGS IN THE CAR DEPLOYED INCLUDING THE SEATS, DASHBOARD, ROOF AND SIDE AIRBAGS. I TOOK MY CAR TO GET ESTIMATE FOR THE REPAIR. I WAS TOLD THAT BASE ON THE DAMAGE OF THE VEHICLE HIT BY THE DEER, THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE ENTIRE AIRBAGS IN THE CAR SHOULDN'T BE DEPLOYED. SO I COMAINT TO SUBARU. IT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. I BELIEVE HITTING THE DEER SHOULD HAVE NOT MADE THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOYED ESPECIALLY THE ENTIRE AIRBAGS SYSTEM. THE ESTIMATE CAME OUT TO BE OVER $15000 TO FIX. MORE THAN THE VALUE OF THE CAR.
INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT TO RH DOOR AND FENDE. CURTAIN AIR BAG DEPLOYED, SEAT BELT TRIGGERED, NO OTHER AIRBAG SYSTEM ISSUES. AFTER REPAIR INCLUDING CURTAIN AIR BAG REPLACEMENT AND MODULE RESET AS WELL AS ALL SENSORS REPLACED, AIR BAG LIGHT STILL ON. ISSUE TRACED TO RH SEAT BACK AIR BAG. APPARENTLY WHILE IT WAS TRIGGERED BUT IT DI…
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INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT TO RH DOOR AND FENDE. CURTAIN AIR BAG DEPLOYED, SEAT BELT TRIGGERED, NO OTHER AIRBAG SYSTEM ISSUES. AFTER REPAIR INCLUDING CURTAIN AIR BAG REPLACEMENT AND MODULE RESET AS WELL AS ALL SENSORS REPLACED, AIR BAG LIGHT STILL ON. ISSUE TRACED TO RH SEAT BACK AIR BAG. APPARENTLY WHILE IT WAS TRIGGERED BUT IT DID NOT DEPLOY. QUESTION IS THIS AN ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN UP WITH THE MANUFACTURER SINCE THE AIR BAG WAS TRIGGERED BUT DID NOT DEPLOY BUT NEVER THE LESS IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CANNOT TELL IF VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AS IT WAS PURCHASED AT AN AUCTION.
2016 SUBARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED SHORTLY AFTER RECEIVING THE RECALL NOTICE, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH A TREE. THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *JS
THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF A FAULTY "OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM". THE INDICATOR WOULD CHANGE FROM ON TO OFF RANDOMLY. THEN THERE WAS AN OFFICIAL RECALL, BUT NO FIX WAS AVAILABLE AND THEY INSTRUCTED TO WAIT UNTIL THE DEALERS CONTACTED US. A COUPLE OF MONTHS, TIRED OF WAITING TO BE ABLE TO USE THE FRONT SEAT OF THE CAR, …
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THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF A FAULTY "OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM". THE INDICATOR WOULD CHANGE FROM ON TO OFF RANDOMLY. THEN THERE WAS AN OFFICIAL RECALL, BUT NO FIX WAS AVAILABLE AND THEY INSTRUCTED TO WAIT UNTIL THE DEALERS CONTACTED US. A COUPLE OF MONTHS, TIRED OF WAITING TO BE ABLE TO USE THE FRONT SEAT OF THE CAR, I CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA. THEY TOLD ME THE REPLACEMENT WAS AVAILABLE. DEALER HAD TO GET PARTS AND INSTALLED IT. IT SEEMS NOW IT STILL DOES NOT WORK UNDER OUR TYPICAL USE CASE. WE FOUND OUT WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE CAUSE. A DIFFERENT OCCUPANCY DETECTION SENSOR IN THE REPLACEMENT WORKS USING AN "ELECTROSTATIC" METHOD. MY WIFE WAS USING A STANDARD RELATIVELY THIN SEAT CUSHION THAT APPARENTLY PREVENTS THE NEW SENSOR FROM WORKING. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT LIABILITY TO AUTOMOBILE PASSENGERS WHO DRIVE IN CARS EQUIPPED WITH SUCH EQUIPMENT. NOWHERE IN THE MANUAL (OR THE RECALL PAPERWORKS) IS THERE A NOTE TO NOT USE A SEAT CUSHION OF ANY KIND. IT ALSO WOULD NOT BE INTUITIVE TO THINK THIS WOULD BE A HAZARD FROM A PASSENGERS PERSPECTIVE. YOU COULD HAVE AN IMPALE SETTING ON THE CAR THAT JUST ENDS IT FOR YOU (FOR THOSE NO HELMET BIKERS). IT WOULD SIMILARLY BE DEEMED ACCEPTABLE, SO LONG AS THERE IS AN INDICATOR LIGHT THAT SAYS "IMPALER ACTIVE" FOR PEOPLE GET TO IMPALED BY THE VEHICLE WHEN THE AI SYSTEM GATHERS THEIR PREFERENCE IS DNR IN AN ACCIDENT VIA THEIR MUSIC SELECTION. MANY PEOPLE WOULDNT THINK TO LOOK AT THE AIRBAG ON OR OFF LIGHT. ALSO YOU CAN USE A SEAT CUSHION ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WITHOUT ANY ISSUE WHICH FURTHER CONFUSES THINGS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN TERMS OF HAVING ANY IDEA THAT A CUSHION IS ENDANGERING THEM. I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO PROTECT CHILDREN, BUT WHO PUTS THEIR KIDS OR BABY SEATS IN THE FRONT SEAT THESE DAYS? THERE SHOULD BE A WAY TO TURN THE BAG ON OR OFF, OR AT LEAST ON SO THAT YOU CAN OVERRIDE A FAULTY SENSOR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V701000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFAC…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V701000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
WHEN DRIVING WITH NO ONE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND SOMETIMES WHEN THERE IS SOMEONE IN THE SEAT I GET AN SRS AIRBAG FAULT BUT IT NEVER STAYS ON AFTER I SHUT DOWN THE SUV. SOMETIMES WHEN I RESTART THE SUV AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES IT WILL COME BACK ON AND IT STAYS ON UNTIL I SHUT OFF THE SUV. THEN NOTHING FOR WEEKS. I'VE WANTED TO TAK…
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WHEN DRIVING WITH NO ONE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND SOMETIMES WHEN THERE IS SOMEONE IN THE SEAT I GET AN SRS AIRBAG FAULT BUT IT NEVER STAYS ON AFTER I SHUT DOWN THE SUV. SOMETIMES WHEN I RESTART THE SUV AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES IT WILL COME BACK ON AND IT STAYS ON UNTIL I SHUT OFF THE SUV. THEN NOTHING FOR WEEKS. I'VE WANTED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER BUT EVERY TIME I START TO HEAD OVER TO THEN THE FAULT GOES OUT OR NEVER COMES ON? I'M SURE IF I JUST HEAD OVER I'M JUST WASTING MY TIME. THE LAST TWO MONTHS IT'S BEEN MUCH MORE ACTIVE WITH THE FAULT HAPPENING. I'M LISTING THE LAST TIME IT HAS HAPPEN AS 01/10/2020. I KEEP NOTHING ON THE PASSENGERS SEAT AND I AM UNSURE IF THE AIR BAG LIGHT (YELLOW LIGHT ON THE DASH) SHOWS THAT IT IS ON OR OFF WHEN IT COMES ON. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND I WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT (6' 225 LBS) AND THE SRS FAULT COME ON AND THE YELLOW AIRBAG LIGHT SHOWED IT WAS STILL ON. I HAVE A TRIP TO PITTSBURGH PA FROM ALLENTOWN PA AND I'M WORRIED THAT IF I'M IN AN ACCIDENT THEY WON'T GO OFF AND PROTECT US. THIS CAR IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTED AND I HAVE ABOUT 44K ON THE VEHICLE. PURCHASED IT NEW FEB 12 2016 STEVE MOYER SUBARU
2016 SUBARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME COMPLETING THE RECALL REPAIR. *JS
Official recalls
319V701000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
Oct 3, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.
19V149000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Feb 28, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.
16V162000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger
Mar 21, 2016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE19009 · Occupant Detection System (ods) Failure
Opened Aug 6, 2019 · Closed Jan 22, 2020
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full-sized, small stature, a child seat or other object. The complaints reported the ODS failed to operate properly, the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light illuminated, and/or the ODS incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied by a full-sized passenger. In a frontal crash that is sufficient to warrant deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On August 14, 2019 ODI sent an Information Request (IR) to Subaru requesting information on the subject vehicles and MY 2014-2015 Subaru Forester vehicles.On October 3, 2019, Subaru submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness of 366,282 MY 2015-2018 Subaru Forester vehicles equipped with seat heaters.The DIR stated that over time, due to a decrease in contact pressure between the terminals in the ODS sensor mat harness, a temporarily unstable electrical connection may be possible. If the connection is temporarily unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Additional source detail variants (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full-sized, small stature, a child seat or other object. The complaints reported the ODS failed to operate properly, the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light illuminated, and/or the ODS incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied by a full-sized passenger. In a frontal crash that is sufficient to warrant deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On August 14, 2019 ODI sent an Information Request (IR) to Subaru requesting information on the subject vehicles and MY 2014-2015 Subaru Forester vehicles.On October 3, 2019, Subaru submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness of 366,282 MY 2015-2018 Subaru Forester vehicles equipped with seat heaters.The DIR stated that over time, due to a decrease in contact pressure between the terminals in the ODS sensor mat harness, a temporarily unstable electrical connection may be possible. If the connection is temporarily unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Air Bags:frontal
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full-sized, small stature, a child seat or other object. The complaints reported the ODS failed to operate properly, the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light illuminated, and/or the ODS incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied by a full-sized passenger. In a frontal crash that is sufficient to warrant deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On August 14, 2019 ODI sent an Information Request (IR) to Subaru requesting information on the subject vehicles and MY 2014-2015 Subaru Forester vehicles.On October 3, 2019, Subaru submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness of 366,282 MY 2015-2018 Subaru Forester vehicles equipped with seat heaters.The DIR stated that over time, due to a decrease in contact pressure between the terminals in the ODS sensor mat harness, a temporarily unstable electrical connection may be possible. If the connection is temporarily unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full-sized, small stature, a child seat or other object. The complaints reported the ODS failed to operate properly, the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light illuminated, and/or the ODS incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied by a full-sized passenger. In a frontal crash that is sufficient to warrant deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On August 14, 2019 ODI sent an Information Request (IR) to Subaru requesting information on the subject vehicles and MY 2014-2015 Subaru Forester vehicles.On October 3, 2019, Subaru submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness of 366,282 MY 2015-2018 Subaru Forester vehicles equipped with seat heaters.The DIR stated that over time, due to a decrease in contact pressure between the terminals in the ODS sensor mat harness, a temporarily unstable electrical connection may be possible. If the connection is temporarily unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Air Bags
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full-sized, small stature, a child seat or other object. The complaints reported the ODS failed to operate properly, the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light illuminated, and/or the ODS incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied by a full-sized passenger. In a frontal crash that is sufficient to warrant deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On August 14, 2019 ODI sent an Information Request (IR) to Subaru requesting information on the subject vehicles and MY 2014-2015 Subaru Forester vehicles.On October 3, 2019, Subaru submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness of 366,282 MY 2015-2018 Subaru Forester vehicles equipped with seat heaters.The DIR stated that over time, due to a decrease in contact pressure between the terminals in the ODS sensor mat harness, a temporarily unstable electrical connection may be possible. If the connection is temporarily unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.