IllustrationTAKATA RECALL- WHEN DRIVING THE PASSENGER SEATBELT LIGHT SWITCHES OFF EVEN WHEN THE SEAT IS OCCUPIED. I CANNOT LET ANYONE OCCUPY THE SEAT BECAUSE I FEEL IT IS NOT SAFE.
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 reportsODS / AIR BAG LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF. DOESN'T MATTER IF SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT OR NOT. SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAYS WE DAMAGED THE SENSOR FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT. PART IS IN FOR REPAIR AND WE'RE TRYING TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO GET BACK INTO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE DO THE REPAIR AT OUR COST.
FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSORS ERRATICALLY REPORT A MALFUNCTION AND SUGGEST AN INSPECTION. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AS WELL AS STATIONARY. IT HAS HAPPENED BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT A FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT. I CALLED SUBARU AMERICA AND BROUGHT THE CAR INTO NAPLETON SUBARU ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL ON JULY 24, 2019…
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FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSORS ERRATICALLY REPORT A MALFUNCTION AND SUGGEST AN INSPECTION. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AS WELL AS STATIONARY. IT HAS HAPPENED BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT A FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT. I CALLED SUBARU AMERICA AND BROUGHT THE CAR INTO NAPLETON SUBARU ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL ON JULY 24, 2019. ON THAT DATE I COULD NOT RECREATE THE ERROR MESSAGES. NAPLETON INSPECTED AND TOLD ME SYSTEM NEEDED A RESET WHICH THEY DID FREE OF CHARGE. SINCE THERE WAS NO ERROR MESSAGE EITHER IMMEDIATELY BEFORE OR AFTER THE VISIT, I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHETHER RESET WAS EFFECTIVE. THE NEXT DAY THE ERROR MESSAGE WAS BACK. PICTURES ATTACHED AS WELL AS RECEIPT FROM NAPLETON DESCRIBING WORK PERFORMED. *TT CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WAS TAKEN INTO THE DEALER TWICE AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING PROPERLY, BUT CANNOT DETERMINE WHETHER THE AIR BAG ERROR MESSAGE HAS BEEN FALSELY ACTIVATED. OR IF THERE IS A REAL MALFUNCTION.*JB
THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DOES NOT FUNCTION. THE SENSOR CANNOT TELL WHEN A PASSENGER IS PRESENT. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY, SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. IN THE PAST MONTH, THE AIRBAGS HAVE NOT BEEN ON AT ALL.
WHEN IN MOTION, THE OCCUPANCY DETECTOR SENSOR LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATES EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. THIS IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN MY 2016 FORESTER AND ALSO HAPPENED IN MY 2014 FORESTER.
IN EARLY MAY 2019, THE VEHICLE STARTED GIVING AIRBAG WARNINGS AND DISABLING THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO MY SUBARU DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE A COUPLE WEEKS LATER. IT TOOK A MONTH TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE WARNING D…
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IN EARLY MAY 2019, THE VEHICLE STARTED GIVING AIRBAG WARNINGS AND DISABLING THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO MY SUBARU DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE A COUPLE WEEKS LATER. IT TOOK A MONTH TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE WARNING DIAGNOSED. FINALLY THEY DID THE ANALYSIS AND TOLD ME THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR HAD FAILED, AND CLAIMED IT WAS BECAUSE THE SEAT GOT WET (IT DIDN'T). AFTER I COMPLAINED TO MANAGEMENT THEY COMP'D THE REPAIR AND REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION AT THE END OF JUNE. THE PROBLEM HASN'T RECURRED.
THERE WERE 5 MAJOR ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE THAT I WANT INVESTIGATED. I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT NB ON US-101 IN THE #1 LANE OF TRAFFIC, GOING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, WHEN FOR NO EXPLAINABLE REASON, THE REAR TIRES OF MY 2016 SUBARU FORESTER BEGAN TO SKID ME ACROSS THE #2 LANE OF TRAFFIC. I WILL NOTE THAT IT HAD JUST STOPPED SPRINKLING A…
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THERE WERE 5 MAJOR ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE THAT I WANT INVESTIGATED. I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT NB ON US-101 IN THE #1 LANE OF TRAFFIC, GOING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, WHEN FOR NO EXPLAINABLE REASON, THE REAR TIRES OF MY 2016 SUBARU FORESTER BEGAN TO SKID ME ACROSS THE #2 LANE OF TRAFFIC. I WILL NOTE THAT IT HAD JUST STOPPED SPRINKLING AND THE ROAD WAS DAMP. ISSUE 1: DURING MY SKID, THE SKID CONTROL FEATURE NEVER ENGAGED (WHICH IS A MARKETED FEATURE AND A REASON I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE). I HAD TO FIGHT THE SKID ON MY OWN. ISSUE 2: THE ROLL OVER FEATURE NEVER ENGAGED (WHICH IS A MARKETED FEATURE AND ANOTHER REASON I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE). AFTER FIGHTING TO PREVENT MY VEHICLE FROM ROLLING OVER AND SKIDDING OUT OF CONTROL, I ULTIMATELY CRASH ON THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY, HITTING A LIGHT POST. ISSUE 3: UPON HITTING THE LIGHT POST, MY SEAT BELT FLEW OFF. (BOTH MY HANDS WERE ON THE WHEEL AT THE TIME AND THERE WERE NO LOOSE OBJECTS IN THE AREA. UNLESS THIS IS SOME "FEATURE" IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR THE SEAT BELT TO DISENGAGE AUTOMATICALLY.) ISSUE 4: THE CRASH NOTIFICATION FEATURE, THAT I PAID EXTRA FOR, DID NOT DO IT'S JOB. EVEN WITH MY CELL PHONE LINKED TO THE VEHICLE, THE CRASH NOTIFICATION NEVER CALLED 9-1-1 ON MY BEHALF. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED 9-1-1 TO NOTIFY CHP OF MY ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WAS FEARFUL OF ANOTHER VEHICLE ALSO SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL AND HITTING ME. CHP TOOK A REPORT. ** ISSUE 5 **: THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. MY CAR WAS DEEMED TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND AUTO BODY SHOP. THE AUTO BODY SHOP STATED VEHICLE HIT THE POLE SO HARD ALL BOLTS WERE BENT INTO A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. HOW DOES A CRASH THAT SEVERE NOT ENGAGE THE AIR BAGS? I HAD A SCAR ON MY COLLAR BONE FOR A MONTH AFTER THE CRASH. NONE OF THE MARKETED OR REQUIRED SAFETY FEATURES WORKED TO PREVENT THE CRASH NOR ASSIST AFTER THE CRASH.
SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WENT BAD UNDER NORMAL USE AND SUBARU DOES NOT WANT TO COVER EXPENSE TO REPLACE, AND THIS SENSOR LETS DRIVER KNOW IF AIRBAG IS ENGAGED (ON) OR NOT.
THE CAR HAS HAD INTERMITTENT SRS ERRORS STARTING SHORTLY AFTER BUYING THE CAR IN SUMMER OF 2016. WE HAVE HAD IT CHECKED OUT AND NOTHING WAS EVER FOUND. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY CONSISTANCY AS TO WHEN THE "SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED" MESSAGE APPEARS. SOMETIMES WEEKS GO BY WITH NO ERRORS. SOMETIMES IT WILL GO…
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THE CAR HAS HAD INTERMITTENT SRS ERRORS STARTING SHORTLY AFTER BUYING THE CAR IN SUMMER OF 2016. WE HAVE HAD IT CHECKED OUT AND NOTHING WAS EVER FOUND. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY CONSISTANCY AS TO WHEN THE "SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED" MESSAGE APPEARS. SOMETIMES WEEKS GO BY WITH NO ERRORS. SOMETIMES IT WILL GO ON AND NOT APPEAR THE NEXT TIME THE CAR IS STARTED. MY CONCERN IS THE SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTION WHEN NEEDED. I AM LISTING THE MOST RECENT DATE THIS HAS HAPPENED BELOW BUT AS STATED IT HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT FOR YEARS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS FLASHING AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED. HASSETT SUBARU (3520 SUNRISE HWY, WANTAGH, NY 11793, (516) 785-7800) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS N…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS FLASHING AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED. HASSETT SUBARU (3520 SUNRISE HWY, WANTAGH, NY 11793, (516) 785-7800) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY AIR BAG RECALL; HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER ISSUED FOUR TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS FOR THE AIR BAGS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,000. *BF
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.