IllustrationPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF WARNING IS GIVEN IN HOT WEATHER. DEALER SAYS NEW SENSOR IS NEEDED. WE HAVE BEEN WAITING SINCE AUGUST 2018 FOR THE PART TO BE RECEIVED BY OUR DEALER SO REPAIR CAN BE MADE.
2017 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Forester years
Owner complaints for the 2017 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
1270–25K
12125–50K
4450–75K
1875–100K
8100–150K
3150K+
321 reports with mileage · 265 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 164 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 106 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 104 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
40 crash reports1 fire reports25 injury reports
What owners actually said
586 reportsMY WIFE TRIED TO REMOVE SD CARD SO WE COULD UPDATE MAPS VIA THE INTERNET. THE SD CARD FLEW OUT OF THE DASH, BARELY MISSING HER FACE & IS LOST IN THE FORESTER. 4 PEOPLE SEARCHED FOR MANY HOURS. I CREATED ANOTHER MICRO-SD CARD FROM A COPY OF ITS DATA I SAVE IN 2017 TO GET UPDATES. GPS WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE NEW MICRO-SD CARD WITH…
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MY WIFE TRIED TO REMOVE SD CARD SO WE COULD UPDATE MAPS VIA THE INTERNET. THE SD CARD FLEW OUT OF THE DASH, BARELY MISSING HER FACE & IS LOST IN THE FORESTER. 4 PEOPLE SEARCHED FOR MANY HOURS. I CREATED ANOTHER MICRO-SD CARD FROM A COPY OF ITS DATA I SAVE IN 2017 TO GET UPDATES. GPS WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE NEW MICRO-SD CARD WITH SUBARU'S DATA. SUBARU MAPS ARE OLD >YEAR LATER. MY WIFE WAS ALMOST INJURED WHEN MICRO-SD CARD WENT MISSING, FLYING PAST HER HEAD. CALLED TO GET REPLACEMENT - >$400 & ALMOST $500. THIS SAFETY ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. WE NOW HAVE NO GPS THAT COSTS $THOUSANDS WITH A FORESTER PACKAGE (ONLY WAY TO GET GPS). AT A LOSS FOR OLD MAPS & NOW NO MICRO-SD CARD TO EVEN USE GPS WHEN THEIR EQUIPMENT LOST IT, NOT US. CAR WAS IN GARAGE & NOT STARTED. GPS HAS MANY FLAWS & PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW GARMIN & NONO GPSS ARE BETTER - PASSENGER CANNOT MAKE CHANGES OR SET GPS WHEN CAR IS DRIVING (MUST PULL OFF ROAD & STOP TO DO ANYTHING); MAPS ARE VERY OLD (SUBARU INDICATES THEY MAY BE 9 MONTHS OLD WHILE YOU ONLY HAVE LIMITED TIME TO UPDATE); GPS DIRECTS YOU TO WRONG PLACE & DOESN'T EVEN GUIDE YOU HOME WHEN ASKED; CANNOT REQUEST DIRECTIONS TO BUSINESSES, POINTS OF INTEREST & ETC LIKE PORTABLE GPSS; ETC. SAFETY CONCERN IS A REAL ISSUE AS A MICRO-SD CARD MUST NEVER GO FLYING BY A PERSONS FACE OR EVEN DO MORE THAN RELEASE THE SD CARD TO REMOVE IT. SUBARU WILL GLADLY ORDER A NEW SD CAR FOR THE PRICE MENTIONED EVEN THOUGH THEIR EQUIPMENT LOST IT. POOR COMPANY TO TRUST TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
I DID MY FIRST OIL CHANGE AT 1500 MILES, THEN THE NEXT TWO CHANGES AT ABOUT 3000 MILE INTERVALS. THEN I DECIDED TO STRETCH THEM TO THE 5K MILES RECOMMENDED BY SUBARU. I WAS ABOUT 4K MILES INTO THIS CHANGE INTERVAL WHEN MY OIL LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON. I CHECKED THE DIP STICK AND IT WAS BONE DRY. I WOULDN'T HAVE NOTICED OIL CONSUMPTI…
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I DID MY FIRST OIL CHANGE AT 1500 MILES, THEN THE NEXT TWO CHANGES AT ABOUT 3000 MILE INTERVALS. THEN I DECIDED TO STRETCH THEM TO THE 5K MILES RECOMMENDED BY SUBARU. I WAS ABOUT 4K MILES INTO THIS CHANGE INTERVAL WHEN MY OIL LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON. I CHECKED THE DIP STICK AND IT WAS BONE DRY. I WOULDN'T HAVE NOTICED OIL CONSUMPTION ON THE FIRST FEW CHANGES BECAUSE I WAS DOING THEM MORE FREQUENTLY THAN NEEDED AND THEREFORE THE ENGINE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO CONSUME ENOUGH OIL TO TRIP THE LOW OIL LIGHT. I WENT TO SUBARU FOR AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST, WHICH IT "PASSED". I DOCUMENTED EVERYTHING AND TOOK PHOTOS OF THE DIP STICK BEFORE AND AFTER THE TEST. SUBARU FILLS YOUR OIL TO THE TOP LINE OF THE DIP STICK. THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THIS IS STANDARD PROCEDURE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE AMOUNT OF OIL BETWEEN THE 2 LINES IS A QUART. AFTER THE 1200 MILES OF THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST, THE OIL LEVEL WAS DOWN ABOUT 20% BETWEEN THE TWO LINES. TAKING THAT OUT TO A FULL 5-6K MILE INTERVAL, THAT MEANS IT BURNS ABOUT A QUART OR MORE IN BETWEEN CHANGES. I SPOKE WITH THE MECHANIC WHO SAID THAT THIS IS COMPLETELY WITHIN SPEC OF SUBARU'S STANDARDS. I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT THIS WAS A LOT, BUT HE SAID THIS IS NORMAL FOR SUBARUS IN HIS EXPERIENCE. A CAR WITH ONLY 16K MILES SHOULD NOT REQUIRE OVER A QUART OF OIL TO BE ADDED BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. WHEN MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, WITHIN THE SAME OIL CHANGE INTERVAL AS THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST (ABOUT 4K MILES INTO THE INTERVAL), I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO SUBARU FOR A SECOND OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. INSTEAD OF PERFORMING THIS, THEY OPTED TO REPLACE MY SHORT BLOCK, A VERY EXTENSIVE REPAIR. I AM STILL WAITING FOR THIS REPAIR TO OCCUR UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY.
WINDSHIELD CRACKS AT VERY LITTLE IMPACT AND CRACKS SPREAD RAPIDLY THROUGH WINDSHIELD. I HAD WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT TWICE IN 2018 AND IT CRACKED AGAIN ON 01-01-2019. IT HAPPENED ON THE SAME ROAD I COMMUTE FOR 20 YEARS AND NEVER HAD WINDSHIELD CRACKS WITH MY PREVIOUS VEHICLES.
2.5 MANUAL, BURNS OIL AT EXCESSIVE RATE. CHECK ENGINE OIL LIGHT TURNED TWICE SO FAR, ONCE AT 2K MILES ON A CAR AND NEXT TIME AT 16K MILES. BOTH LIGHTS WERE WELL WITHIN THE OIL CHANGE SCHEDULE AND THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN SUBDUED TO ANY UNUSUAL USE. UNABLE TO TRAVEL IN THE CAR LONG DISTANCES WITHOUT HAVING 2 QUARTS OF OIL IN A TRUNK …
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2.5 MANUAL, BURNS OIL AT EXCESSIVE RATE. CHECK ENGINE OIL LIGHT TURNED TWICE SO FAR, ONCE AT 2K MILES ON A CAR AND NEXT TIME AT 16K MILES. BOTH LIGHTS WERE WELL WITHIN THE OIL CHANGE SCHEDULE AND THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN SUBDUED TO ANY UNUSUAL USE. UNABLE TO TRAVEL IN THE CAR LONG DISTANCES WITHOUT HAVING 2 QUARTS OF OIL IN A TRUNK DUE TO POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE FOR LACK OF OIL. BOTH TIMES THE LOW OIL LIGHTS WENT UP WHEN TRAVELING ON ROADS AND SUNARU DEALER HAD TO ADD OIL (STILL UNDER WARRANTY).
I HAVE OWNED MANY SUBARU`S AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS. MY NEW 2017 FORESTER HAS AN ISSUE SHIFTING GEARS. ALTHOUGH IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE, THE TIME IT HAPPENED WAS PRETTY SCARY. AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT A RED LIGHT THE LIGHT CHANGED TO GREEN BEFORE I MADE A COMPLETE STOP. AT THIS POINT I THEN ACCELERATE…
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I HAVE OWNED MANY SUBARU`S AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS. MY NEW 2017 FORESTER HAS AN ISSUE SHIFTING GEARS. ALTHOUGH IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE, THE TIME IT HAPPENED WAS PRETTY SCARY. AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT A RED LIGHT THE LIGHT CHANGED TO GREEN BEFORE I MADE A COMPLETE STOP. AT THIS POINT I THEN ACCELERATED THE CAR BUT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SWITCH GEAR. I THEN THOUGHT I HAD THE CAR IN MANUAL MODE BUT IT WASN'T. I HAD TO SLOW ALL THE WAY DOWN TO GET THE TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT AGAIN. THIS ALL HAPPENED WHILE TURNING. THE DRIVER BEHIND US HAD TO SWERVE AROUND OUR CAR TO AVOID HITTING US BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO SLOW WHEN THE LIGHT WAS GREEN. THIS ISSUE PUT MY FAMILY AND MYSELF IN DANGER WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD. I SPOKE WITH SUBARU BUT THEY SAID GIVEN THAT THE CAR WAS NO LONGER EXPERIENCING IT, THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. I WAS WONDERING IF SUBARU WILL BE ISSUING A RECALL ON THEIR CVT TRANSMISSIONS. I DON`T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN AND NEXT TIME IT DOES TURN INTO A CRASH. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'- *PM
SUBARU FORESTER 2017, BOUGHT NEW. THE DASHBOARD MONITOR INFORMATION SIGNAL READ THERE WAS NO AIRBAG ON FOR THE PASSENGER WHILE ONE WAS SEATED THERE AND THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. THIS HAD OCCURRED EARLIER IN JUNE WHEN I WAS DRIVING FROM PA TO CA BUT NO PASSENGER WAS SEATED THERE. I ASSUMED IT WAS JUST AN ODDITY - AND IT DID NOT OCCU…
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SUBARU FORESTER 2017, BOUGHT NEW. THE DASHBOARD MONITOR INFORMATION SIGNAL READ THERE WAS NO AIRBAG ON FOR THE PASSENGER WHILE ONE WAS SEATED THERE AND THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. THIS HAD OCCURRED EARLIER IN JUNE WHEN I WAS DRIVING FROM PA TO CA BUT NO PASSENGER WAS SEATED THERE. I ASSUMED IT WAS JUST AN ODDITY - AND IT DID NOT OCCUR REGULARLY. JULY 16 (2018) I TOOK IT FOR REPAIR WHICH SUBARU DETERMINED WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THEY EXPECTED THE PART IN LATE JULY, THEN LATE AUGUST OR EARLY SEPTEMBER, ON SEPTEMBER 11 I CALLED AND ASKED MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO LEARN THAT NO AIRBAGS WOULD WORK WHILE DRIVING THAT CAR, AND THEY AGREED ON SEPTEMBER 12 TO LOAN ME A CAR WHILE I WAITED FOR THE PART AND REPAIR. IT IS NOW NOVEMBER 29 AND THE PART AND REPAIR HAVE NOT OCCURRED. SUBARU NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE CAN BARELY DO MORE THAN SAY "SORRY" AND GAVE ME A REPAIR DATE OF DECEMBER 4, WHICH AS OF NOVEMBER 26 WAS MOVED TO "SOME TIME IN DECEMBER". FIRST: THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT I WAS NOT FULLY INFORMED OF: WITH THIS PROBLEM THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT ACTIVATE. SECOND: I HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY ASSURED OF THE PART'S ARRIVAL AND REPAIR BUT IT CONTINUES TO BE DELAYED AS IF SAFETY IS NOT A PRIORITY AT SUBARU. I HAVE LEARNED THROUGH A COMMENT MADE BY SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON THAT THERE MAY BE OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. FOR THE SAFETY OF US ALL, I THINK THIS SITUATION DESERVES INVESTIGATION.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CEMENT DIVIDER. THE VEHICLE THEN LUNGED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO A TREE THREE TIMES AND A PARKED VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED HEAD IN…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CEMENT DIVIDER. THE VEHICLE THEN LUNGED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO A TREE THREE TIMES AND A PARKED VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED HEAD INJURIES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. IT WAS UNKNOWN IF A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW LOT AND LATER TOWED TO MCKENNA SUBARU (LOCATED AT 1880 BEACH BLVD, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA 92648, (888) 685-1421). THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE A FAILURE CODE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: SR1-36575883866. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.
STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED, UNABLE TO TURN ON VEHICLE, WHEEL STRAIGHT, TOOK ME MANY TRIES AND LOTS OF TURNING AND BANGING BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE KEY TO START VEHICLE. ALSO, ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THE BLUETOOTH WITH LATE PICK UP CONNECTION. CONNECTION WILL START AFTER ONE IS HALF WAY INTO CONVERSATION MAKING THE PU…
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STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED, UNABLE TO TURN ON VEHICLE, WHEEL STRAIGHT, TOOK ME MANY TRIES AND LOTS OF TURNING AND BANGING BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE KEY TO START VEHICLE. ALSO, ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THE BLUETOOTH WITH LATE PICK UP CONNECTION. CONNECTION WILL START AFTER ONE IS HALF WAY INTO CONVERSATION MAKING THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A BLUETOOTH USELESS.
SCREEN BLACKED OUT EVERYTHING WENT OFF, NO LIGHTS, NO RADIO, NO DASH BOARD VISION. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES BEFORE I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND ELECTRICAL CABLES WERE REPLACED, HOWEVER, JUST THIS WEEK MY VEHICLE, WHILE WAITING AT A LIGHT, TURNED COMPLETELY OFF. IT WAS SO SCARY, GOOD THING THE…
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SCREEN BLACKED OUT EVERYTHING WENT OFF, NO LIGHTS, NO RADIO, NO DASH BOARD VISION. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES BEFORE I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND ELECTRICAL CABLES WERE REPLACED, HOWEVER, JUST THIS WEEK MY VEHICLE, WHILE WAITING AT A LIGHT, TURNED COMPLETELY OFF. IT WAS SO SCARY, GOOD THING THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE BEHIND ME. A FEW MINUTES LATER I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR ON AND CONTINUE MY JOURNEY. NOW, I DO NOT FEEL SAFE WHEN I USE MY VEHICLE.
Official recalls
119V701000 · 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.
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.