2012 Subaru Impreza

I HAVE 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA, AND HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT. WHEN SOMEONE SITS ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG INDICATOR TURNS ON AFTER A FEW MINUTES, AND THEN DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON. THERE IS A FACTORY RECALL FOR OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS), AND THE ODS CONTROL UNIT WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER (4/18/2017); HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AGAIN (11/6/2017), AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE SENSOR MAT, WHICH IS NOT UNDER RECALL. IT IS $1,300 TO FIX IT. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 29K MILEAGE, AND ODS SENSOR MAD WENT BAD! WHY IS SENSOR MAT NOT COVERED BY RECALL?

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: ON TWO OCCASIONS IN THE PAST WEEK, WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPIED, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON IN THE DASHBOARD AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT SWITCHED TO "OFF". IN EACH INSTANCE, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT TURNED OFF LATER THAT DAY AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG RETURNED TO NORMAL ("ON" WHEN THE SEAT WAS OCCUPIED). A REPRESENTATIVE OF SUBARU OF AMERICA CLAIMS THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR THIS TO OCCUR IF THERE IS ANY MOISTURE ON THE SEAT. OF THE TWO TIMES THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED, THERE WAS MOISTURE ON THE SEAT IN ONE CASE, BUT NOT IN THE SECOND CASE. MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE DIAGNOSED OR FIXED UNLESS IT IS ACTIVELY OCCURRING. THE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS FAR TOO CRITICAL OF A SAFETY FEATURE TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH INTERMITTENT FAILURES, AND I HOPE THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL BE RESOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WITH A PASSENGER AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND THE LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SAID OFF. WHILE DRIVING, MY PASSENGER LOOKED UP SOME TROUBLESHOOTING FOR THIS ISSUE. APPARENTLY THERE IS A RECALL FOR OTHER SAME YEAR, SAME MAKES AND MODELS OF MY VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS NOT PART OF THIS RECALL BASED ON WHAT MONTH IT WAS MADE. AFTER I STOPPED THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT, THE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE AGAIN UNTIL I WAS GOING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE. EVERY TIME WITH A PASSENGER AND DRIVING ON AN EXPRESSWAY.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WITH MY MOTHER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHEN I SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD HAD COME ON. I THEN LOOKED AT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS IN THE "OFF" POSITION. IT CONCERNED ME THAT MY PASSENGER WAS NOT BEING DETECTED BY THE AIRBAG SENSOR, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT I WAS DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 65 MPH. WE CONTINUED TO OUR DESTINATION AND THEN SHUT OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT TO SEE IF THE AIRBAG SENSOR WOULD DETECT MY PASSENGER, WHICH IT DID NOT. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SENSOR IN THE SEAT WAS FAULTY AND, AS A RESULT, THE ENTIRE SEAT BOTTOM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF ABOUT $1000. THEY CLAIMED THAT THE SENSOR CAN BE RENDERED INEFFECTIVE BY LIQUID SPILLS, THOUGH I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF EVER SPILLING ANYTHING LIQUID ON THE PASSENGER SEAT OF THIS CAR. I THEN LOOKED ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR SUBARU, AND THAT SUBARU ACTUALLY ISSUED A RECALL FOR 32,000 2012 SUBARU IMPREZAS (HTTP://BLOG.CARANDDRIVER.COM/SUBARU-RECALLS-32000-IMPREZAS-FOR-AIRBAG-SENSORS/). UNFORTUNATELY, AS WAS EXPLAINED BY MY DEALER, MY PARTICULAR VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL. THE DEALER'S SERVICE REPS EXPLAINED THAT IF I CONTINUE TO DRIVE WITH A PASSENGER IN MY VEHICLE AS IS, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT, AS THE SENSOR MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCURATELY DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF A PASSENGER. I BELIEVE THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN, AND ONE WHICH I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO FIX, CONSIDERING THAT THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A RECALL AFFECTING THE EXACT SAME MAKE/MODEL/YEAR CAR THAT I DRIVE. SINCE SEEING THE DEALER, I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN ONCE MORE. I WAS DRIVING CITY STREETS WITH A PASSENGER, AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT WAS "OFF."

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V419000 (AIR BAGS) AT CAPITALAND MOTORS SUBARU (47 SARATOGA RD, SCOTIA, NY 12302 (518) 399-9999) OR GOLDSTEIN SUBARU (1754 CENTRAL AVE, ALBANY, NY 12205 (518) 869-1250), BUT THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS ALREADY SERVICED PER THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 53,000.

PASSENGER AIRBAG OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS) TURNS AIRBAG OFF WITH ADULT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. ADULT PASSENGER HAD SEAT UPRIGHT, EVERYTHING DRY. NO DEVICES PLUGGED IN. WE HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 5 HOURS WHEN LIGHT CAME ON SAYING PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF. STOPPED FOR GAS, TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK TO NORMAL FOR ONLY 5 MINUTES. NOW LIGHT IS ON AS IF NO PASSENGER IN SEAT WHEN IN FACT THERE IS AN ADULT THERE.

PASSENGER AIRBAG DEACTIVATES WHILE A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT. IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. THERE ARE NO ELECTRONICS PLUGGED INTO MY CAR. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT ABOVE MY RADIO STATES THAT IT IS OFF WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. MY SRS AIRBAG LIGHT IS ALSO ON. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2014. MY CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A RESOLUTION IN SIGHT/ MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW AND THEY ARE TELLING ME MY CAR IS WORKING AS DESIGNED.

THE AIRBAG SENSOR RECALL WAS PERFORMED ON MY VEHICLE, BUT THE INDICATOR LIGHT CONTINUE TO MALFUNCTION. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CAR IS CURRENTLY BEING SERVICED SAYS THEY HAVE 3-4 OTHER 2012 SUBARU IMPREZAS WITH THE SAME POST-RECALL PROBLEM. THE ONLY FIX THEY RECOMMEND IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE MODULE UNDER THE SEAT WHICH THEY QUOTED AS AN $800 FIX. THE PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SENSOR IS EXACTLY WHAT IS LISTED ON THE INITIAL RECALL WHERE THE LIGHT TURNS TO "OFF" WHEN A PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE SEAT AND SOMETHING IS PLUGGED INTO THE POWER OUTLET OR THEY MOVE AROUND IN THE SEAT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS IT COULD CAUSE THE AIRBAG NOT TO DEPLOY IF A CRASH WERE EVER TO HAPPEN.