2012 Subaru Impreza

WHILE DRIVING WITH OCCUPANT (ADULT WOMAN) IN PASSENGER SEAT THE SEAT BELT SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE DISPLAY OF PASS AIRBAG STATUS WENT TO OFF. PREVIOUS RECALL (SERVICE CAMPAIGN: WQT55|NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 15V419000) WAS COMPLETED IN OCT 2015, AND THINK THIS IS SIMILAR ISSUE. WAS NOT USING ANY ELECTRONICS/CONNECTIONS, BUT OCCUPANTS WERE DAMP FROM SNOW SKIING. TRIED TO STOP CAR, REMOVE KEY, AND RESTART BUT ISSUE REMAINED FOR REST OF TRIP (~ 2 HOURS). *TR

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR GRADUALLY STOPPED WORKING. THIS SEAT SENSOR HAD ALLEGEDLY BEEN CHECKED AND FIXED IN 2015 AS PART OF SUBARU VOLUNTARY RECALL SUBSEQUENT TO THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION. AT THAT TIME, THE SENSOR WAS WORKING PROPERLY; THE NATURE OF SUBARU'S FIX IS UNCLEAR. SINCE THE VOLUNTARY RECALL, THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED. THERE HAS BEEN NO WATER SPILL. THE ISSUE WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR STARTED SHORTLY AFTER AN IPHONE CHARGER WAS INSTALLED, I.E. PLUGGED IN THE FRONT 12V CIGARETTE LIGHTER RECEPTACLE. THE DEGRADATION OF THE SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR'S PERFORMANCE WAS GRADUAL. FIRST, IT STOPPED REGISTERING MY DAUGHTER'S WEIGHT, THEN MY WIFE'S THEN MINE -- THIS GRADUAL DEGRADATION IN PERFORMANCE, FROM FIRST INCIDENCE TO COMPLETE NON-PERFORMANCE TOOK ABOUT 3 TO 4 WEEKS.

THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT HAS FAILED 3 TIMES WHILE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND NOW AGAIN OUT OF WARRANTY. WHEN A PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE SEAT WHILE DRIVING, THE AIRBAG SENSOR DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THE PASSENGER'S WEIGHT, AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL NOT TURN ON, PUTTING MY PASSENGER AT RISK. UNDER WARRANTY, CARR SUBARU IN BEAVERTON OREGON REPLACED THE SENSOR EACH TIME IT FAILED. THEY BRIEFLY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE SENSOR "FAILS ALL THE TIME" AND "ITS POORLY DESIGNED." IF I UNDERSTOOD THEM CORRECTLY, THESE TYPE OF SENSORS ARE NO LONGER USED IN NEWER MODELS OF MY CAR. I AM NOW HAVING THE AIRBAG ISSUE AGAIN AND I AM NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY, I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. SUBARU SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS FAULTY SYSTEM AND REPLACE IT COMPLETELY, RATHER THAT JUST REPLACING THE SENSOR THEY ALREADY KNOW IS FAULTY.

FALSIFICATION OF RECALL SERVICE WORK PERFORMED FOR RECALL WQT-55 THAT IS RELATED TO THE AIR BAG NOT DEPLOYING BASED ON AN ISSUE W/ THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM. WALDORF SUBARU STATES THEY PERFORMED THAT THEY DIDN'T DO. SUBARU HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SLOW AN UNRESPONSIVE IN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. MY CAR WAS ORIGINALLY TAKEN TO WALDORF SUBARU TO HAVE THE RECALL PERFORMED, AFTER WHICH I HAD A SERVICE WORK ORDER INDICATING IT WAS COMPLETE. I RECEIVE A PHONE CALL 2 DAYS LATER FROM THE PARTS MANAGER INDICATING THE "PART THAT WAS NEEDED FOR THE RECALL IS NOW IN STOCK." AS A SECOND CHECK, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO ANOTHER SUBARU LOCATION (HERB GORDON SUBARU/MILE ONE) TO CHECK IT OUT AND VERIFY IF THE RECALL HAD BEEN IN FACT FIXED, THIS PROVED THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN FIXED. I OBTAINED A SERVICE WORK ORDER WITH THESE DETAILS. I CONTACTED SUBARU TO HAVE THEM ADDRESS THIS, AND THEY HAVE BEEN SLOW TO RESPOND AND HAVE BEEN UNRESPONSIVE TO THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED. THEIR INTERNAL COMPLAINT NUMBER HAS BEEN OPENED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE: SR #:1-17536427192

WITH A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL TURN ON AND THE DASH WILL REPORT "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF." THIS HAPPENS ANYWHERE FROM IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CAR IS TURNED ON, BEFORE IT IS PLACED IN DRIVE, TO AN HOUR AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING. WE DO FREQUENTLY HAVE ELECTRONICS PLUGGED IN, BUT I JUST LEARNED OF THE POSSIBLE CONNECTION AND HAVE NOT TRIED TO TROUBLESHOOT IT. THE SEATS ARE HEATED. THE AIRBAG LIGHT DOES NOT TURN ON WITHOUT A FRONT SEAT PASSENGER. FIRST STARTED IN JUNE OF 2016 AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THEN, APPROXIMATELY 75% OF THE TIME A PASSENGER IS IN THE FRONT SEAT.

MY FIANC SAT IN THE DRIVER SEAT, I IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. WE STARTED THE CAR AFTER WE BOTH WERE SITTING DOWN. I HAD HIS PHONE CHARGING IN THE CENTER CONSOLE AND MY PHONE WAS IN THE HOUSE. MY SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE PASS. AIR BAG WAS TURNED OFF. CODES B1660, B16FO, AND B1650 WERE SAVED. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME A WET PASSENGER, A CELL PHONE IN A POCKET, OR EVEN A LAP TOP THAT WAS TURNED OFF IN A BAG COULD CAUSE THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM TO MALFUNCTION DUE TO IT BEING STATIC ELECTRIC BASED DUE TO THE SEAT HEATERS. I HAD A SEAT RECALL COMPLETED IN NOV 2015 AND THE DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO STATE THAT THIS COULD BE RELATED TO THE RECALL. SERVICE CAMPAIGN WQT55 NHTSA CAMPAIGN 15V419000. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THINK THAT HAVING A CELL PHONE WHILE A PASSENGER IN A SAFETY RATED CAR COULD CAUSE A MALFUNCTION IN THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. *JS

SUBARU HAD A RECALL ON THE ODC (OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM) NHTSA 15V419000 FOR CARS PRODUCED FROM 4/2011 THROUGH 2/2012. MY CAR WAS PRODUCED IN MID MARCH 2012 - AND EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALLED VEHICLES. THE ODC WOULD BE DEACTIVATED IF A PASSENGER WAS IN THE CAR AND WE HAD A CHARGER PLUGGED IN THE POWER OUTLET. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. IT IS BEING FIXED, BUT IT IS A $1,200 CHARGE, FOR WHAT I BELIEVE SHOULD BE PART OF THE RECALL. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A HEAD INJURY AND INJURIES TO THE LEFT ARM THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE AIR BAG WIRING WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT RANDOMLY FLASHED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V419000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS TO BE INSPECTED AND DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED NO REMEDY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BECAME FRACTURED AND WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. AFTER THE SEAT WAS REPLACED, THE PASSENGER SIDE "AIR BAG OFF" WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHENEVER THE SEAT WAS WET OR LIGHTLY DAMP. THE FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR PRIOR TO THE SEAT REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V419000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,700.