2014 Subaru Impreza

THE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS FAULTY AND IT CAUSES THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TO BE DISABLED WHEN A PERSON IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. OFTEN, IF THE PERSON IS SWEATING OR IF ANY PART OF THEIR CLOTHING IS MOIST THE AIR BAG WILL BE DISABLED. I HAD IT FIXED UNDER WARRANTY AND IT NEVER REALLY DID MUCH. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. SOMETIMES THE PERSON CAN BE TOTALLY DRY AND IT WILL STILL BE DISABLED. THERE WAS A RECALL OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM IN PREVIOUS YEARS AND MODELS, AND IT IS PLAIN TO SEE THAT THE SAME ISSUE EXISTS FOR THE 2014 IMPREZA. JUST HAVE A LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. IT IS CRIMINAL (LITERALLY) THAT A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED.

AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON (RED STICK FIGURE GETTING HIT IN THE FACE WITH WITH AIRBAG) ILLUMINATES IN DASHBOARD AT RANDOM TIMES. PASSENGER AIRBAG IS SWITCHED TO ON WHEN NO ONE IS IN THE SEAT, BUT TURNS OFF WHEN PASSENGER IS PRESENT. THE WEIGHT OF A CELLPHONE CAN TRIGGER PASSENGER AIRBAG TO COME ON WHICH THEY ARE CLAIMING IS NORMAL. WHEN DRIVING ALONE PASSENGER SEATBELT ALARM WILL DING FORCING ME TO KEEP PASSENGER SEATBELT PLUGGED IN MOST OF TIME. IVE TAKEN THE CAR IN MULTIPLE TIMES TO TWO DIFFERENT SUBARU DEALERSHIP BUT THEY BOTH CLAIM EVERYTHING IS WORKING IN PERFECT ORDER. THE NOTES I USE TO DESCRIBE THIS ISSUE IS ALWAYS DELETED WHEN I ARRIVE AT DEALERSHIP. I DO NOT EVEN WANT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND CANT AFFORD THE DIAGNOSTIC FEES ON TOP OF MISSING DAYS FROM WORK. THE ISSUE HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS PARKED OR DRIVING. A LITTLE RESEARCH SHOWS SUBARU IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BUT CONTINUES TO PRETEND NOTHING IS WRONG - THEY INSTEAD OFFER ME TO TRADE IN VEHICLE. I WOULD RATHER DRIVE VEHICLE OFF A CLIFF THAN TO HAVE THEM RESELL VEHICLE TO ANOTHER PERSON WHO WILL END UP GOING THROUGH WHAT I WENT THROUGH SPENDING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OR WORSE - AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING CAUSING INCREASED INJURY OR DEATH.

THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR CONTINUALLY MALFUNCTIONS AND TURNS OFF THE AIRBAG WHILE A FRONT PASSENGER IS IN PLACE. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE FOR WHICH A NHTSA RECALL WAS PLACED ON 2013 SUBARU IMPREZAS, SO THE PROBLEM IS NOT LIMITED TO ONLY THAT ONE MODEL YEAR. IN FACT, THIS APPEARS TO BE COMMON ACROSS ALL SUBARUS' ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITANCE SENSOR. THIS RECALL MUST BE EXPANDED FOR THE PROTECTION OF PASSENGERS IN THESE CARS.

PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON AND THE INDICATOR FOR THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SHOWS IT IS OFF EVEN THOUGH A 200LB PERSON IS IN THE SEAT. IF AIRBAGS ARE REQUIRED THEN SHOULDN'T THEY WORK? THE CAR HAS 60K MILES ON IT AND WE ONLY PUT ON 200 MILES SINCE WE BOUGHT IT. IF WE ARE IN AN ACCIDENT THIS TELLS ME NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT FOR THE PASSENGER

WHILE DRIVING (ON ANY KIND OF ROAD), A LIGHT INDICATING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF WILL ILLUMINATE, EVEN WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. THE LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, AND SOMETIMES THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL BECOME ACTIVE EVEN WITH NO PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. CHARGING A PHONE OR EVEN PLACING A PHONE IN THE SEAT SEEMS TO MAKE THE ISSUE WORSE. TAKING IT TO A MECHANIC RESULTED IN FAULT CODE B1650: OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THIS EXACT ISSUE WAS THE SOURCE OF A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA RECALL, BUT NOT FOR THE 2014 MODELS, WHERE THIS ISSUE IS OCCURRING. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE FOR 2014 SUBARU IMPREZA MODELS. FORUM SEARCHING HAS REVEALED SEVERAL HUNDRED OTHER EXAMPLES OF THIS ISSUE, LARGELY IN 2013 AND 2014 MODELS. THE 2012 RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO 2013 AND 2014 MODELS, AS THESE MODELS CLEARLY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AS THE 2012 MODELS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO METRO WEST SUBARU (948 WORCESTER ST, NATICK, MA 01760) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR ON THE PASSENGER SEAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND A NEW SEAT NEEDED TO BE PURCHASED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

SINCE ABOUT A YEAR AFTER I GOT THE CAR, THE PASSENGER DETECTION SYSTEM WILL TURN OFF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WITH AN ADULT IN THE SEAT, OR JUST WON'T TURN IT ON AT STARTUP. IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS OFF AT ANY TIME WHILE DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER. IT WILL ACKNOWLEDGE A PASSENGER, IF ONE IS PRESENT, AS IT DINGS TO BUCKLE THE SEAT BELT, BUT THE AIRBAG STAYS OFF. OR, IT WILL BE OFF, THEN DETECTS A PASSENGER AFTER A WHILE, AND TURN ON, ONLY TO TURN OFF A FEW MINUTES LATER.