NHTSA Complaint #11151811 — 2014 SUBARU FORESTER

MY VEHICLE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. I WAS FIRST ALERTED BY MY CARS WARNING SYSTEM, WHICH STATES 'SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED' AND GIVES ME A RED WARNING SYMBOL OF THE AIRBAG BEING INFLATED. SECONDLY IT SHOWS MY PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF EVEN WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS WARNING DID NOT COME ON DUE TO A COLLISION AS MY VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A COLLISION OR INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT OTHERWISE. IT SIMPLY APPEARED SEEMINGLY OUT OF NOWHERE FOR NO REASON AT ALL. I HAVE TAKEN MY VEHICLE IN SEVERAL TIMES TO DIFFERENT SUBARU DEALERSHIPS TO ASK WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I WAS FIRST TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE SYSTEM THAT PERHAPS IT WAS JUST A MALFUNCTION IN THE SENSOR. THEN THE OTHER DEALERSHIPS TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR, BUT THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO CONFIRM IF THIS IS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO COME ON AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG TO BE TURNED OFF. THEY SAID I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SEAT, BUT THEY WERE UNSURE IF THIS WOULD FIX THE ISSUE. I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT MACHANIC AND THEY ALSO WERE UNABLE TO VERIFY THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM AND REFERRED ME BACK TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. I CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA ABOUT THE ISSUE AND I NEVER RECEIVED ANY COMMUNICATION FROM THEM, ALTHOUGH THEY PROMISED TO GET BACK TO ME ABOUT THE ISSUE. I JUST KNOW THERE IS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO MAKE THIS PROBLEM APPEAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MANUFACTURER ISSUE, JUST BASED ON THE FACT THAT SUBARU COULD NOT IDENTIFY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS OR IT'S CAUSE. SO FAR I JUST HAVE BEEN TOLD THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR IS SOMEHOW DEFECTIVE AND THAT IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY WARRANTY.