2017 SUBARU FORESTER Air Bagssensoroccupant Classification Problems

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the SRS warning light illuminated when a passenger entered the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired from a previous recall with the OCS wiring harness. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the OCS Mat sensor/seat bottom which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 107,784.

In November 2023 I noticed a warning light indicating an issue with the passenger side airbag. Additionally I noticed that even when a passenger was sitting in that seat, the status light still displayed 'airbag off'. I took the car to a Subaru dealer who told me the sensor was bad and the whole seat assembly would need to be replaced. After waiting 2 1/2 months I was told by the dealer that they could not locate a part anywhere in the U.S., and they had no timetable for completing the repair. I was encouraged to contact Subaru Customer Service for help. I've done so, but have received no satisfaction. I've since learned that this exact same defect was part of an earlier recall of my vehicle (I bought the car used; see attached). As of now, I have a car with a defective airbag with no prospect of resolution...

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the passenger’s side air bag sensor showed that there was no passenger in the seat. The contact stated on other occasions while there was a passenger seated in the seat, the occupant detection system failed to detect a passenger seated in the seat. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but recurred several times. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger’s air bag sensor needed to be replaced; however, the contact was advised that the sensors were on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and advised the contact that the sensors were on backorder. The contact was recently advised that he would have to take the vehicle back and return the...

2017 Subaru Forester. Air bag sensor light for the occupant occasionally flashes on and off. We brought it to the dealer and was told the sensor was defective and would not deploy if an accident occurred. The Subaru service tech informed us that the air bags would not deploy in case of an accident. The car only has 55,500 miles. It is garaged and has had no front end problems or accidents. This is a safety hazard that could cause a death if the sensor is not working properly and the vehicle was in an accident.

My vehicle had the WUM98 Safety recall completed on March 09, 2020. In July 2022, the SRS system started giving error messages that the system needed to be checked. It seemed to reset when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. When it happened for the 3rd time in 3 weeks, I took it in to the Subaru Dealership where they found this: B1650 Perform Diag TSB#07-108-16R. They claimed that the seat must have gotten wet to create this error code, but it seems to me to be the same problem as was reported in the :NUMBER: WUM-98R NHTSA ID: 19V-701 DATE: 10/14/19 REVISED: 12/13/19 documents that I found on the NHSTA site. I think the same issue is in this newer harness that was in the older one. On August 16,2022, we picked up the vehicle from its other repairs (60,000 mile service and AC condenser replacement). The dealer...

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side front seat and air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT BEGAN DISPLAYING

2017 FORESTER SRS AIRBAG SENSOR DEFECTIVE TWO YEARS AFTER PURCHASE, THE SRS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT APPEARED. THIS LIGHT FLICKERS ON AND OFF, AT RANDOM, WHETHER OR NOT A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT. (NO PASSENGER WILL BE DRIVING WITH ME UNTIL THIS IS REPAIRED.) MY SUBARU DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL (HE MISSPOKE, PERHAPS HE MEANT 'SHOULD BE') AND SAID THAT HE "SEES THIS ALL THE TIME". HE IMMEDIATELY KNEW (PRIOR TO TESTING IT) THAT THEY WOULD BE REPLACING THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM, FOR A NEW SENSOR PAD. HE SAID THEY ARE USUALLY BACKORDERED. BACKORDERED INDICATES TO ME THAT THERE IS A HIGH DEMAND TO CORRECT THIS ERROR IN THIS CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEM. AT THIS POINT, I HAVE SUBARU CORPORATE INVOLVED; I'VE EMAILED AND SPOKEN AT LENGTH WITH KRIS DRECHSEL, A SUPERVISOR IN CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND CHARLES HOSIER, A CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVOCATE. WHILE THEY BOTH...

PASSENGER AIR BAG SWITCHES TO "OFF" DESPITE PASSENGER SITTING IN SEAT. SUBARU DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED FAULTY SENSOR. AIR BAG LIGHT SWITCHES TO "OFF" AT RANDOM TIMES EVEN WHEN PASSENGER IS SEATED IN SEAT. ON THE DASHBOARD, NEXT TO THE ODOMETER, A RED SQUARE WITH A LOWER CASE "I" APPEARED AND BELOW TO THE LEFT THE RED AIRBAG INDICATOR LIT. THE SYSTEM SAYS TO CHECK SRS AIRBAG AND BRING TO DEALERSHIP. THIS OFTEN OCCURS WHEN CAR IS STOPPED/PARKED AND PASSENGER GETS OUT WHILE CAR IS STILL RUNNING. DEALERSHIP AGREED TO REPLACING SENSOR BUT THE PART HAS BEEN UNAVAILABLE FOR 6 MONTHS NOW. WE KEEP BEING TOLD "IT'S ON ORDER, CAN'T SAY WHEN IT WILL ARRIVE. " VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITH A PASSENGER AS A RESULT. SEE MORE COMPLAINTS HERE: HTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/SUBARU/FORESTER/AIR-BAG-ON-OFF-SWITCH-PROBLEMS.PHP

MY 2017 FORESTER BEGAN HAVING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT SWITCH OFF WHEN THERE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT AND THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. ON THE DASHBOARD, NEXT TO THE ODOMETER, A RED SQUARE WITH A LOWER CASE "I" APPEARED AND BELOW TO THE LEFT THE RED AIRBAG INDICATOR LIT. ALSO ON THE UPPER DASH, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG ON LIGHT SWITCHED TO OFF. IN ORDER TO RECTIFY THIS, I HAD TO PULL OVER, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART IT. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL VARIOUS TIMES DURING NORMAL CITY STREET DRIVING. RETURNING FROM A 1200 MILE TRIP RECENTLY, IT OCCURRED NEAR THE END OF MY TRIP ABOUT EVERY 40 MILES. VERY DISTRESSING! TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID NO CODES WERE IN THE COMPUTER SHOWING ANY PROBLEMS. SAID THE SEAT MIGHT HAVE HAD SOMETHING SPILLED ON IT WHICH NEVER HAPPENED! THEY SAID THAT THE RED SQUARE WITH THE WHITE "I"...

THE UPPER DASHBOARD PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ABOVE THE STEERING WHEEL IS GOING OFF AND ON WEATHER THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT OR NOT. IT MAY STAY ON AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE AND CONTINUE DURING DRIVING. THE LAST 45 MINUTE TRIP I TOOK IT STAYED ON THE ENTIRE TIME. OTHER TIMES IT HAS COME ON WHILE A PASSENGER WAS IN THE SEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF A TRIP @ 45MPH. THE DEALER ON 2/28/19 SAYS IT'S A "B1650 OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" AND THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT BOTTOM NEEDS REPLACED BUT THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. SAID THEY WOULD CALL WHEN IT WAS AVAILABLE, BUT DON'T HOLD MY BREATH. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH IF THE LIGHT IS ON. I FIND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE ONLINE BUT NO RECALLS. WHY NOT. HOW MANY...

PASSENGER AIR BAG SWITCHES TO "OFF" DESPITE PASSENGER SITTING IN SEAT. SUBARU DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED FAULTY SENSOR, SUSPECTED CAUSE BEING SEAT COVERS. REMOVED SEAT COVER, SENSOR IS STILL FAULTY. AIR BAG LIGHT SWITCHES TO "OFF" AT RANDOM TIMES EVEN WHEN PASSENGER IS SEATED IN SEAT. DEALERSHIP AGREED TO REPLACING SENSOR BUT THE PART HAS BEEN UNAVAILABLE SINCE SEPT. 2018 (6 MONTHS NOW). WE KEEP BEING TOLD "IT'S ON ORDER, CAN'T SAY WHEN IT WILL ARRIVE." VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS A RESULT.

THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE IN THE SEAT CUSHION. LIGHT ON THE DASH SHOWS PASSENGER AIR BAG IS TURNED OFF EVEN WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT.THE PROBLEM OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THERE IS NO PREDICTING WHEN THE LIGHT WILL TURN ON OR OFF.THE PROBLEM BEGAN IN JULY OF 2018 WHEN THE FORRESTER WAS ONE YEAR OLD. THE SEAT HAS NOT BEEN WET.THE PROBLEM BEGAN IN JULY 2018. THE NEW SEAT CUSHION WAS ORDERED IN AUGUST 2018.THE NEW SEAT CUSHION DID NOT ARRIVE UNTIL FEBRUARY 2019. 5 1/2 MONTHS LATER. DOES IT TAKE THIS LONG FOR SUBARU TO REPLACE SAFETY EQUIPMENT UNDER WARRANTY ? KELLY SUBARU, IN CHATTANOOGA,TN. SCHEDULED THE REPAIR TO BE DONE 2/22/2019. WE LIVE APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES FROM KELLY SUBARU. THE APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED FOR 10:00AM EASTERN TIME. AT AROUND 9:45 AM BEN CARTER ( SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE) CALLED STATING THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS...

THIS CAR HAS SUFFERED A PERSISTENT FAILURE OF THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM. IT HAPPENS AT RANDOM WITH OR WITHOUT A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT, AND THERE IS NO SPECIFIC TRIGGER FOR IT THAT I CAN DISCOVER. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THIS ISSUE AFTER SEVERAL FAILURES ON JANUARY 7, 2019 AND ON THE DEALER'S ADVICE, WE GAVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE ON JANUARY 9, 2019, AND WE HAVE BEEN IN A LOANER SINCE THEN. THE LAST WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE DEALER IS THAT THE PARTS TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE ARE CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE AND THEY WON'T BE AVAILABLE UNTIL APRIL, 2019. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AND WE HAVE SEEN ON THE INTERNET NUMEROUS OTHER SUBARU OWNERS WITH THIS ISSUE

PASSENGER 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.

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...

FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT STARTED COMING ON DURING MAY 2018. DEALER DETERMINED FAULT IS IN PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION AND ORDERED PART WHICH WAS BACK ORDERED TO MID OCTOBER. ON 10/23/18 THE DEALER SAYS THE PART ISN'T EXPECTED UNTIL NOVEMBER 15. THE WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ON MOST OF THE TIME WHILE DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER.

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL STOP WORKING WHILE THE PASSENGER IS SEATED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. TWO ALERTS SHOW UP IN DIFFERENT AREAS ON THE DASH LIGHTS INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIR BAG ADVISING TO HAVE IT CHECK IMMEDIATELY BY THE DEALER. WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THEY FIRST ADVISED ME THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS DO TO THE SEAT BEING WET, PLACING A CELL PHONE OR LAP TOP ON THE SEAT. NONE OF THOSE THINGS HAVE CAUSED THE MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO GO ON IN MY VEHICLE. THE LIGHT WOULD RANDOMLY COME ON ADVISING ME THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG WAS NOT ON. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION EVERY TIME. THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT MY PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY A STAIN ON MY SEAT, THEY CLAIMED THE MECHANIC CLEANED THE SEAT AND THEY WERE GOING TO RELEASE THE VEHICLE TO ME. I...

LESS THAN ONE YEAR AFTER PURCHASE OF A NEW 2017 SUBARU FORESTER I NOTED PERIODICALLY THE PASSENGER AIRBAG FAILURE LIGHT WOULD TURN ON AND STAY ON WHEN A PASSENGER WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS DID NOT OCCUR IMMEDIATELY ON SEATING OF THE PASSENGER AND WAS SPORADIC. IT OCCURRED BOTH IN MOTION AND WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN MOTION. ONCE LIT IT REMAINED SO UNTIL 2 OR 3 NEW RESTARTS. TAKEN TO DEALER THEY FOUND A CODE VERIFYING THE COMPLAINT. TOLD IT WAS DUE TO A CELLPHONE ON THE SEAT. CELLPHONE REMOVED. SAME PROBLEM. TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER HELD FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND TOLD A SPECIALIST IN CODES INDICATED THAT IT WAS DUE TO USB CELL PHONE WIRE. THIS WAS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE EXPLANATION. THIS RESULTED IN THEIR SPECIALIST REVIEWING THEIR CODE READING AGAIN. THEY INDICATED A SENSOR FAILURE AND THAT THE PART WOULD TAKE ABOUT...

WITHIN THE LAST TWO MONTHS WHILE DRIVING WITH MY WIFE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SYSTEM HAS DISENGAGED SEVERAL TIMES AND WE RECEIVE THREE WARNING LIGHTS. A RED SRS LIGHT IN THE LOWER DASH. A WHITE "I" ON A RED BACKGROUND NEXT TO THE TRIP ODOMETER LETTER, AND THE SRS INDICATOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DASH NEXT TO THE TIME INDICATOR COMES ON SAYINF THE SRS IS OFF. TOOK TO DEALER ON 8/24/2018 AND THEY SAD THEY GOT CODES B1650 AND B1760 WHICH THEY RESET. THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND SAID WATER MUST HAVE GOTTEN ON THE SEAT, WHICH HAS NEVER HAPPENED. THIS WEEKEND, 9/2/2018, WE STARTED HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS WHILE DRIVING. RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE LIGHTS WENT OFF AFTER A SHORT DRIVE AND THEN CAME BACK ON WHILE DRIVING. THE LIGHTS ONLY COME ON WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN...

29 JUNE WIFE AND I ARE ON THE HIGHWAY DRIVING WHEN THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT GOES TO OFF AND THE FAULT CODE APPEARS ON THE HEADS UP DISPLAY TELL US TO TAKE INTO SERVICE IMMEDIATELY. WELL WE CAR OFF AND WE DON'T HEAR ANYTHING BACK FOR A FEW DAYS. WE CALLED THEM BACK ON THE 5TH OF JULY BECAUSE OF THE HOLLIDAY. THEY TOLD MY WIFE ON THE PHONE THEY WERE GOING TO REPLACE SEAT CUSHION BECAUSE THAT SEEMED TO BE THE ISSUE. FAST FORWARD TO 9 JULY MY WIFE RECIEVES A CALL TELLING HER THE CAR IS READY FOR PICKUP. MY WIFE ASKS WHAT DID YOU END UP DOING TO THE VEHICLE? HE SAID WE FUNCTIONAL TESTED THE SEAT IT'S GOOD TO GO. SO I CALL THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND SPEAK TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. I SAID SO LET ME GET THIS STAIGHT YOU HAD OUR CAR FOR 10...

PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINS OFF WHEN PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED, OR TURNS OFF AFTER SEAT HAS BEEN OCCUPIED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. THIS RESULTS IN SRS AIRBAG ERROR LIGHT ON DASH ILLUMINATING. DEALER CLAIMS "SEAT WAS WET" AND IT WILL RESOLVE ITSELF WHEN SEAT IS DRY. SEAT HAS NEVER BEEN WET - NO SPILLS, NO WET SWIMSUITS, NOTHING. PROBLEM STARTED INTERMITTENTLY 1-2 MONTHS AGO AND NOW OCCURS NEARLY EVERY TIME CAR IS STARTED. DEALER "FIXED" BEFORE 500 MILE INTERSTATE TRIP ONLY TO HAVE PROBLEM RETURN MID-TRIP.

FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, EITHER ON START UP OR WHILE DRIVING, STAYS ON FOR HOURS OR DAYS AT A TIME, UNRELATED TO WHETHER THE SEAT IS OCCUPIED OR NOT. WHEN IT IS ON, PASSENGER SEAT BELT LIGHT INDICATES IT IS NOT FASTENED EVEN IF IT IS. THE SEAT HAS NEVER HAD SPILLS, RAIN OR OTHERWISE WET. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS. SUBARU DEALER STATES PAST ERROR CODE B1760 WHICH THEY RESET AND SAY THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT FIND AN IMMEDIATE PROBLEM. DEALER ADMITS THAT WHEN WARNING LIGHT IS ON, THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. THIS IS SO UNSAFE I HESITATE TO TRANSPORT ANY FRONT PASSENGERS. IT IS A LARGE SAFETY ISSUE THAT IS BEING IGNORED! CAN YOU DO ANYTHING?

SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED LIGHT IS ON AND PASSAGE AIR BAG OFF INDICATOR SHOWS OFF. THE DEALERSHIP ORDERED REPLACEMENT PART WHICH HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER SINCE SEPT. 9, 2017. PROBLEM STARTED IN SEPT. 2017, OCCASIONALLY WHEN A PASSENGER WAS IN THE FRONT SEAT AND VEHICLE HIT A BUMP, THE SRS SHOWED WARNING INDICATOR AND PASSENGER AIRBAG TURNED OFF. SYSTEM WOULD RESET WHEN VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, BUT WOULD OCCASIONALLY DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP ON SEPT. 9, THEY SAID THEY ORDERED PART AND WOULD CALL ME WHEN PART ARRIVED. I DIDN'T HEAR BACK FROM DEALERSHIP, SO CALLED THEM ON OCT. 26. THEY SAID PART WOULD BE IN AND I DROPPED VEHICLE OFF FOR SCHEDULED SERVICE FOR OCT. 31. ON NOV. 3 AFTER NOT HEARING FROM DEALER, I CALLED TO SEE WHY SERVICE NOT COMPLETED YET, AND WAS TOLD PART WAS STILL ON BACK ORDER, SHOULD...

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG PERIODICALLY TURNS OFF WITHOUT NOTICE. THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT SHOWS THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE AND SUBARU HAS CONTACTED US ABOUT THE ISSUE. WHEN WE TALKED TO THE DEALER THEY SAID IT WAS A KNOWN INTERFERENCE ISSUE RELATED TO CELL PHONES AND OTHER DEVICES AND THAT IF IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN WE SHOULD BRING IT IN TO HAVE THE PASSENGER SEAT REPLACED. IT HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN PERIODICALLY. ONCE THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATES THAT THE AIRBAG IS OFF, IT REMAINS THAT WAY UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED BACK ON. SOMETIMES IT IS ON WHEN YOU START THE CAR; SOMETIMES IT COMES ON QUICKLY, AND OTHER TIMES WE DRIVE FOR A LONG TIME AND EVEN GO WEEKS WITHOUT NOTICING IT. BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE COMPANY KNOWS ABOUT THIS AND THAT IT IS A SAFETY SYSTEM THAT IS AFFECTED, IT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE A RECALL.