2015 Subaru Forester Airbags Problems

The vehicle hit a patch of ice at about 55mph, spun out, and left the road. It rolled onto its right side (a total roll rotation of 90 degrees), and the side airbags deployed at some point during the roll. When the front passenger-side airbag deployed from above the side window, it pinned the passenger's head to the window, causing significant bruising and a possible mild concussion.

My issue (which started a week ago) is that the Occupant Detection System (ODS) shows the passenger airbag as OFF and gives an SRS Airbag warning when my spouse is sitting in the passenger seat. When I sit in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag shows ON.

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 25 MPH, and moving into an intersection following a traffic sign stop, the contact's vehicle was crashed into by another vehicle that ran a stop sign. The other vehicle crashed the contact's vehicle on the passenger side front door.

I was parking the car it suddenly accelerated jumped the curb and was heading towards the building entrance dore. I could not stop it. To avoid entering the building I turned the vehicle tight and it collided against the wall.

This is a known recall in 2019 with Suburu Foresters manufactured between 2015-2018 when the passenger seat has a heating feature. The recall was because the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness malfunctions over time causing the passenger to not be detected so the airbag does not deploy.

The passenger airbag light switches to ON when no one is in the seat, and switches to OFF when I have a passenger. The seat is completely stock (no back support pads or cushions or baggy clothing) and my passengers sit in the seat normally. Restarting the vehicle does not fix the issue.

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. While the contact's wife was driving at 30 MPH, she crashed into another vehicle causing damage to the front driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy.

The SRS warning light came on, indicating that the car be taken to the dealer for inspection. The light was not on by the time the car arrived at the dealer, but they were able to find code DTC B1760, indicting that the Occupant Detection Sensor Mat on the passenger side was not working properly.

The passenger airbag light has been on and has been disabled whether there is someone in the passenger seat or not. This is due to the sensor in the passenger seat malfunctioning. Because of this malfunction, there is no access to the passenger airbag which poses a risk to the passenger in the vehicle in the event of an accident.

Driver was rear ended on the highway when at a dead stop by a vehicle going around 60-70 MPH. The bottom of the driver's seat jerked forward and impacted driver leg causing contusions and the back support and head rest portion flew backwards, causing driver glasses and hat to come off and land toward the back hatch of the vehicle.

Tl* the contact owned a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that a truck ran a red light and the contact t-boned the truck at 30 MPH. The contact stated that the truck flipped as the front passenger side collided with the truck.

I have had an airbag light on in my car for about 1 year and I am past worried about this faulty airbag that may not deploy if my family is every in the car during an accident. There is a begun recall but I have recieved no notice and as it describes is exactly what dealership told me was wrong 600$ is the cost or the life of my family... Please recall my airbag sensor..

Our 2015 subaru forester was in an accident. We were turning left at an intersection. The SUV was hit on the passenger side door and front fender by another SUV.

For the past year, the passenger airbag has been intermittently turning off and a warning message would appear: "srs airbag system needs to be checked". My car has never been in any kind of accident and is barely 4 years old. Lately, it just doesn't really work at all.

Passenger air bag turned off while passenger is in the seat while vehicle is in motion. In case of an accident the air bags will not deploy.

Tl* the contact owned a 2015 subaru forester. While the contact's husband was driving 40 MPH, the traffic stopped abruptly and he crashed into the rear of a ford explorer. There were no warning indicators illuminated.

Car started and backed out of parking space in a parking garage. When gear shift was placed in drive the car lurched forward 50 feet and drove thru an aluminum rail and mesh over head electric activated door. At 81 more feet the car hit a 4 x 4 steel column holding up two 27 foot steel beams of a carport roof structure and collapsed the column.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. When the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact mentioned that the brake pedal was forcefully depressed in order to stop the vehicle.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. While pulling into a parking space at a very low rate of speed, the engine began to rev. The vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a brick wall.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. While pulling into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a brick wall. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. While driving 20 MPH through a green light, a vehicle crashed into the driver side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy.

Airbag light intermittently turns on to indicate that airbag may not deploy even if there is someone in the passenger seat. This is a known safety issue with a recall in 2019 but for some reason is affecting a much larger set of vehicles than in the recall, including mine.

Getting an SRS Airbag system needs to be checked. Took the 2015 Subaru Forester to Williams Subaru in Lansing MI and they stated the code B1760 for the occupant detection system Mat was determined. The seat has not been wet and nothing spilled on it and was also determined dry by the repair specialist at time of service. They were able to reset sensor and did a test drive. Less than a week later when a passenger was in seat the warning SRS Airbag needs to be checked is back on. They stated if this happens then part cost will be approx $1000 not including service/repair (approx total $1700) They also state this part is on backorder. I have Concern for previous recall completed in 2019 for the passenger seat sensor matt harness. Is this a continuation of a problem that should be recalled with the sensor harness. Service states passenger front cushion frame and assembly needs replaced.

PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF EVEN IF THERE IS NO ONE SITTING IN THE SEAT

My passenger and rear airbags are not working due to a failure in this part: CUSHION AY OCPANTRH 64139SG002. I have been waiting for the part for around 10 months. My safety is put at risk as my airbags are not working and Subaru has not provided a solution while we are waiting for this part. I have asked for a rental car and they refused. It has been confirmed by multiple dealerships. The vehicle has been inspected by two licensed Subaru dealerships. There is a warning light on my dash and there has been since it failed.

I am reporting a recurring safety defect in my 2015 Subaru Forester (VIN: [XXX] ) that directly relates to Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (Occupant Detection System wiring harness). Original Recall (2019–2020): The Occupant Detection System (ODS) failed, disabling the passenger airbag. Subaru performed the recall remedy at that time. Reoccurrence (August 2025): The exact same defect reappeared. The SRS airbag warning illuminated and the passenger airbag was disabled while my wife was seated in the passenger seat. Subaru of Lancaster County (PA) initially reported no error, but when I retrieved the car, the warning illuminated immediately. Repair: On August 28, 2025, the dealer replaced the ODS wiring harness at my expense ($440.73). Since then, the issue has not reappeared. Concern: This is the same safety defect already subject to Recall WUM-98. I believe the original recall remedy failed to permanently correct the defect, leaving owners vulnerable to reoccurrence and forcing them to pay out-of-pocket for a known recall-related safety failure. I request NHTSA’s review to determine whether Subaru’s recall remedy is adequate and to ensure owners are not unfairly charged for repeat repairs of the same defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SRS air bag system needs to be checked Alert on

I own a 2015 Subaru Forester that was involved in the NHTSA recall ID 19V-701 - Subaru safety recall WUM-98 in 2020. My VIN is [XXX] and my dealer is Lancaster County Subaru in Lancaster, PA. For about four months in the end of 2019 until February of 2020 we were unable to use the passenger seat due to the air bag problem which was intermittent. This required either my wife or I to ride in the back. We could correct this error on a restart by moving the yellow ODS wire harness under the seat and restarting the car. But our dealer and Subaru of America could not assure us that the air bag would deploy properly if we were in an accident because the system only does a system check when first starting the car, not while driving. Two weeks ago, about [XXX] my airbag issue has returned, again it's intermittent. I opened a case with Subaru of America, Case # [XXX] and they say there is no further recall for this issue. This is the same issue that was resolved by the NHTSA recall ID 19V-70. When it faults an orange SRS image appears on the screen then it shows an orange "i" on the top part of the center screen along with an orange image of the airbag error in the tachometer area and shows the airbag system is off. Once we aren't using the front passenger seat because of the safety concern about air bag not deploying properly if we were in an accident, because the system only does a system check when first starting the car, not while driving. Thank you INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My vehicle has a capacitive sensor in the passenger seat that determines if someone is sitting in the seat and turns the airbag on or off accordingly. Starting towards the beginning of March, my vehicle stopped detecting if someone was sitting in that seat and permanently disabled the airbags. I took the vehicle in to a Subaru dealer to get this fixed, as I view airbags as necessary to the safety of passengers in the vehicle. As it turns out, there was a previous recall for a part in this airbag system related to a wire harness. However, the dealer replaced this wire harness (at their expense) and it did not re-enable use of the passenger airbags. The dealer believes that the root cause of the issue is with the capacitive seat sensor. Not only was there an extended lead time on replacing this part (originally up to 1-year but luckily came in after a couple of months) but they would not pay for the cost of this part. Since there is no way for me to bypass this sensor to re-enable the airbags on my own, I believe that this part should be covered by Subaru. Furthermore, I don't understand how this part wasn't covered under a recall, either past or future, if it permanently disables a safety system. I was able to find a workaround online that involves installing a capacitor that makes the airbag system think someone is always present but Subaru would not perform this. This would mean that the airbag would go off even if someone is not sitting in the seat, but that seems like a small price to pay for potentially saving someone's life in the case of a potential accident. My case number with Subaru's Customer Advocacy group is Case # 250528-1300198 for any follow-up with them.

Airbag/seatbelt system failure August, 2024. Passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) failure. Detection system fails to correctly detect passenger in the seat. Sometimes it thinks there is no passenger, when there is one (will fail to deploy airbag in a crash); sometimes it thinks there is a passenger when there is none (requires seat belt to be buckled with no one in the seat). Recall (19V-701 -- ODS harness replacement) repairs were done to this vehicle Feb. 2020. New solution is different than for the 19V-701 recall. For this issue, dealer recommends replacement of seat frame bottom (seat sensor). The seat sensor is failing. Repairs can not be made because replacement seat sensors are NOT AVAILABLE. Backordered. Subaru USA estimates July, 2025 first availability. This means critical safety issue for passengers in this vehicle will exist for nearly a year--even if parts become available in July.

Passenger airbag says to be checked. Was a recall previously fixed in 2020. Same issue is arising and dealership will not fix for free Passenger airbag is off even with person sitting in it with seatbelt buckled

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated, and the message "SRS Air Bag System Failed" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the message "Passenger Air Bag Off" was displayed while the front passenger's side seat was being occupied.

This year, an error message indicated that the SRS system has ceased functioning on the passenger seat. According to the Subaru Service Center, a sensor within the seat has malfunctioned. This issue appears to be common, based on online research.

The passenger airbag kept turning off while someone was sitting in the seat. It would turn off intermittently, but then turned off for a very extended period. Photo attached is a screenshot of a video we took while driving.

Info Center showed a message Air Bag System needs servicing. Return codes B160 when codes were checked. Dealer said The Occupant Detection Pad needed to be replaced, must have got wet.

When passenger sitting in front right seat, airbag indicator says "airbag off" and warning light flashes "check airbag system". This is an intermittent problem occurring a few times over the past three months. Brought it into the Subaru dealer who recommended replacement of the seat cushion for $1425.

Passenger seat airbag is disabled even when there is a passenger present. The passenger seat occupant sensor system appears to be faulty. Check airbag system warning light comes on even if the passenger seat is occupied.

Front passenger airbag system turned off. doesn't recognize a passenger sitting in the seat therefore the seat belt reminder does not chime. There is a warning that does come onto the dash stating that the SRS system needed service.

I have the airbag sensor heated passenger seat problem and for some reason, my VIN is not listed in the recall for this problem. I have had this problem for over a year and thought it was from the clock spring, a costly repair I had just done. Clock spring repair fixed my horn not working problem but not my passenger airbag not working problem.

2015 Subaru Forester 135K miles Air bag light came on intermittently dealer replaced the front passenger seat and the problem went away . Out if warranty , but wanted to document it .

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated he notice that the front passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated indicating that there was no one seated in the passenger’s side seat, even though there was someone seated in the front passenger’s side seat.

SRS airbag light with and without passenger in front passenger seat. Brought to dealer for diagnostic and code B1650 is coming up.

Subaru dealership in Rockvile, MD diagnosed a defective airbags' occupant detection system (ODS) mat harness on my 2015 Subaru Forester. Recommend replacing part for $1200. Subaru America issued a recall WUM-98 (NHTSA 19V-701) on Oct 3, 2019 to adress this very issue on 2015-2018 vehicles.

The passenger side airbag warning light goes on and off. It came on when I went for a state inspection and caused a rejection. Computer reading listed 3 possible codes for repair investigation.

Airbag warning light comes on when passenger is in seat. Information panel indicates that the passenger airbag is deactivated. This issue appears the same as NHTSA 19V701, but the VIN for my car does not appear to be included.

I have continually been having the srs light coming on telling me that someone is sitting in my passenger seat when there is no on there or when my 15 year old sits in the front seat it does not register that anyone is sitting in the front seat. I took it to our local dealership as I am the original owner and they want over 1600 to fix this issue

When driving with a passenger in the front passenger seat, the "check airbag" message comes intermittently as if the passenger airbag switch is malfunctioning. When no passenger in front passenger seat, there is no alert/warning message. There is a recall notice wum-98 for the same problem by doesn't appear to apply to my VIN.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to brandon tomes subaru (1100 s.

BEEN HAVING REPEATED ISSUES WITH THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR THINKING SOMEONE IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHEN UNOCCUPIED AND THE SEATBELT LIGHT AND TONE BEEPS. THEN THE AIRBAG SRS LIGHT ILLUMINATES ON THE DASHBOARD SHOWING PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF. MY VEHICLE HAS HEATED SEATS BUT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT RECALL.

When the vehicle is in motion, the passenger airbag does not accurately sense when a passenger is in the seat. It sometimes senses a passenger when the passenger is present and sometimes it does not. The airbag turns off randomly when it should be on.

The passenger airbag sensor cannot detect if there is a passenger in the seat or not. There is an active recall, wum-98, which outlines the exact issue and fits my vehicle description (2015 subaru forester with heated seats), however, my VIN does not show it being affected by wum-98. I believe this is a severe safety issue and it needs to be included in the recall and resolved by subaru.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that the srs air bag off light illuminated while driving at various speeds. The dealer was not called.

The passenger airbag does not accurately sense when a passenger is in the seat. It sometimes senses a passenger when no passenger is present, and other times it will not sense a passenger when a passenger is present and will turn off the airbag when it should be on.

Passenger air bag will intermittently disable with a passenger seated in the front passenger seat. There is a current recall for this situation for 2015 -2018 foresters with heated seats. Somehow the recall does not affect my vehicle because it was manufactured in 2014 yet still uses the exact same defective sensor mat in the recalled vehicles.

There is a current recall for the passenger air bag sensor for 2015-2018 subaru foresters but somehow ours is not included in that. However, we are receiving an warning light stating that out passenger air bag sensor is failing. We took our subaru to get service and we were told ours was not affected and would not be repaired.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. Contact stated that while the passenger seats was occupied, the airbag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to carter subaru shoreline (17225 aurora ave n, seattle, wa 98133 (206) 202-7308) to be diagnosed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that the passenger's side frontal air bags sensor failed to indicate when a passenger was seated in the front passenger's seat of the vehicle. Kenny ross subaru located at 11299 lincoln hwy, north huntingdon, pa 15642 (724) 864-5100) was contacted and an appointment was made to have the vehicle diagnosed which was still pending.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19v701000 (air bags). The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated.

2015 subaru forester. Consumer writes in regards to passenger side airbag safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the parts were unavailable to complete the recall repair.

2015 subaru forester. The passenger seat front airbag sensor is malfunctioning. The dashboard displays 'passenger airbag off' when someone is sitting in the seat.

"srs airbag needs to be checked" and "passenger airbag off" messages 95% of time when operating car, regardless of whether a passenger is present or not. Seat has never been damaged or dampened, as some folks online report. Disconcerting to say the least.

2015 subaru forester. The passenger seat front airbag sensor is malfunctioning. The dashboard displays 'passenger airbag off' when someone is sitting in the seat.

The passenger airbag seat sensor intermittently fails to detect the passenger causing the passenger airbag not to arm. This is also accompanied by the srs dash light to turn on as well.

When a passenger is sitting in the front passenger seat, the airbag will frequently fail to turn on. An airbag warning light will instead appear on the dash. When I brought the car to the dealership, they insisted (before even looking at the car) that something must have been spilled on the seat and that the seat would need to be replaced (for $895).

Passenger airbag indicator is intermittently faulty. The warning light comes on upon starting. Then goes out next time the car is driven.

In may 2019 the airbag sensor warning went on unexpectedly and for no apparent reason while driver and a front seat passenger were in it and the car was in motion going approximately 30-40 MPH on a town road.

Passenger side airbag shuts off and a red indicator light appears on the dashboard while driving with someone in the seat. If you stop and turn the car off the system will reset. It has happened over 10xs.

The passenger airbag warning light first came on as soon as I started my car one morning in mid-october 2018, in which I took my car to subaru of kennesaw, ga to have it looked at.

Passenger seat airbag sensors malfunctioned. This caused the airbag to be turned off. This happened while the vehicle was stationary.

Within the last year, I have experienced on three separate occasions, instances where the warning lights for various safety systems on my 2015 subaru forester will come on, indicating that the system has been disabled due to a malfunction. These lights always come on while driving, within 15 minutes of the car being started. The first two instances related to my air bags being turned off.

I would like to make all prospective subaru forrester owners aware that the front passenger airbag does work if you sit on an additional cushion. These sensors do not work on weight but on some sort of electrostatic sensor that is blocked by any cushion or pillow. This if a dangerous problem for back patients and also for short people who sit on cushions to elevate themselves.

SRS airbag system not registering that there is a passenger in the passenger seat and therefore the airbag is not turning on.

The passenger occupancy sensor does not accurately detect if there is a passenger. This results in the airbag being "off" when a passenger is in the car. This is a known defect for other 2015 subaru foresters, but is not listed as a defect with my VIN.

The error message for air bag/seat belt warning comes on and off. It turns the passenger side air bag to off. It seems to be activated by weight on the seat.

A small crack appeared mysteriously on the front windshield and has spread - over the past month - where it now covers 1/2 of the windshield. Nothing hit my car, to create the crack or make it spread. The right air bag light keeps going on and keeps beeping when there is no one sitting in the seat.

Passenger Airbag light on seatbelt light on passenger front airbags inactive

The automatic occupant detection system sensor no longer registers if a passenger is sitting in the front passenger seat, thus the front passenger’s frontal airbag is not turned on when driving with a passenger in the front seat.

I have continually had the SRS airbag tell me that is not registering someone in the front seat as it turns off when someone is in the front seat. This has been reported to Subaru however they refuse to do anything about it as they say because I purchased it in 2014 it isn't covered under the recall due to the fact I have the same symptoms as the recall along with the heated seats.

“Passenger airbag off” light randomly turns on and off while passenger is sitting in seat during driving.

First the sensor for the passenger seat failed and I had to keep the seat belt buckled even when no one was in the seat because the alarm would sound. Then the air bag light came on and says it is not operational. When I checked with Subaru I was told we must have spilled a drink on it.

Front passenger seat doesn't detect passenger. Airbags off and come up with warning signs stating that they are off. "SRS airbag system needs to be checked."

I believe my car should be subject to the wum-98 recall but is not listed as one on your website.

The passenger side seat registers that no one is sitting in the seat and it disables the airbag system. Someone can be sitting in the seat buckled up and then it will randomly pop-up with a warning message that there is an airbag issue and that no one is sitting in the seat.

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 19v701000 (air bags), which indicated that the parts were unavailable. The contact spoke with gregoris subaru (575 w merrick rd, valley stream, ny 11580, (516) 825-8700) and was informed that a representative would call back.

Passenger airbag disabled due to sri code in seat. Passenger seat sensor defective.

A vehicle running a red light impacted the subaru's front end and the airbags did not deploy.

Takata recall notice in newspaper.

2015 subaru forester. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle air bag system problems. *smd the consumer stated if a passenger is not a certain weight, the air bag system does not register the person sitting in the seat and there air bag is not activated.

The vehicle was driven several miles with the passenger sitting on a thin pillow. When arriving at the destination it was noticed that the passenger airbag off light was illuminated. The light is very difficult if even possible to see in the sunshine, so it is unknown how long it had been illuminated.