2025 Subaru Outback Airbags Problems

Front passenger airbag does not turn on and/stay on when my adult wife is seated (5'7" 100lbs). Moving the seat up/down and/or back/forth sometimes allows the system to activate but it then turns off later on while driving. The Subaru owner's manual instructs the owner that when this occurs the passenger should sit in the back and Subaru Service should be obtained. Subaru Service has inspected the car and indicated the system is functioning properly, and there is nothing to repair. Afterwards, calling the Subaru Customer Advocate they indicated that they expect the system to turn on for my wife, and that there is no weight minimum for the air bag. They said that I should return to the service center with her so that they could witness the issue. A return appointment was made and completed today. Subaru Service center staff witnessed the passenger air back system ignoring my wife in the seat. Their response was comprised of confusion as to why we were there followed by the judgement that the system was working as designed (based on the previous visit) so there is no problem to be fixed. It appears that the Subaru air bag system does not protect all adult passengers. Also, the owner's manual instructing the driver to tell the passenger to sit in the back when this occurs, seems to indicate that this is not a normal situation and needs to be repaired.

Front Passenger side icon shows airbag off when passenger is in passenger seat

The front seat passenger airbag has an amber colored lighted alert indicator on the dashboard that is supposed to change from “off” to “on” when an occupant of sufficient weight is seated in that position. The dealer who recently sold me my new 2025 Subaru Outback advised me that this indicator is calibrated to trigger when a passenger weighing over 85 pounds occupies that seat. However, while I have found that it works for example when an occupant sits in the front passenger seat at a weight of 190 pounds it does not switch from off to on when a passenger weighing 97 pounds has occupied this seating position. This problem occurs only with the front passenger seat airbag alert indicator and works properly when a passenger of either exampled weight class occupies the driver’s seat.

Shortly after purchasing my vehicle I noticed that the passenger airbag illuminated “off” indicator did not switch from “off” to “on” when an individual weighing under 100 pounds occupies the front passenger set in the vehicle. I could find nothing in the owner’s literature accompanying my car’s purchase addressing the threshold weight set by the manufacturer or dealer for passenger airbag activation/deactivation but was told informally by a dealer representative that the weight threshold for the vehicle is set at 100 pounds and cannot be adjusted to activate for front passenger seat occupants weighing any less—a potential safety issue for my wife who weighs less than 100 pounds and often occupies the front passenger seat position.