2017 Subaru Forester Air Bags

Airbag light came on intermittently at first, then constantly in 2023. It was determined to be a defective ODS in the passenger seat, and was repaired at Subaru’s expense “Goodwill” on November 2 2023. Again in 2025, the SRS alert appeared intermittently at first, then continuously that the system needed service. The car was at Fox Subaru for 8 days, and eventually I was told by Subaru Customer Advocacy they would not cover the expensive repair for a second failure, and I’m reluctant to pay for it based on my concern for its reliability. The defective component is still in the car, but I cannot accommodate a front seat passenger safely. Both times, I was told “probable” moisture damage, although the first repair in 2023 revealed no moisture, and this seat has never gotten wet. A failure of the front passenger airbag would put a front seat passenger as higher risk in a collision. In 2020 a recall of the ODS electrical harness was repaired under recall. There has been a recall of Subaru Outback, for a similar failure of the ODS sensor. Other 2017 Subaru Forrester owners have posted online of similar issues and excuses from Subaru.

The WUM-98 recall fix did not address the problem with the front passenger occupancy detection system. We, and many other Subaru Forester owners are continuing to experience problems post recall repair with the SRS Airbag light on, indicating error code B1760 "Occupant Detection Sensor Mat" failure. Subaru is not covering the cost of addressing this problem, and the entire seat frame and bottom cushion (that includes the sensor mat) are required to be replaced at the consumer's expense, with bills for repair in excess of $1.700. And, due to the high demand for this repair, parts are not available to perform the repair for as much as 6 months! This is jeopardizing the safety of occupants in the front passenger seat for extended periods of time while waiting for parts, whereby the airbag is not active due to the sensor mat problem. The original recall should have encompassed not only the harness cable component, but also the sensor mat. This is a very obvious Subaru Problem and they should take responsibility and not pass this off to their customers

I had an Occupant Detection System replaced under recall in my 2017 Forester. Five years later it went bad. Obviously, still faulty. Cost $1,800.00+ (you read that right) to have it replaced. Contacted Subaru twice about this and both times denied for replacement cost. Really unfair and absurd. Will never own another Subaru for this reason. Not standing behind a sub par part. Unwilling to help out customers.

My srs airbag system is off for the drivers. It went off for no reason. I went to Subaru but they said it would be $3000 and an undetermined wait for the part to come in. But I’m supposed to keep driving my primary car with no guarantee my airbags will deploy if in an accident.

SRS AIRBAG LIGHT continuously switches on in the car with a passenger present. The seat has been replaced, light is still coming on and issue is not resolved. The dealer is refusing to resolve the issue with the sensor/ wiring harness and saying it is not applicable for recall repairs. This is a Safety issue that Subaru of America is refusing to address that directly impacts the safety of passengers and consumers.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the occupant detection system (ODS) had failed and needed to be replaced. The part was ordered 9 months ago; however, the part was on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and two cases were opened. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The airbag warning light illuminates sometimes. I investigated the area under the passenger seat, related to the previous recall for the passenger seat occupancy sensor, and found that there were cut cable ties and no support for the wiring under the seat. I attempted to reseat the connectors and the warning light turned off for a while but turned back on later. It appears that either the previous recall didn't fix the issue or that the repair work was not performed correctly.

Passenger airbag light comes on saying off while passenger is in the car

I have been in contact with Michael Hohl Subaru for the last 1 1/2 years or more regarding airbag turning off while seats are occupied. I have continuously been told that the part to fix it is on eternal back order. Contacted to Shalana at Subaru of America and was told there is nothing they can do. They cannot give us a rental car or loaner car. Steve Dix at Michael Hohl said they cannot help us either.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags); but the remedy failed to fix the vehicle. The contact stated that the air bag warning light had remained illuminated after the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

I just noticed today that the air bag warning light was illuminated. There was an adult in the passenger seat and the car indicated that the passenger air bag was OFF. This vehicle had a previous air bag recall applied that was to correct these same symptoms. I noticed that a zip tie was cut and not replaced that secured the underseat wiring. I checked the underseat connectors and they all appear to be securely connected.

A few years ago, our Subaru Forester had an open recall (WUM98-1) due to an issue with the passenger-side front airbag ODS, which caused the system to fail to detect a passenger, making it unsafe to drive. We had the recall repair completed at the time. However, about a month ago, the same airbag warning light came on again. After taking the vehicle in for service, we were informed that a different part (passenger front seat bottom assembly) now needs to be replaced due to code B1650. The dealership stated that this part is on a three-month backorder, leaving us with an unresolved safety issue. Since this appears to be the same underlying problem affecting the passenger airbag system, I am reporting it to the NHTSA to determine if other Foresters are experiencing similar failures. Additionally, this is an expensive repair, and I believe it warrants further investigation to determine if Subaru should take responsibility for addressing it.

On 8/14/25, a diagnostic fee was charged by White Bear Lake Subaru in Vadnais Heights, MN for an issue that was later confirmed to be part of an open Occupant Detection System (ODS) recall on a 2017 Subaru Forester. When the recall repair was completed on 8/27/25, the dealership refused to refund the diagnostic fee, saying reimbursement had to come from Subaru of America. Subaru of America then stated that diagnostic fees are determined by the retailer and would not be reimbursed. This left the consumer with an out-of-pocket charge directly tied to an open safety recall affecting the airbag system. Recalls are supposed to be performed at no cost, including any diagnostics required to confirm the recall issue.

Over a year ago, the vehicle started reporting that the passenger side seat sensor was not working correctly, and would fail to register that the seat was actually occupied. The vehicle was taken to a Subaru dealer who told us that a replacement sensor was unavailable, and that the part would have to be made and shipped from Japan, and that it could take as a long as a year to be received. The sensor has intermittently worked or not since that time. When we had the vehicle in for service recently we were told that the part still was not available, and that it could still take a year for a replacement part to be available. This is a serious safety issue.

My passenger airbag light goes on and off while someone is sitting in the passenger seat. I've experienced this with people of different weight in that seat. I looked it up and found a TSB related to this issue (NHTSA ID: 19V-701, Number: [XXX] ) but my specific car is not covered even though it is having the same problem and is the same year, make/model. I took the car to the Subaru dealer on Monday [XXX] and they confirmed there is a faulty passenger occupant sensor but they will not cover the repair. This issue puts my wife or anyone else sitting in the passenger side at huge risk for loss of life. The light that goes on and off is just the sensor light, my error light in the dashboard does not go on even though the dealer has confirmed this issue. I am requesting that you recall all cars with my year/make/model since this issue is life threatening. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Passenger side airbag alert for not working. Came on was repaired by dealer came on again. Dealer says part needed not currently available. Part needed is the passenger seat.

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.

Front Passenger airbag sensor fault causing airbag to be turned off despite unit having been repaired under recall 19V-701. Occurs approximately 50% of the time after starting car and appropriate adult weight passenger sits in front seat. Has occurred on at least 3 occasions in last week.

For the last 2 yrs. our airbag light comes on and off saying we don't have air bags, some days it works and others it doesn't. I took the car into a Subaru dealership, and they said I had to replace the passenger seat at a cost of $1,200.00. I just saw that there is a recall about this and would like to get them to fix this issue at no cost. Subaru is supposed to be the safest car on the road, we'll I'm not feeling safe now.

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 from the dealer or manufacturer.

The contact owned a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn at an intersection, the contact observed there was a vehicle coming towards the intersection at high speeds. The contact stated that the stop light was green, however, the contact stopped the vehicle, and the vehicle coming towards the contact, depressed the brake pedal causing the vehicle to swerve and crash into the contact's vehicle on the front passenger's side at approximately 50 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle spun around about 90 degrees. The air bags did not deploy, and no warning lights were illuminated. The contact sustained severe whiplash causing a concussion, crushed disc, ruptured at least 1 vertebrae, and spinal column nerve damage. The contact had been receiving medical treatment since the accident. The vehicle was towed to the tow company's storage lot. A police report was filed. The insurance company determined that the vehicle was a total loss. The other driver sustained severe burns when the air bags deployed. The contact was informed that the vehicle was in dealer mode, which did not allow warning lights to illuminate the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

I was in an accident hit from left driver side and no deployment of airbags

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 loaner vehicle to the dealer. The contact was advised by the dealer not to have a passenger sit in the front passenger’s seat until the air bag sensor was replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

My passenger airbag light has been on for several months now. And another warning light comes on frequently, telling me to check the SRS airbag system. The first time I mentioned it at the Subaru dealership, they told me there was nothing wrong with it. But I took it in for an oil change, and had them check it again. Because I feel like my passenger is in danger, with the airbag off. This time, they told me I need a new lower seat on the passenger side, that the sensor inside the airbag is faulty. And it will cost almost a thousand dollars fix it. And it would come out of my own pocket. I found out this is a known issue with Subaru, and I don't understand why they don''t have a recall on this. My Subaru service department told me he'd replaced 4 in the last two weeks. That's a lot!

Passenger air bag warning light on dash does not turn off. Other warning light says air bagis off.