airbag alert for front passenger seat is lit and disabling the airbag. the seat was empty and dry with nothing in it.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated, and the air bag was not activated message was displayed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70, 000.

- Flushing, NY, USA

Per the dealership, the occupant detection wiring harness resulting in the passenger side not activating despite a passenger sitting in the car. This causes a risk to the passenger as the airbag is not activated and the warning light goes on. This problem has been confirmed by the Subaru dealership. There is currently a recall for this issue for this particular issue and vehicle, however the VIN is not included. Additionally, when I look at the product campaign bulletin it outlines how to identify if there is a faulty harness. The harness ID falls in the vehicle within the the range of numbers that classifies it as a faulty harness. Despite this, Subaru refuses to replace it at their cost as the VIN is not covered by the recall notice.

- Pacific Palisades, CA, USA

The sensor in the seat has been intermittently working for years and finally quit. It costs close to $2000 to fix and there is no way to switch the air bag to stay on. It seems this is an issue with other 2018 Subaru foresters and for some reason the recall did not apply to my VIN.

- Suwanee, GA, USA

This is related to the ODS recall (October 3, 2019 NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000) where the sensor mat harness was replaced. Turns out the ODS sensor mat also needs to be replaced. The issue was happening intermittently throughout 2024 and I have brought the car in for service but the part is on back order for 2 months now.

- Orangeburg, NY, USA

The passenger-side front airbag Occupancy Detection System harness failed on my vehicle. The dealer charged me for a replacement, even though this part was recalled. They said they could not perform the repair free of charge because the recall was not listed for my VIN. I attempted to contact Subaru 12 days ago to request reimbursement, but I did not receive a response. I do not have the old part available, but I do have a photograph of the supplier code and date code on the harness. The codes are within the affected range, as indicated in recall bulletin WUM-98R (NHTSA ID 19V-701) Evidently, Subaru has failed to identify all of the vehicles affected by this defect. Passenger safety was put at risk because the airbag system would disable itself whenever somebody sat in the front passenger seat. Because the problem was intermittent, and because Subaru failed to notify me of the defect, this led to a delay in getting it repaired. The dealer diagnosed the issue and determined that the harness needed to be replaced. Whenever the failure occurred, the airbag trouble light turned on and the message "passenger air bag off" was displayed, even if there was a passenger in that seat.

- Williamsville, NY, USA

The malfunction identified in NHTSA campaign number 19V701 has been continually malfunctioning again, beginning about a year ago. This is happening within a relatively short time after it was supposedly fixed. (Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98). It is the exact same problem as previously identified in 19V701.

- Granite Bay, CA, USA

My 2018 Subaru Forester has a faulty passenger air bag sensor, which has been diagnosed by my local Subaru dealer, with a repair cost of $1,500+ for labor and parts. It has intermittently turned on and off again, but after getting a separate issue fixed by my dealer, they diagnosed this problem, and every time the car is turned on, the warning light is constantly displayed, and the passenger seat airbag light shows "OFF" even when someone is in the passenger seat. Upon research, this is a known and common issue with other Subaru Foresters with heated seats in the same model year (my Forester does have heated seats), but my VIN is not included in the Subaru recall for this specific repair. This greatly puts the passenger in my car at risk, as the sensor does not recognize that a person is in the seat while they are riding, and if we were to be in an accident, their airbag would not deploy. I am frustrated that this is a known, common safety issue that affects my model and year of car, but my VIN is not included on the recall list. I would expect that my car should also be included in the recall and fixed by the dealer at their expense as it is clearly documented many times on other 2018 Subaru Foresters.

- Fairfax, VA, USA

The passenger seat, passenger air bags, and occupant detection system are failing. YES! Available for inspection. Passenger occupants are put at risk riding in my passenger seat as the seat does not detect if the seatbelt is on, or even if someone is sitting in the seat. The AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN INTENDED! Issue was first brought to [XXX] at Subaru in Pasco WA, where they -??could not do anything because it was not YET a recall.-?? As of [XXX], it has been confirmed by an ISC (Subaru of Hermiston, OR) My vehicle has been there since!!! They have not been able to fix the issue or get the part. There is no date of when the part is expected to available. We have been working with Subaru Customer Advocates who have extended my loaner car out 30 days, but after that. I will be OUT OF A SAFE vehicle. I have three children and NEED my passenger seat to be working effectively and SAFELY! Yes, there were warning lights that came on. The lights were on the dash. The red square with an -??i-?? next to odometer and a red passenger air bag symbol below the other light that popped up. I have pictures and videos dated between June 2023 to March 2024 of the lights coming on. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Umatilla, OR, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger-??s side air bag warning light was intermittently flashing on the instrument panel with or without an occupant seated in the front passenger-??s seat. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed; the diagnostic test discovered that the occupant detection system mat was defective and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags) which was linked to the failure; however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

- Salisbury, MD, USA

I receive a warning light and the passenger air bag does not turn on when I have a passenger in the front seat.

- Osceola, WI, USA

Airbag on passenger side stopped working last November. Subaru says it-??s the switch in the seat and the seat needs replacing at a cost of approximately $1300. This should be part of the recall and be paid for by Subaru.

- Ferndale , CA, USA

Not sure why my car is not being recalled for occupant detection harness. Subaru telling me it-??s the vin number, that-??s not the problem it-??s I have a defective harness according to Subaru product bulletin wud-98r harness with date prior to 18074 is defective and needs to be replaced free of charge. My harness has a date of 17293. My car has all the criteria of the recall. This started back in April 2020 with warning light on and off same with airbag indicator. Now the warning light is on constantly and airbag is off constantly

- Millsboro , DE, USA

Vehicle Airbag light on Dash and is available for inspection upon request. Safety is at risk due to Airbag SRS system being disabled and bas will not deploy due to malfunctioning component. Vehicle has the symptoms of "Subaru recalled certain 2015-2018 Foresters equipped with heated seats, due to faulty wiring in an airbag sensor. If the wire's connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.-?? This was remedied by replacing the ODS (Occupant Detection Sensor) in the passenger seat. Vehicle will be brought to dealer for inspection, however, myself and others on forums with 2018 Subaru foresters with heated seats apparently fall outside of the recall, but experience the same issue. Warning lamps appeared and system was scanned, airbag module tested ok.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

The passenger airbag warning light had appeared intermittently but now is continuous, indicating that the passenger airbag will not function when someone is seated there. The car was taken to the dealer and I was told that the seat bottom would need to be replaced. There is a recall WUM-98 on this very issue for 2018 Foresters with heated seats which my car has. Neither the dealer nor Subaru of America has explained to me why my car is not included in this recall. This is a serious passenger safety issue and the recall should be expanded since it is clearly a vehicle defect.

- Emmaus, PA, USA

In early October, 2023, the red airbag inoperative light (airbag "off") came on the dashboard when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. This was an intermittent issue with the light coming on at times and off for several days before reappearing. On, the vehicle was brought to the Suburu dealer (Subaru of Auburn, WA) for testing and repair. Suburu technicians tested the seat sensor unit and determined is was at fault. (see uploaded work order) Part number 64139SG200VH was ordered [XXX] as no local dealers had stock of this particular part number. At the time of the order, I was informed that the part would be available in December, 2023. I queried Suburu of Auburn in mid-December and they indicated a new date of February, 2024 for availability of the part. On [XXX], I visited the Suburu dealer and was told the part is still "on back order" with no firm date of delivery. My concern is this is a safety related issued that has no definitive time frame for rectification. This renders the vehicle unsafe for front passenger occupancy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Auburn, WA, USA

Our Subaru began experiencing intermittent issues with the warning light for the occupant detection wiring harness (ODS) in October 2023. The vehicle was inspected by Duteau Subaru of Lincoln NE on October 19th 2023 who determined the issue was a malfunctioning of the seat sensor for the occupant seat and was told I would have to replace the entire seat base to correct the issue. I understand that this issue has already been recalled in Subaru Foresters produced from January 20 2015 to August 1 2017 in recall NHTSA ID 19V-701; however, my forester was produced in March 2018 outside the recall dates. Upon inspection of the ODS sensor mat the tag specified in the recall (photo attached) matched the producer (6578) and dates specified prior to 18074 (17321) in the recall so we were wondering why our car was not part of the recall if all parts by that producer were recalled prior to production date code 18074?-??When I contacted Subaru of America to determine why our car was not also recalled I was told that recalls are VIN specific and set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and no further action was going to be taken to replace the defective seat sensor.

- Tucker, GA, USA

Around 83,000 miles my passenger safety air bag warning sensor started coming on and off intermittently. It would happen both when a passenger was in the seat and when no one was in the seat. There have been no previous issues. I immediately scheduled my car to be diagnosed at the Subaru dealership and they notified me the passenger occupancy sensor pad is faulty and that it would cost $1,483.47 to replace. The dealer stated that the passenger airbag might not deploy if the sensor is not replaced. This puts the safety of the passenger at risk. I researched and found that there was a recall with 2016-2018 Subaru Forester SUV's with heated seats. Recall WUM-98. However, when I called Subaru they said that there were no open recalls on my car.

- Saint Charles, MO, USA

We took the car in for servicing because the SRS light went off. Upon inspection, the Subaru service department found that the SRS sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. They said if not replaced, there is a chance the airbag would not go off in the event of an accident. The part is backordered until January, but Subaru won't ok a rental or car loan until the part arrives. Their solution is to inform us that there is nothing they can do until the part arrives, and released our vehicle with instructions to not have anyone in the passenger seat until then. This cannot be a safe and appropriate course of action.

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

When there is a passenger in my Subaru Forrester, the Occupant Detection System deactivates the passenger airbag. When I researched the issue, I noticed there is a recall for Foresters but my specific vehicle doesn't fall into the recall. When reviewing Product Campaign Bulletin on the NHTSA website, the Harness Label Inspection Procedure states to inspect the label and if its has supplier code 6578 AND the date code before 18074, the harness must be replaced. My Forester has both the supplier code and the date code before 18074 but my vehicle doesn't have a recall associated with it so the Subaru service center won't replace it. I'm currently driving with a deactivated airbag and that can't possibly be safe. Please NHTSA, widen the recall!

- Staten Island, NY, USA