What 613 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru Forester Wilderness

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated, and the air bag module warning light was illuminated. The air bag occupant classification system was not operating as intended. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and an occupant detection system malfunction code was retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags); as a possible cause for the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,684.

NHTSA ODI 11747820

Codes for B1760 and B1650 present, intermittent SRS light for the passenger airbag. Passengers put at risk in event of crash. SRS sensor issues seem to be common for this vehicle according to online databases and dealership technicians.

NHTSA ODI 11746865

Front passenger airbag sensor light stays on continuously

NHTSA ODI 11732834

Passenger airbag sensor intermittently works and turns off when passenger is in the seat. Dashboard light for airbag is constantly on and passenger airbag is constantly off. Issues with seat sensor going off when no one is sitting in the passenger seat. Abs system error message. All identical to recall symptoms.

NHTSA ODI 11703165

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.

NHTSA ODI 11693312

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.

NHTSA ODI 11692561

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

NHTSA ODI 11690820

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.

NHTSA ODI 11688906

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)

NHTSA ODI 11686202

SRS air bag system needs to be checked Alert on

NHTSA ODI 11684434

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)

NHTSA ODI 11683183

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.

NHTSA ODI 11663506

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.

NHTSA ODI 11641507

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

NHTSA ODI 11639709

The Vehicle was sold to me by a local dealership not SUBARU Manufacturer themselves with the conditions marked above and more, the wheels when purchased as i turned any corners it would sound like the underside of the vehicle would explode even when driving straight it was just less frequent and caused the ABS system to activate and would pull one way or another. the Transmission has never been inspected by the dealership that sold it to me and the manufacturer seal was broken so it had leaked and caused major lack of power resulting in many close calls due to lose of forward propulsion it is a closed transmission without a dip stick and the dealership refused to do anything about it. the Airbag system has never worked at all and the dealership knew this and same with the Reverse hazard warning detection system or the TPMS and again i was told that i just needed to drive it and it would work itself out by the owner of the dealership who test drove it 3 times and refused to do anything about the obvious issues and now it has been a little over a year i’m in debt and basically out of a vehicle and can man as well as personal money sunk into this vehicle that I would consider beyond a lemon

NHTSA ODI 11638241

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. The real danger, though, was if there had been some projectile or debris that impacted the window while the passenger's head was trapped against it. The way the airbag deployed actually exposed the passenger to much more danger, and caused more more injury, than if it had not deployed at all. The passenger was awake and upright in her seat at the time of the incident. A county sheriff reported to the scene, and the vehicle was towed to a lot. The vehicle is otherwise untouched and available for inspection. No inspection of any kind has taken place yet (the officer at the scene did not examine the vehicle at all, and insurance has not seen the vehicle yet). There were no symptoms of the problem prior to the incident. The only warning light that was on was for a malfunctioning TPMS system, but the tires were confirmed to be at correct pressure by external gauge.

NHTSA ODI 11625052

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

NHTSA ODI 11621177

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. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000(Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11618019

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 failed sensor poses a risk to the front passenger, as it may disable the SRS system and potentially the airbag. Despite this, the dealer has informed us that the repair will not be covered under warranty due to the vehicle's 2015 model year. The dealer has recommended replacing the entire seat, which seems to be an unusually premature failure for a part expected to last the vehicle’s lifetime.

NHTSA ODI 11610626

The passenger airbag kept turning off while someone was sitting n 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.

NHTSA ODI 11607150

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. But then when the car is driven with no passenger, the system dings until the driver hooks the passenger seatbelt--it thinks the passenger is still there. (I weigh 190; my spouse weighs 125). The consequences are that if the vehicle is involved in a crash and my spouse is in the passenger seat, her airbag will fail to deploy. If anyone is driving without a passenger (after I have been in the passenger seat) the passenger airbag may deploy unnecessarily, should a crash occur. My ODS harness was replaced in Feb., 2020 as part of NTSA Safety Recall ID 19V-701 (Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98) to address faulty ODS issues. (I was not having an issue then). Yesterday my local Subaru dealer recommended "Seat frame bottom replacement and ODS harness DTC B1760, 17067" to address this "ODS Internal Failure." "Part is on back order" so repair is pending.

NHTSA ODI 11606859

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 sensor will also error and require a buckle when there is no weight on the seat.

NHTSA ODI 11577562

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.

NHTSA ODI 11557937

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. The only way i can get it to stop is to engage the seat belt - again, even though there is no one in the seat.

NHTSA ODI 11554436

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. The contact stated that all the air bags had deployed. The contact stated that his wife had broken her right thigh and right ankle. The contact stated he suffered severe whiplash and concussion. The contact stated that he and his wife were transported to the emergency room. The contact stated that he later had to undergo a fusion of several neck vertebrae. The contact stated that the air bag on the passenger side had exploded and he had burns and abrasions on the right side of his face due to the exploding air bag. The contact stated that the exploding air bag fragments had penetrated the right side of his face and neck. The vehicle had been towed away and later declared a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ODI 11551551