What 577 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Forester

The recall repair for the ODS has failed again.

NHTSA ODI 11743743

Had recall completed for passenger airbag prior now SRS airbag on since 6/7/2026 per dealer code B1650 & B1760 as history codes. States found passenger side airbag sensor has erratic operation, recommended replacing seat bottom with integrated sensor for $2015 at Spreen Subaru of San Bernardino. Why is the sensor failing again? Unable to drive vehicle due to potential of airbags not deploying, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. No other issues with vehicle no one in front passenger seat when SRS airbag illuminated on dashboard, no spills, have seat covers to protect from ant fluids. No accidents that would cause this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11742971

The driver’s seat in my 2017 Subaru Forester suddenly became loose and moves left to right while driving. The vehicle has only 27,000 miles, has never been in an accident, and has been meticulously maintained. The Subaru dealer diagnosed failed seat frame rail guides and replaced the entire seat undercarriage at a cost of $1,742 because the guides cannot be replaced individually. The dealer stated they had never seen this failure before. Because the seat moves laterally while driving, I believe this represents a potential safety defect.

NHTSA ODI 11724060

There is intermittent failure of the passenger air bag occupancy detection system (ODS). This shows up as aporadic display of the passenger air bag failure code in the car, and became more frequent until the code rained on. This was previously an issue, but a couple years ago I performed the Subaru issued recall related to this sensor and it went away for a time. Now the same issue has come back. It is pretty clear that the issue has persisted and the recall did not adequately address the issue, but Subaru refuses to address the issue, citing the completed recall. In searching online, it seems that many others have this same experience. \n\nIf the passenger air bag fails to deploy in a crash this is clearly a major safety issue that Subaru should take steps to resolve, even if it means replacing the sensor multiple times.

NHTSA ODI 11723045

I want to bring a widespread safety issue up that is not being resolved by the manufacturer. I have a 2017 Subaru Forester with a faulty ODS sensor. This is a known issue to Subaru and there are bulletins issued on this topic (WUM-98 and 17-19-24). I had the original ODS sensor replaced in 2021. Several months ago my passenger airbag lights started to turn off again. I took it to Subaru and they did a diagnostic test and found that the replacement ODS sensor had again malfunctioned - code b1760 "occupant detector sensor mat fault." I was told (at the dealership service center) that the sensor is on back order and was quoted to 1,887.62 to replace the seat bottom. However, the seat bottom is also on back order. I was told to contact Subaru directly and they would likely cover the cost since this is a known issue with a bulletin out and the parts are on backorder through the dealership. I have since contacted Subaru many times only to be told that there are no active recalls on my vehicle and the recall for the faulty ODS sensor shows completed on 6/28/2021 @ 57,096 and Subaru would not have a path of goodwill assistance towards the repair since it has been more than a year since the replacement.  Subaru forums are full of owners going through the same thing and being told the part is back-ordered, they need a new 1,800 seat bottom, or this issue isn't covered because their seat probably got wet, etc. If both the wiring harness and the seat bottom are both on back order, then what is the solution - buy a new seat, buy a new car? This is not a cosmetic issue, normal "wear and tear" or a maintenance issue. This is a model-wide issue among all Subaru vehicles. This is a defective part and clearly replacing the wiring harness does not fix the problem. This is a widespread safety issue that is not being addressed properly by Subaru, which is why I'm escalating this to the NTSB. 

NHTSA ODI 11696853

In 2020 my ODS wireharness had been replaced. I'm now having the same issue in 2025 with the ODS system. I had the ODS recall fixed but the dealership is telling me it is the ODS seat mat not the harness that needs repair and that is not covered under the recall. The airbag light is showing it is off even when I have a passenger. This is very dangerous because if I were to get in an accident my passenger is not protected. I have not gotten it replaced or fixed because they are quoting me over 2000 for the repair. This repair should be covered under the ODS recall.

NHTSA ODI 11690846

The passenger airbag sensor often, but not always, malfunctions in my 2017 Subaru Forrester. Often it says PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF when there is a passanger. Occording to KBB Kelly Blue Book there IS a current RECALL in place for 2017 Subaru Forresters for EXACTLY this issue, including for my car - but when i typed in my liscnese plate in the NHTSA website, no unrepaired recalls showed up for my car.

NHTSA ODI 11681854

The passenger seat sensor intermittently turns on and off as indicated by the warning light on the dashboard and the "passenger airbag on off" light indicating it is off when an adult passenger is sitting in the seat. This put the passenger at risk of serious injury if a collision would have occurred or could occur. I took my car to the dealership on January 1, 2025 where they inspected the vehicle and said that the seat sensor needed to be replace costing 1,700. The above warning first occurred on December 19, 2024 and then on December 26, 2024, which both occurred on a 250-mile trip. The passenger airbag wiring harness was replaced under recall in August 2020 but failed to correct the problem. Internet searches have indicated that this is a continuing safety issue, but currently there is no recall on the seat sensor.

NHTSA ODI 11635084

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 2,000. 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.

NHTSA ODI 11633282

Passenger air bag light on dash coming on, started off dinging even with no one sitting in the passenger seat. Now the Air bag light stays on constantly. I was told by the Subaru dealership near me that they found a B1650 in the system for occupant detection malfunction. Tested the seat with a human and the scan tool and they found the sensor is not picking anything up. The mechanic told me the seat appeared to be wet, which it was not and has never had water damage. The vehicle is garage kept and has low mileage so minimal exposure. The dealership told me I would have to pay 160 for diagnostic and 1200 before tax to have the seat base replaced. I know there was a recall for the passenger air bag in the past which I did take into the same dealership who says the replaced the defective part. I feel the Subaru company should stand behind their product and correct this issue. I was told they would not guarantee the airbag would work, which is a HUGE safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11606645

I noticed that the airbag light was continuously illuminated on the dashboard of my Subaru Forester. I promptly took my vehicle to a certified Subaru dealership to have the issue diagnosed and resolved. After a thorough inspection, it was determined that the passenger seat bottom occupant seat mat required replacement to rectify the problem. Otherwise, my airbags would not inflate in the event that I would need them. I would like to emphasize that I have always maintained my vehicle in excellent condition and followed all recommended maintenance procedures. I have never exposed the seat to moisture or allowed any foreign objects to be shoved under it. Furthermore, I am the primary driver of the vehicle and rarely have passengers, which makes it highly unlikely for any undue stress or wear to be placed on the seat mat. Considering the circumstances, it is evident that this issue is a result of a manufacturing defect or premature failure, rather than any negligence or misuse on my part. I find it disconcerting that a critical safety component such as the airbag system would fail within a relatively short period of time and with minimal use. There was a significant repair cost as well.

NHTSA ODI 11536604

My vehicle had the WUM98 Safety recall completed on March 09, 2020. In July 2022, the SRS system started giving error messages that the system needed to be checked. It seemed to reset when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. When it happened for the 3rd time in 3 weeks, I took it in to the Subaru Dealership where they found this: B1650 Perform Diag TSB#07-108-16R. They claimed that the seat must have gotten wet to create this error code, but it seems to me to be the same problem as was reported in the :NUMBER: WUM-98R NHTSA ID: 19V-701 DATE: 10/14/19 REVISED: 12/13/19 documents that I found on the NHSTA site. I think the same issue is in this newer harness that was in the older one. On August 16,2022, we picked up the vehicle from its other repairs (60,000 mile service and AC condenser replacement). The dealer had just reset the B1650 code. We drove less than 50 miles before the “SRS airbag system needs to be checked” error message came back on. It only seems to come on at certain times when the passenger is over 190lbs. In addition, every once in a while the passenger seatbelt alarm goes off with no one in the seat. The only way to get it to stop is to engage the seatbelt. The Subaru dealer wants to replace the seat cushion with the harness and the ODS mat for a total of $1600.00. I believe that this was one of the options to do in 2020, but they opted for only replacing the cable, not the full sensor and seat.

NHTSA ODI 11480238

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side front seat and air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479728

My SRS airbag light came on and said it needed to be inspected. Notably, this issue is similar to a prior recall of this vehicle that I had repaired. The Subaru dealership indicated that the bottom of the seat needed replaced and that the airbag may not function properly until this is fixed; however, they also noted that the part won't be in stick until October/November. This seems like a huge safety issue to not have the part and there is potential that the airbags won't work.

NHTSA ODI 11473748

Issue with passenger air bag. Issue was caught and detected by dealership as ods sensor error. Further research revealed recall in vehicles of the same year, make, and model as vehicle in question for that part. Dealership and corporate offices deny relation of problems with recall, claim no such recall exists for the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11470592

AIRBAG LIGHT FOR PASSENGER SEAT COMES ON WHILE SEAT IS OCCUPIED BY A 200+ LBS PASSENGER.

NHTSA ODI 11365022

THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH MY SUBRARU FORESTER 2017 FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS) MALFUNCTIONS SAME AS IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2016 THROUGH 2018 SUBARU FORESTER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES USE A CAPACITIVE TYPE ODS, WHICH IS INTENDED TO CLASSIFY THE OCCUPANT OF THE PASSENGER SEAT AS EITHER FULL-SIZED, SMALL STATURE, A CHILD SEAT OR OTHER OBJECT. THE COMPLAINTS REPORT THE ODS FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY, THE SRS (SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM) WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND/OR THE ODS INCORRECTLY SUPPRESSED (TURNED OFF) THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG WHEN THE SEAT WAS OCCUPIED BY A FULL-SIZED PASSENGER. IN A FRONTAL CRASH SUFFICIENT TO WARRANT DEPLOYMENT, A SUPPRESSED AIR BAG MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT OF THE SEAT. ODI OPENDED THIS INVESTIGATION TO ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY, AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.

NHTSA ODI 11267525

WHILE OPERATING MY SUBARU FORESTER AN ICON APPEARED ON THE DASH INDICATING THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE AIRBAGS, AT THE SAME TIME THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS OFF EVEN THOUGH MY WIFE WAS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD THE CAR EXAMINED AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD BUT HAS 52643 MILES ON IT AS I TRAVEL THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND ON BUSINESS, MOST OF THOSE MILES THE PASSENGER SEAT IS UNOCCUPIED. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WE HAD PURCHASED WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS EVEN THOUGH AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE WE WERE TOLD IT WAS THE BEST WAY TO PAY FOR ANY EXPENSIVE ELECTRICAL REPAIRS THAT MIGHT POP UP. I HAD THE DEFECTIVE SENSOR REPLACED FOR $1.178.50. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE SENSOR WAS IN FACT A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND THE REPLACEMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT NO COST TO ME DUE TO ITS FAILURE TO PERFORM.

NHTSA ODI 11256883

PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON/ GOES OFF INTERMITTENTLY. THE LIGHT WARNS US THAT THE AIRBAG IS OFF DESPITE HAVING A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. I HAVE SEEN ONLINE THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM SO I WANTED TO LOG OUR ISSUE WITH NHTSA AS WELL. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER DEPLOYED IT AIRBAGS NOR BEEN IN A FRONT END COLLISION.

NHTSA ODI 11256607

WHILE TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WILL SWITCH TO OFF. AN ERROR MESSAGE WILL APPEAR INDICATING THAT THE SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS CHECKED. ISSUES APPEARS TO BE LOCATED WITH THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. *DT *AS

NHTSA ODI 11256303

USUALLY WHILE DRIVING, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR WILL TURN OFF AND PUT AN ERROR CODE OUT THAT SAYS NOT ON EVEN WITH AN ADULT IN THE SEAT. RESETTING THE CODE CAN GET IT TO GO OFF BUT IT RETURNS. HAS TURNED OFF ON ITS OWN BEFORE AND COME BACK. TURNING CAR OFF AND ON DOES NOT RESET IT. *DT *DT *AS

NHTSA ODI 11256078

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS ARE INTERMITTENTLY BEING DISABLED WHEN A PASSENGER SITS IN THE SEAT. I AM ALERTED TO THIS BY MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. IT TYPICALLY HAPPENS WHEN WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF STARTING THE CAR AND IS USUALLY STILL STATIONARY.

NHTSA ODI 11245794

THE SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, WITHOUT A PASSENGER SITTING ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. AFTER PARKED THE VEHICLE AT A SAFE PLACE, I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND THEN RE-STARTED IT, THE WARNING LIGHT WAS STILL ON. ALSO TESTED WITH A PERSON SITTING ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, AND SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT AND PASSENGER AIR BAG IS OFF. THIS SRS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT KEPT ON SINCE THEN, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG IS ALWAYS OFF NO MATTER WHETHER THERE IS A FRONT PASSENGER. THIS VEHICLE IS 2-YEAR OLD WITH 2,3000 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11243111

PREVIOUSLY THE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR WAS OVERLY SENSITIVE. SOMETIMES EVEN AN IPAD ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WOULD BE DETECTED AS A "PASSENGER". BUT RECENTLY IT'S JUST GONE TO THE OPPOSITE EXTREME. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT WILL STILL BE "OFF" EVEN IF A REAL PASSENGER SITS THERE.

NHTSA ODI 11232569

WHILE 2017 FORESTER IN MOTION (BOTH INSTANCES OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEED) SRS RED WARNING LIGHT IN DRIVERS DASHBOARD COMES ON. ALSO AIRBAG INDICATOR AT MIDDLE TOP INFORMATION SECTION CHANGES FROM PASSENGER AIRBAG ON TO PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF. THIS HAPPENS EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. THIS EVENT HAS OCCURRED ON TWO OCCASIONS - NOV 2018, AND JUN 2019. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE ISSUE RESOLVED AFTER A FEW DAYS BUT BEFORE SUBARU SERVICE COULD BE SCHEDULED TO REVIEW THE ISSUE. SUBARU SERVICE DEPT SAID THE ISSUE WAS CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE FROM A CELL PHONE ON THE SEAT. HOWEVER, NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES WERE ON THE SEAT AT THE TIME OF INCIDENTS. THE SEAT HAVE NEVER GOTTEN WET EITHER.

NHTSA ODI 11221333