What 79 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness

On Wednesday, May 6, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle while traveling on I-270. After the impact, the vehicle continued down the highway lane and crashed into the highway divider. During the crash, the front hood opened and fumes/smoke came out from the front of the vehicle. Despite the severity of the collision and secondary impact with the highway divider, the airbags did not deploy. The failure of the airbags to deploy placed the driver at significant risk of injury during the crash. Law enforcement officers at the scene also expressed concern that the airbags did not activate given the magnitude of the accident. The vehicle and airbag system are available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ODI 11736848

I was involved in a front-end motor vehicle collision while driving straight through an intersection. Another vehicle entered perpendicular to my path and stopped directly in front of me, resulting in a collision primarily impacting the front-left (driver’s side) of my vehicle. The impact appeared significant, and the front airbags did not deploy. Additionally, there appeared to be a partial or unclear deployment of the passenger-side airbag system, which did not resemble a full and typical deployment. The vehicle sustained substantial front-end damage, particularly on the driver’s side. I am concerned that the airbag system may not have functioned as expected for the severity and nature of the crash. I am requesting that this incident be reviewed to determine whether the airbag system, sensors, or deployment logic performed within appropriate safety standards. No warning lights or prior issues with the airbag system were observed prior to the incident.

NHTSA ODI 11733264

I was involved in an accident. My car was moving at less than 10 MPH and the other driver hit the front drivers side, at the driver side wheel area, at about a 90 degree (t bone direction) angle while traveling an estimated 30-35 MPH. The front end of my automobile was obliterated, grill was gone, and my vehicle was turned 90 degrees to the right after impact. The passenger front door could barely be opened due to the bend in the hood and front end, but no airbags deployed. Emergency response was quite surprised the airbags did not deploy due to the high rate of speed and area of impact. The accident just occurred and my car hasn't been looked at by insurance adjusters but it seems that airbags likely should have deployed and/or the car's Starlink system should have registered the impact. I'm highly concerned there may have been some kind of malfunction as my car is a 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid - available for sale only for the last handful of months.

NHTSA ODI 11676507

I recently purchased a 2025 Subaru Forester. My wife is a petite woman, about 93-97 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches tall. When she sits in the front passenger seat the airbag light stays in the "airbag off" position. She is not heavy enough to activate the "airbag on" light. The dealer inspected the passenger seat and said that the airbag on/off function is working properly and works as expected for persons about 100 pounds or more. They confirmed that the "airbag on" light does not come on for my wife. Your website indicates that you have used dummies for airbag deployment for children and small stature women. Is it safer for a small stature woman to have the airbag not deploy in a frontal collision than to deploy? We checked a 2025 Honda CR-V and the "airbag on" light is activated when she sits in the front passenger seat. We were given information that a weight of about 65 pounds is required to activate the airbag. Subaru has not told us what weight is required. It seems strange that the airbag activation requirements would vary from on vehicle to another. We are wondering whether it would be safer for us to keep the Subaru vehicle (where the airbag would not deploy) or replace it with the Honda CR-V, for which the airbag would deploy. Does your research indicate which option may be safer?. Subaru Customer Service said the airbag system is operating as it was intended and would not buy the car back. The dealer has offered to buy the car at a reduced price if we want to sell it and replace it with the Honda CR-V. Can you please provide some guidance for us based upon your crash research studies. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11640053