10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,002 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Subaru Forester seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2016 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #48

Oct 262019

Forester

  • 57,004 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

For the past month, my passenger airbag light will indicate it is "off" intermittently when a passenger is sitting in the seat, and the car's ignition is turned on and driving. I brought my Subaru to the dealer to have it looked at and they quoted me a price of over $1,500 in repairs due to the need to replace the seat. The technician told me not to worry about it unless the light is on continuously. At that point, he said to contact the Subaru corporation as this is a safety issue and to file a claim. As of yesterday (10/26/19) my passenger airbag light is "off"continuously with a passenger riding in the seat. The red airbag icon is lit up when the car's ignition is turned on and while driving. On the dashboard it indicates that my passenger airbag is "off". I have received an email from starlink stating to take it to a Subaru retailer to have it checked as soon as possible. Since I have already done this, I will be contacting Subaru tomorrow. After researching, I saw that there was an investigation open to this problem and wanted to add my name to this list.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #47

Oct 142019

Forester

  • 49,500 miles
I turned my vehicle on in the morning and a red 'I' appeared and a warning that SRS airbag system needed to be checked. The panel on the dashboard has an airbag light blinking. The passenger airbag light continues to say 'off' despite there being weight in the seat. There has been no damage to the seat including moisture or anything to damage the seat. Happened completely at random.

- Bountiful, UT, USA

problem #46

Oct 042019

Forester

  • 40,000 miles
When I start the car, this indicator turns on: SRS airbag system needs to be checked passenger airbag remains "off" even person sits on the passenger seat. This happens when car is stopped or moving while the car is started.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

problem #45

Oct 022019

Forester 4-cyl

  • 45,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On October 2nd 2019 I was traveling on the express way at highway speeds when I was involved in an accident. Damages to my car were so bad that the claims department deemed it as a total loss. The front of my car was completely smashed in. Neither of my airbags deployed. I always thought that Subaru were supposed to be safe so this is very disappointing. I'm not sure where to go from here about this but it is scary that this happened.

- Cary, IL, USA

problem #44

Oct 022019

Forester

  • 51,550 miles
The front passenger air bag turns off while a 130 lbs. Passenger is riding in that seat. Adjusting the seat forward or backward while traveling turns the sensor back on (indicating the passenger air bag is on), but as of today, 4-5 minutes later it would turn off again...occuring 5 times in 35 minutes. I fear that if we are involved in an accident, the airbag to protect my wife as a passenger may fail to deploy.

- Cornelia, GA, USA

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problem #43

Oct 022019

Forester

  • miles
Airbag warning light registers off when passenger in seat. Subaru dealer found codes B1650, occupant detection, and code B1760, sensor mat abnormal. Determined that seat bottom with sensor needed to be replaced. 10/2/19 quote to replace airbag was $1168. Is this issue covered under recall?

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #42

Sep 292019

Forester

  • 157,600 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passanger airbag is off no matter if someone is sitting in the seat and will not turn back on. This happens if it is sitting still or moving so not safe for passangers

- Zephyrhills, FL, USA

problem #41

Sep 292019

Forester

  • 157,600 miles
Front seat airbag sensor light came on and won't go off. Code says that the seat sensor is not working and airbag stays off. Moving, stationary and code will not reset

- Zephyrhills, FL, USA

problem #40

Mar 182018

Forester

  • 30,000 miles
Passenger air bag dash board warning light reads "passenger air bag off" regardless of a passenger being in the seat or not. This occurs while the car is being driven. The airbag system shuts off without cause.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #39

Jul 162019

Forester 4-cyl

  • 39,767 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. When the vehicle was started, the air bag indicator illuminated. The next time the vehicle was started, the indicator did not appear. When the indicator illuminated again, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who suggested the contact take the vehicle to a dealer because the defect may be included in a recall. The contact took the vehicle to #1 cochran Subaru of butler county (340 new castle rd, butler, pa 16001, 888-230-0231) where it was diagnosed that a sensor failed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by letter. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 39,767. Consumer stated no edits except to say Subaru reimbursed me the entire amt I paid for the repairs at #1 cockran in butler. VIN number ######## 'parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Cranberry Township, PA, USA

problem #38

Jun 012019

Forester

  • 30,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Took suburu in for 30,000 mile check a couple of months ago. Told dealership that the passenger airbag was inactivated (caution light on) while my wife sat in the seat. Dealer said "it probably got wet". I told dealer rep we always garage our cars and we haven't spilled anything on the seat. They told us it would cost over $1000 to fix it. As we left they said the caution light went out, but it was on again before we got home (about 40 miles). At this time the caution light stays on almost continually. Seems like a safety/recall issue to me.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #37

Jul 302019

Forester

  • 55,000 miles
Airbag sensor for front passenger seat is defective. SRS warning light remains on most of the time that the car is running. Lights indicate airbag is off even with passenger in seat. Dealer has checked computer; told me that I may have caused damage to the sensor, usually with water. Seat has never been wet nor have we done anything that could damage the sensor. Google search brings up numerous cases of same issue, indicating a possible widespread problem. I am advocating for a recall to repair this defect.

- Midlothian, VA, USA

problem #36

Jul 152019

Forester 4-cyl

  • 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. When the vehicle was started, the SRS indicator illuminated. The contact called flatirons Subaru at 877-464-2714 located at 5995 arapahoe ave, boulder, co 80303) and scheduled an appointment to have the vehicle checked. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. The consumer stated Subaru found the occupant classification system malfunction code and will be repaired by Subaru, but the consumer does not have the vehicle back.

- Superior, CO, USA

problem #35

Aug 122019

Forester

  • 48,600 miles
Intermittent dash light saying the passenger seat belt and air bag is turned off with passenger in the seat and when car is being driven. Comes on in city and highway driving both..

- Spring Lake, MI, USA

problem #34

Jul 222019

Forester

  • 35,000 miles
I purchased this vehicle early 2016, currently under 40K miles. The side passenger airbag warning suddenly came on stating the SRS system needs checked. The warning comes and disappears sporadically. I tried wiggling and tightening the connection underneath the seat and the light was gone for over a month but it came back again.

- King Of Prussia, PA, USA

problem #33

Aug 242019

Forester

  • miles
The airbag sensor is not functioning properly. The airbag will turn off even when a passenger is sitting in the seat. I am worried about the safety of the vehicle. I am tried to contact my service department multiple times in the past few days with no call back.

- West Monroe, LA, USA

problem #32

Dec 012018

Forester

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that a red warning indicator icon flashed intermittently inside the vehicle. The contact drove to Subaru of rochester (4840 Maine ave SE, rochester, Minnesota 55904, (507) 285-4777) and was informed that the occupant detection system sensor failed. The contact was provided a cost estimate for repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 55,000.

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #31

Jun 192019

Forester

  • 32,500 miles
My vehicle all of a sudden began giving me a passenger side airbag censor error. No accidents occurred it just out of the blue appeared. I had to take my Forester to the Subaru dealership to be serviced where they confirmed that there was a problem with the passenger air bag.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #30

Aug 092019

Forester

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the air bar warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to brunswick Subaru (2992 center rd, brunswick, oh 44212, (330) 273-3300) where it was diagnosed that the bottom seat sensor needed to be replaced. The repair would cost $1,200. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000.

- Valley City, OH, USA

problem #29

Jul 082019

Forester

  • 55,601 miles
Takata recall- when driving the passenger seatbelt light switches off even when the seat is occupied. I cannot let anyone occupy the seat because I feel it is not safe.

- Harpers Ferry, WV, USA

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