2014 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet
Airbag warning light or recall
- 56owner reports
- 80,000median miles
- $1,100median quote
- 8involved a crash
Newest report Apr 24, 2025 · checked Oct 2, 2026
56 of the 364 complaints on this car describe airbag. Only suspension is reported more often on this car.
Narrower sheets: Passenger airbag sensor problems (29 reports)
Tick what matches of 56 reports
Airbag on other Forester years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Airbag complaints split into a few kinds. The most common is an airbag warning light that won't go out. Others involve the passenger seat sensor switching the passenger bag off with an adult sitting there, an airbag that didn't deploy in a crash, or one that went off without a crash at all. A large share also come from owners waiting on a recall part.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the occupant sensor (36 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the airbags covers the 2014 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the airbags on the Forester
Occupant detection system (ods) failure. Closed jan 22, 2020, led to recall 19V-701.
None of these investigations covers the 2014 model year.
What owners paid
18 of the 56 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,000 to $1,200.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 56,500 and 118,000 miles, from the 32 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2014 Subaru Forester that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
This Service Information bulletin provides a procedure for diagnosis of Occupant Detection System (ODS) DTC B1760- Sensor Mat Abnormal and/or B1650- Occupant Classification System Malfunction.
What owners wrote
“airbag inspection light comes on. Dealer verified vehicle has defective passenger harness and or seat cushion. Replaced harness under passenger seat in July 24, now Oct 24 airbag inspection light is back on. The 2014 has the same WUM 98 harness kit and seat sensor, so why isn't the 2014 Subaru Forrester included in the WUM 98 recall?”
Filed Oct 17, 2024
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 8 of 56 reports involved a crash and 6 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 90 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 27 reports