2015 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet
Airbag warning light or recall
- 99owner reports
- 72,000median miles
- $1,200median quote
- 15involved a crash
Newest report Sep 27, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
99 of the 607 complaints on this car describe airbag, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2015 Forester.
Narrower sheets: Passenger airbag sensor problems (49 reports) · Takata airbag inflator recall (38 reports) · Airbag warning light stays on (26 reports)
Tick what matches of 99 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 (46 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the airbags covers the 2015 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.
All 3 recalls on the 2015 Subaru Forester, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
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 2015 model year.
What owners paid
16 of the 99 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,000 to $1,500.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 40,000 and 98,950 miles, from the 41 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2015 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
“The automatic occupant detection system sensor no longer registers if a passenger is sitting in the front passenger seat, thus the front passengerâs frontal airbag is not turned on when driving with a passenger in the front seat.”
Filed Aug 30, 2023
“Passenger seat airbag is disabled even when there is a passenger present. The passenger seat occupant sensor system appears to be faulty. Check airbag system warning light comes on even if the passenger seat is occupied. The problem is persistent.”
Filed Jun 6, 2023
“Front passenger airbag system turned off. Doesn't recognize a passenger sitting in the seat therefore the seat belt reminder does not chime. There is a warning that does come onto the dash stating that the SRS system needed service. We have brought this vehicle to the dealership there was a tech code of B1650 occupant detection system fault.”
Filed Apr 17, 2023
“I was parking the car it suddenly accelerated jumped the curb and was heading towards the building entrance dore. I could not stop it. To avoid entering the building I turned the vehicle tight and it collided against the wall. The air bags inflated.”
Filed Apr 3, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 15 of 99 reports involved a crash and 11 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 Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 79 reports
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 66 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 35 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 27 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 25 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 25 reports