2018 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet

Passenger airbag sensor problems

51owner reports
14,000median miles
$1,216median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report Aug 28, 2026 · checked Sep 19, 2026

51 of the 96 reports of airbag on the 2018 Forester describe passenger airbag sensor faults.

Part of Airbag warning light or recall (96 reports) · also: Takata airbag recall, airbag light on

Tick what matches of 51 reports

the passenger airbag light stays on

the seat sensor does not detect a passenger

a light object is read as a passenger

the passenger airbag is disabled

a code was found for the sensor

the seat cushion or foam was replaced

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the occupant sensor (18 reports) and the seat cushion (4 reports).

Recalls and investigations

One recall on the airbags covers the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

19V-701Oct 3, 2019

Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.

NHTSA investigations into the airbags on the Forester

PE19-009opened Aug 6, 2019

Airbags · model years 2016 to 2018

Occupant detection system (ods) failure. Closed jan 22, 2020, led to recall 19V-701.

NHTSA summary

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions 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 reported 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 that is sufficient to warrant deployment, a suppressed air bag may increase the risk of injury to the occupant of the seat.On August 14, 2019 ODI sent an Information Request (IR) to Subaru requesting information on the subject vehicles and MY 2014-2015 Subaru Forester vehicles.On October 3, 2019, Subaru submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness of 366,282 MY 2015-2018 Subaru Forester vehicles equipped with seat heaters.The DIR stated that over time, due to a decrease in contact pressure between the terminals in the ODS sensor mat harness, a temporarily unstable electrical connection may be possible. If the connection is temporarily unsta

What owners paid

8 of the 51 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $900 to $1,483.

$900$1,216$1,483

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 8,300 and 35,000 miles, from the 13 reports that gave a mileage.

318

819

320

421

422

623

924

625

826

What owners wrote

“I receive a warning light and the passenger air bag does not turn on when I have a passenger in the front seat.”
Filed Apr 27, 2024

“My dashboard for the past several months has intermittently indicated that there is an issue with my front passenger airbag. I just discovered there was a recall for this issue for cars manufactured with heated seats the same year as my vehicle but my vehicle is not part of the recall. This recall may need to be expanded.”
Filed Nov 3, 2022

“Passenger air bag light displays intermittently on and off (mostly off) regardless of whether there is a passenger in the seat. It has not yet been inspected by any dealer, service center, manufacturer, police, insurance, or others.”
Filed Sep 12, 2022

“Repeatedly the passenger air bag turns off during road trips (warning lights turn on) with passenger in front seat. This will be my second complaint because I felt you all needed time to add my cars VIN to your recall list. Anytime we are in the car and it is deactivated it puts the passenger at risk if an accident would occur.”
Filed Sep 12, 2021

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 51 reports involved a crash. 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.