2017 Subaru Forester seats problems

“After replacement of the passenger ODS harness under recall WUM-98, the system still fails to detect a passenger in the seat, making it impossible for me to safely drive with a passenger. Subaru will not fairly cover the defect and would have to install a new seat and recode the new seat to the airbag module. The repair would cost me at least $1500. The capacitive passenger sensor is a major engineering flaw in Subarus, and a very good reason to never buy from them again.”

“The airbag warning light for the front passenger seat has been intermittently lighting. Both when the passenger seat is occupied and vacant. The light sometimes indicates the passenger airbag is off when there is a passenger in the seat. I took the car to the Subaru dealer where I purchased the vehicle.. Per the dealership service report: “SCANNED CODES AND FOUND CODE B1760 STORED IN BODY CONTROL MODULE REGARDING THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BOTTOM. RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT DUE TO A FAULTY OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR.” This car was recalled several years ago regarding the passenger seat airbag sensor issue. The car was serviced per the recall. This car has not been in an accident. The car has approximately 70,000 miles which were driven primarily by me. The front passenger seat was occupied less than 25 percent of the time. There was never anything spilled on the seat. The seat was not used to transport anything other than a passenger. The dealer service department now wants $1566.79 to fix this issue. I contend that recall did not fix the issue correctly and I should not be charged for a faulty part or design that was not properly remedied the first time. The dealer…”

“My 2017 Subaru Forester is experiencing the exact component failure and severe safety hazard outlined in NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (Subaru Campaign WUM-98R). The front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) is failing continuously, which illuminates the "Passenger Airbag Off" indicator and completely deactivates the front passenger airbag safety restraint system even when an adult is securely seated. Because my specific VIN was omitted from the recall population list, my local Subaru dealership refused to perform the recall repair, stating no active campaign exists for my vehicle. As a result, I have driven this vehicle for over a year with a completely disabled, non-functioning passenger airbag system. Upon researching the technical service bulletins for WUM-98R, my vehicle perfectly matches all manufacturing, model year, and component criteria for the defective occupant detection wiring harness. The omission of my VIN from this safety campaign is an error that has left a severe, life-threatening manufacturing defect unaddressed. I am filing this complaint to urge the NHTSA to investigate VIN exclusions for this campaign and force an expansion of Recall…”

“Had recall completed for passenger airbag prior now SRS airbag on since 6/7/2026 per dealer code B1650 & B1760 as history codes. States found passenger side airbag sensor has erratic operation, recommended replacing seat bottom with integrated sensor for $2015 at Spreen Subaru of San Bernardino. Why is the sensor failing again? Unable to drive vehicle due to potential of airbags not deploying, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. No other issues with vehicle no one in front passenger seat when SRS airbag illuminated on dashboard, no spills, have seat covers to protect from ant fluids. No accidents that would cause this issue.”

“The driver’s seat in my 2017 Subaru Forester suddenly became loose and moves left to right while driving. The vehicle has only 27,000 miles, has never been in an accident, and has been meticulously maintained. The Subaru dealer diagnosed failed seat frame rail guides and replaced the entire seat undercarriage at a cost of $1,742 because the guides cannot be replaced individually. The dealer stated they had never seen this failure before. Because the seat moves laterally while driving, I believe this represents a potential safety defect.”

“There is intermittent failure of the passenger air bag occupancy detection system (ODS). This shows up as aporadic display of the passenger air bag failure code in the car, and became more frequent until the code rained on. This was previously an issue, but a couple years ago I performed the Subaru issued recall related to this sensor and it went away for a time. Now the same issue has come back. It is pretty clear that the issue has persisted and the recall did not adequately address the issue, but Subaru refuses to address the issue, citing the completed recall. In searching online, it seems that many others have this same experience. \n\nIf the passenger air bag fails to deploy in a crash this is clearly a major safety issue that Subaru should take steps to resolve, even if it means replacing the sensor multiple times.”