2014 Subaru Forester

2014 SUBARU FORESTER. ATTORNEY REPRESENTING CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SUDDEN ACCELERATION COLLISION. *SMD AS THE CONSUMER APPROACHED A HANDICAP SPACE, HE SLOWED DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 2-3 MPH AND WHEN HE REMOVED HIS FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR AND APPLIED THE BRAKE TO STOP, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY AND STRUCK TWO PARKED VEHICLES AND THEN CAME TO A STOP, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *JB

RECENTLY I HAD AN ACCIDENT WHERE MY CAR WAS HIT BY A VAN. MY CAR WAS NOT STATIONARY BUT WAS AT A LESSER SPEED THAN THE CAR WHICH HIT. I WAS TAKING A LEFT TURN WHEN THE VAN HIT. THE IMPACT WAS A LOT SUCH THAT THE OTHER CARS AIRBAGS GOT DEPLOYED. MORE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO MY CAR. THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE CAR IS GONE. I WAS SURPRISED AS TO HOW UNSAFE MY CAR WAS AS THE AIRBAGS DID NOT GET DEPLOYED.

THIS SUBARU OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN MY 2014 FORESTER IS DEFECTIVE. IT DOES NOT DETECT MY WIFE AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DOES NOT TURN ON. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SUBARU THAT THEY HAVE RECENTLY CHANGED TO AN "ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITANCE SENSOR" TO REPLACE THE PREVIOUS "WEIGHT SENSOR". MY WIFE NEEDS TO SIT ON A SEAT CUSHION AS THE SEATS ARE TOO HARD FOR HER MEDICAL CONDITION. SUBARU TOLD US THE SEAT CUSHION WILL NOT ALLOW THE ODS TO VERIFY A PERSON IS SITTING IN THE SEAT AND WILL NOT TURN ON THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. I ALSO DISCOVERED THAT WET CLOTHING (WET RAINCOAT) WILL ALSO DEFEAT THE SENSOR AND THE AIRBAG WILL NOT BE TURNED ON. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS TO ALL PASSENGERS. THE ONLY SUGGESTION FROM SUBARU WAS FOR MY WIFE TO SIT IN THE BACK SEAT. SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVISED ME THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT IS MANDATING THAT ALL VEHICLES USE THIS ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITANCE SENSOR. I STRONGLY URGE YOUR DEPARTMENT TO RECONSIDER MANDATING THIS SENSOR AS THE OLD "WEIGHT SENSOR " IN MY 2011 OUTBACK WORKS JUST FINE WITH A CUSHION.

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY, (APPROXIMATE 65 MPH) I GOT A MESSAGE ON THE CONSOLE THAT INDICATED THAT SRS SYSTEM HAD SHUT DOWN AND THE RED AIR BAG LIGHT WENT ON. I DROVE IT HOME AND THEN TURNED THE CAR OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED IT, THE RED AIR BAG LIGHT WENT AWAY. THE NEXT DAY WHILE I WAS RIDING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, THE RED AIRBAG LIGHT WENT OFF AND A NOTE ON THE CONSOLE SAID THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WAS NOT OPERATIONAL. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE SUBARU DEALER WHO COULD NOT RECREATE THE ISSUE AND TURNED THE CAR BACK TO US. *TR

I WAS TURNING LEFT ON AN ARROW AND A CAR RAN THE RED LIGHT RESULTING IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH ME, I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 3MPH AND HE WAS DRIVING 45MPH. HIS CAR WAS TOTALLED, AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND ON FIRE. I HAD FRONT END DAMAGE AND MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY NOR DID THE SEAT BELT LOCK UP. AS A RESULT I HIT THE STEERING WHEEL WITH MY KNEE AND MY ANKLE GOT LACERATED AND BLUNT TRAUMA FROM THE BRAKE/ACCELARTATION PEDAL. *TR