IllustrationLARGE WINDSHIELD CRACK FOR NO APPARENT REASON. VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN OUR GARAGE AT THE TIME.
2018 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Forester years
Owner complaints for the 2018 Subaru Forester are substantially higher than the model-year median of 131.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1560–25K
6525–50K
1350–75K
575–100K
2100–150K
0150K+
241 reports with mileage · 252 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 135 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 96 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
26 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports
Visibility/wiper complaints
135 reportsI WAS DRIVING THROUGH A PARKING LOT AND THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AS I WENT OVER A SPEED BUMP.
I BOUGHT MY 2018 SUBARU FORESTER IN DECEMBER OF 2018. IN AUGUST OF 2019, A SMALL PEBBLE HIT THE LOWER LEFT SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON A CITY STREET. THE NEXT AFTERNOON, I NOTICED AN APPROXIMATE 2 FOOT CRACK ACROSS THE LEFT SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD WHEN I GOT IN MY CAR, AND IT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRED …
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I BOUGHT MY 2018 SUBARU FORESTER IN DECEMBER OF 2018. IN AUGUST OF 2019, A SMALL PEBBLE HIT THE LOWER LEFT SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON A CITY STREET. THE NEXT AFTERNOON, I NOTICED AN APPROXIMATE 2 FOOT CRACK ACROSS THE LEFT SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD WHEN I GOT IN MY CAR, AND IT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRED MY ABILITY TO SEE AS IT WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY LINE OF VISION. I HAD TO WAIT ABOUT A MONTH UNTIL A REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD WAS APPROVED BY MY INSURANCE, ORDERED BY A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP, AND FINALLY INSTALLED IN MY VEHICLE. LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS AFTER REPLACING MY WINDSHIELD, A TINY PEBBLE THE SIZE OF A PINHEAD HIT THE LOWER LEFT SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD AGAIN. I COULDN'T EVEN SEE A MARK, IT WAS SO SMALL. ONE DAY WHEN I WAS GETTING IN MY CAR, I NOTICED A FOOT LONG CRACK IN ALMOST THE EXACT SAME PLACE AS LAST TIME. ONCE AGAIN, IT IS IMPAIRING MY ABILITY TO SEE WELL. MY CAR HAS 10,000 MILES ON IT AND I RARELY DRIVE OTHER THAN TO WORK AND BACK HOME. I'VE HAD SEVERAL OTHER CARS IN THE PAST 18 YEARS AND HAVE DRIVEN THEM MUCH MORE THAN THIS VEHICLE AND NEVER ONCE DID MY PREVIOUS WINDSHIELDS EVER CRACK. IT SEEMS LIKE SUBARU MUST HAVE DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELDS AS THEY CRACK FAR TOO EASILY. THIS SEEMS LIKE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED.
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, MY EYESIGHT FEATURE SUDDENLY DISENGAGES AND MY CRUISE CONTROL CEASES TO WORK AND NO LANE ASSIST OR OTHER SAFETY FEATURES CONTAINED WITH THE "EYESIGHT PACKAGE" WORK FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. THIS HAS OCCURRED WHEN IT IS RAINING OR SNOWING.
MULTIPLE CRACKS ON THE WINDSHIELD. SOME CRACKS ARE FROM VERY SMALL ROCKS AND MY INSURANCE COVERED IT . THE MOST RECENT CRACK IS VERY LARGE AND DIDNT APPEAR TO START FROM ANY ROCK. THIS WINDSHIELD FEELS VERY UNSAFE.THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY .
A SPONTANEOUS CRACK IN FRONT WINDSHIELD WITH NO HISTORY OR EVIDENCE OF ROCK WHIP OR DAMAGE OCCURRED WITH BRAND NEW VEHICLE (130 MILES), CRACK BEGAN AT ROOF LINE IN AREA IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE REARVIEW MIRROR AND EXTENDED BELOW THE "DOT SHADING" AROUND THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. GLASS REPAIR PERSON NOTED NO EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE, WINDOW…
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A SPONTANEOUS CRACK IN FRONT WINDSHIELD WITH NO HISTORY OR EVIDENCE OF ROCK WHIP OR DAMAGE OCCURRED WITH BRAND NEW VEHICLE (130 MILES), CRACK BEGAN AT ROOF LINE IN AREA IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE REARVIEW MIRROR AND EXTENDED BELOW THE "DOT SHADING" AROUND THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. GLASS REPAIR PERSON NOTED NO EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE, WINDOW WAS REPLACED AND BILLED TO MY INSURANCE. NOW AT 32,000 MILES IN THE SAME LOCATION, ANOTHER CRACK HAS APPEARED. GLASS REPAIR PERSON AGAIN REPORTS NO EVIDENCE OF ROCK CHIP OR DAMAGE, AND HE THINKS THAT THE CRACK SEEMS TO BE ON THE INSIDE, NOT ON THE OUTSIDE. I AM THE ONLY DRIVER, AND THE CAR IS GARAGED WHEN NOT IN USE.. I AM NOT CERTAIN OF THE DATE THIS OCCURRED THE FIRST OR SECOND TIME BECAUSE IT BEGINS IN AN AREA WHERE THE MIRROR OBSTRUCTS MY VIEW OF IT AND I DON'T NOTICE UNTIL IT EXTENDS BEYOND THE REARVIEW MIRROR. FIRST TIME IT WAS NOTED WHEN I TOOK CARE IN TO HAVE GLASS TREATMENT PUT ON (TO REDUCE NIGHT GLARE) AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO IT BECAUSE OF THE CRACK. THE CAR ONLY HAD 136 MILES AT THIS TIME. SECOND TIME I NOTICED IT ABOUT 11/2/19. SCHEDULED FOR REPLACEMENT ON 12/5/19.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER. WHEN THE CONTACT PRESSED THE DEFROST BUTTON, A SMALL CRACK WAS NOTICED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK PROGRESSIVELY GREW LARGER AND DEVELOPED INTO A CRACK FROM THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD ALL THE WAY TO THE ROOF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER. WHEN THE CONTACT PRESSED THE DEFROST BUTTON, A SMALL CRACK WAS NOTICED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK PROGRESSIVELY GREW LARGER AND DEVELOPED INTO A CRACK FROM THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD ALL THE WAY TO THE ROOF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
I WAS DRIVING ON A SIDE STREET, ABOUT 20MPH WHEN THE REAR DOOR WINDOW ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SHATTERED. IT APPEARED SPONTANEOUS, I DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY HEAR ANYTHING HIT THE WINDOW, AND I DON'T REMEMBER THERE BEING OTHER CARS AROUND THAT WOULD'VE KICKED SOMETHING UP OFF THE ROAD...I JUST HEARD A POP AND ALL THE GLASS SHATTERING. EAR…
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I WAS DRIVING ON A SIDE STREET, ABOUT 20MPH WHEN THE REAR DOOR WINDOW ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SHATTERED. IT APPEARED SPONTANEOUS, I DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY HEAR ANYTHING HIT THE WINDOW, AND I DON'T REMEMBER THERE BEING OTHER CARS AROUND THAT WOULD'VE KICKED SOMETHING UP OFF THE ROAD...I JUST HEARD A POP AND ALL THE GLASS SHATTERING. EARLIER THAT MORNING I HAD HEARD CREAKING NOISES THAT I HAD THOUGHT WAS JUST STUFF MOVING AROUND IN THE BACK OF THE CAR, BUT MAYBE IT WAS THE WINDOW BEGINNING TO FAIL?
WINDSHIELD WAS CHIPPED BY A FLYING ROCK 1/2 INCH FROM LR CORNER WHILE DRIVING. NEXT DAY WHILE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT DURING THE DAY, A 3 FOOT CRACK DEVELOPED IN WINDSHIELD. THE NEXT DAY THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN HALF WHILE SITTING IN THE SUN WHILE PARKED. REPLACED WINDSHIELD AND NOW THE PASSANGER SIDE OF THE FRONT SEAT FLOOD…
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WINDSHIELD WAS CHIPPED BY A FLYING ROCK 1/2 INCH FROM LR CORNER WHILE DRIVING. NEXT DAY WHILE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT DURING THE DAY, A 3 FOOT CRACK DEVELOPED IN WINDSHIELD. THE NEXT DAY THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN HALF WHILE SITTING IN THE SUN WHILE PARKED. REPLACED WINDSHIELD AND NOW THE PASSANGER SIDE OF THE FRONT SEAT FLOODS WHEN IT RAINS.
WINDSHIELD IS RANDOMLY CRACKED AND NOW HAS A BIG SPIDER CRACK ON THE LOWER END OF THE WINDSHIELD OF THE DRIVER SIDE.
Official recalls
321V587000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Jul 29, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
19V701000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
Oct 3, 2019
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
18V455000 · Equipment:other:labels; Tires
Jul 10, 2018
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. The Certification Label may indicate the incorrect wheel size, tire size, and air pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Installing incorrect tires or applying incorrect tire air pressure may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected label, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTS-78.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment:other:labels
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. The Certification Label may indicate the incorrect wheel size, tire size, and air pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence: Installing incorrect tires or applying incorrect tire air pressure may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected label, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTS-78.
Tires
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. The Certification Label may indicate the incorrect wheel size, tire size, and air pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence: Installing incorrect tires or applying incorrect tire air pressure may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected label, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTS-78.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE19009 · Occupant Detection System (ods) Failure
Opened Aug 6, 2019 · Closed Jan 22, 2020
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
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 unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and 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.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Additional source detail variants (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
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 unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and 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.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Air Bags:frontal
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 unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and 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.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
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 unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and 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.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
Air Bags
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 unstable, the ODS may not properly determine the status of the right front seat occupant. If the ODS is unable to correctly determine the status of the front occupant, the airbag warning light may illuminate, and 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.Using vehicle production data and field occurrence frequency, Subaru determined the potentially affected vehicle production range to be between January 20, 2015 ?and August 1, 2017.In addition, Subaru indicated that over 99 percent of the related MY 2015-2018 field reports with vehicles in the production range involved vehicles with seat heaters.NHTSA's analysis of complaint and warranty claim data showed 1,440 of the complaints and 11,672 of the claims involve vehicles with seat heaters that were built within the production range covered by Subaru's recall.In addition, NHTSA's analysis showed a complaint rate of 393.1 per hundred thousand vehicles for the recalled population and 89.0 for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall. Analysis of warranty claim data found a claim rate of 3.2 percent for the recalled population and 0.3 percent for MY 2014 through 2018 vehicles that are not included in the recall.Subaru will instruct owners with Subaru Forester vehicles produced in the affected vehicle production range, to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the sensor mat harness, inspected and replaced with a new part, including the seat cushion assembly, if necessary.Based on ODI's analysis, the actions taken by Subaru mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by ODS sensor mat failures in the subject vehicles. For subject and peer vehicles outside the recall population and those equipped without seat heaters, ODI's analysis indicates that there is currently no safety-related defect trend. Given these circumstances, further use of the agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.