2013 Subaru Impreza

SENSOR FOR AIR BAG IN PASSENGER SEAT NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. WORKS 80% OF THE TIME, BUT WILL PUT A WARNING ON MY DASHBOARD RANDOMLY WHILE I'M DRIVING AND DISABLE AIRBAG. IT COULD HAPPEN WHEN STATIONARY OR DRIVING. DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER THE SPEED OR IF ANYBODY IS IN THE SEAT OR NOT. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING ON AND OFF FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS. PLEASE HELP, THE FIX IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS WITH SUBARUS PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SENSORS. THE K YOU VERY MUCH.

AIR BAG IS DISABLED WHEN MOISTURE OR HUMIDITY IS PRESENT ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. SPECIFICALLY THE AIRBAG RED LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND THE AMBER PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATES. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT PRESENTED ITSELF SOON AFTER PURCHASE. IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE STATIONARY & WHILE DRIVING. IT HAS BEEN TRIGGERED BY BOTH HUMIDITY IN THE AIR & PERSPIRATION BY THE PASSENGER. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM HAS TO DO WITH MOISTURE COMPROMISING THE PASSENGER SEAT SWITCH. THE INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. MOST RECENTLY I HAD LEFT THE REAR WINDOW OPEN IT WAS HUMID BUT THERE WAS NO RAIN, WHEN I WENT TO WORK IN THE MORNING THE RED AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON. THE PROBLEM MAY BE GETTING WORSE OVER TIME, IN THE PAST A TOWEL OR TRASH BAG WOULD PREVENT IT BUT NO, AS MENTIONED IT IS BEING TRIGGERED BY HUMID AIR. I VIDEOED ONE EXAMPLE AND HAVE ATTEMPTED TO INCLUDE IT BUT IT IS TOO LARGE I WOULD BE GLAD TO EMAIL IT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, MY DAUGHTER IS IN THE FRONT SEAT, THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG INDICATOR SHOWS OFF. THE VIDEO WAS TAKEN ON SEPT 30TH 2014, THE VEHICLE HAD 35,212 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME.

CLEANED UPHOLSTERY AND SEATS SLIGHTLY DAMP, WHEN I STARTED CAR THE RED AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND PASSENGER SEAT SHOWED AIR BAG OFF EVEN THOUGH A PASSENGER WAS IN SEAT. IT HAS BEEN TWO DAYS AND AIR BAG LIGHT IS STILL ON AND PASSENGER BAG SHOWS AS OFF EVEN IF PASSENGER IS IN SEAT. AS SOON AS I START THE CAR THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON WHILE DRIVING.

6/1/2018-DRIVING FROM KC TO ST. LOUIS-DROVE 1.25 HOURS-STOPPED FOR BREAK-DROVE ANOTHER 1.5 HOURS AND AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON UNPROVOKED. TURN CAR OFF AND BACK ON FIXED. RETURN TRIP 6/3/2018 FROM ST. LOUIS TO KC - SAME SCENARIO-DROVE APPROX 2.5 HOURS-STOPPED - DROVE ADDITIONAL 1 HOUR AND AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. TURN CAR OFF AND ON AND IS OFF CURRENTLY. WAS DRIVING AROUND 70 MPH WHEN BOTH INSTANCES OCCURRED.

EVERY TIME IT RAINS OR IS WET OUTSIDE MY AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON AND ACTS AS IF I DONT HAVE A PASSENGER NEXT TO ME, BUT I DO. THEY ARE SITTING WITH SEAT BELT ON IN PASSENGER SEAT. BUT THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH SAY OTHERWISE. THIS ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS WHEN ITS WET OUT. AND IT SHOWS THE LIGHT ON DASH WHEN IM DRIVING, NOT WHEN I FIRST START THE CAR.

TAKATA RECALL. HAVING CELL PHONE ON SEAT WILL ACTIVATE THE AIRBAG ON AND WILL SET OFF SEAT BELT LIGHT AND SOUND. AFTER GETTING THE SEAT WET, AIRBAG WOULD NOT GO ON WITH SOMEONE SITTING IN IT AND LIGHT WOULD BE ON THE DASH. I HAD TO LET THE SEAT DRY AND THAT SEEMED TO MAKE IT WORK AGAIN AFTER GETTING WET. THIS IS PASSANGER SEAT. I SEE THAT THERE'S A RECALL FOR THAT ON THE 2012 MODEL. THE 2013 MODEL IS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME SENSORS AS THE 2012. WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS GET UPDATED AND MOVED TO A RECALL JUST LIKE THE 2012 MODELS.

THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR THAT CONTROLS AIRBAG IS FAULTY. SOMETIMES WITH A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT, THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL GO ON INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG IS DISABLED EVEN THOUGH PASSENGER IS IN SEAT AND BELTED. THIS CAN ALWAYS BE RESET BY TURNING IGNIOTION OFF AND ON AGAIN. ALSO SENSOR INCORRECTLY THINKS THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT EVEN WHEN VERY LIGHT PACKAGES OR GROCERIES ARE ON THE SEAT WEIGHING 2-12 POUNDS. I'VE CALLED SUBARU AND THEY CLAIM SENSOR IS SET TO 27 PUNDS OR MORE, WHICH IS CLEARLY NOT WORKING HERE. SUBARU WILL NOT FIX THIS UNDER WARRANTY SO I THINK NHTSA SHOULD LOOK AT ALL THE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS HERE AND INVESTIGATE.

I PURCHASED MY 2013 SUBARU IMPREZA AS A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE WITH ~54,000 MILES ON IT IN AUGUST 2016. OVER THE LAST YEAR, I'VE NOTICED AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE OCCUPANT AIRBAG SENSOR IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. SOMETIMES, WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE FRONT SEAT AND WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, WHETHER ON A HIGHWAY OR ON A SIDE STREET, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT WILL COME ON, AND THE RED AIR BAG LIGHT IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER WILL COME ON- MEANING THAT THE AIRBAG IS OFF WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT AND THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FLUKE SO I TOOK THE WAIT AND SEE APPROACH. THIS PAST SPRING, THE PROBLEM STARTED HAPPENING MORE, SO I'VE SINCE STARTED DOCUMENTING THE PROBLEM EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS. I NOTICED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS MORE WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE IS DAMP, WHETHER IT IS BECAUSE I'M DRIVING IN A HOT AND HUMID LOCATION, OR PASSENGER HAS DAMP CLOTHES DUE TO COMING BACK FROM THE BEACH OR RIVER, EXERCISING, OR JUST BEING PLAIN WARM & SWEATY. THERE IS A RECALL FOR OTHER 2012 IMPREZAS FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM, BUT MY CAR, WHICH I BELIEVE HAS THE SAME SENSORS AS THE RECALLED ONES FOR THE 2012 IMPREZA, IS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL.