2018 Subaru Forester airbag problems
122 of the 495 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2018 Subaru Forester name the airbags (NHTSA’s “Air Bags” heading — airbags, their sensors and warning lights). Filed under the same heading: 1 recall, 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the airbags
Source: NHTSA complaint database2 of the 122 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 3 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2018: 13 · 2019: 24 · 2020: 5 · 2021: 9 · 2022: 21 · 2023: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 12
Half of the 42 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the airbag problem between 8,000 and 24,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
495 complaints in all about the 2018 Subaru Forester, 12 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Air Bags” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Subaru Forester airbag problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the airbags. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
2018 Subaru Forester: passenger airbag system fails & turned itself off. Happen 4-5 times in fall 2018. 10/23/2018 I took to northend Subaru service code B1650, part back ordered. 04/05/2019 passenger airbag system fails & turned itself off again. Called northend Subaru service. Part still back ordered more than 5 months.
Passenger side seat sensor detects person sitting in seat and turns on the airbag when the seat is empty. Notifications turns on at car startup and will turn on while vehicle is moving. Car was bought may 31st, 2018. This behavior started on the first cold day in my area (roughly late november/early december 2018)
My 2018 Subaru Forester is experiencing faulty activation of the passenger seat air bag light since june 2018. Vehicle was purchased new in august 2017. The dashboard reads that there is no airbag on for the passenger while someone was seated there and the car was sitting or in motion. This has happened on and off since june 2018.
The passenger seat airbag has not been working for about 9 months making it dangerous for a passenger (or not available for passenger seat occupancy). The parts have been on order for months but still not delivered. There are many of these on backorder indicating to me a significant safery problem
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. While driving at an unknown speed, the front passenger air bag indicator illuminated and flashed on and off. The dealer reprogrammed the air bag indicator, but the failure recurred when a passenger occupied the front passenger seat.
What is on file about the airbags
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall filed under this heading
- 19V701000 HighOct 3, 2019 · 366,282 vehicles
- 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.
NHTSA investigation
- PE19009 Occupant Detection System (ODS) Failureopened Aug 6, 2019 · closed Jan 22, 2020
- 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 e…
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2018 Subaru Forester names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2018 Subaru Forester
Source: the same files- electrical problems 71 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre airbag problems common on the 2018 Subaru Forester?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 122 owner complaints naming the airbags on this model year (25% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 recall, 1 NHTSA investigation are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the airbags on the 2018 Subaru Forester?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 19V701000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do airbag problems show up on the 2018 Subaru Forester?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 12,000 miles; half of them between 8,000 and 24,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Air Bags" heading cover?
Airbags, their sensors and warning lights. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.