Vehicle Data Hub

2016 Subaru Forester air bags problems

115 complaints about air bags have been filed for the 2016 Subaru Forester, which is 18% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
115 18% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
40,000 miles 55 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
9 and 0
Injuries and deaths
7 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When air bags problems show up

Air bags complaints by mileage, 2016 Subaru Forester Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 40,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 8 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 14 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 24 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 3 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 1 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 3 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 2 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 40,000 miles
Based on 55 complaints that include mileage. 84% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles8
20k to 40k miles14
40k to 60k miles24
60k to 80k miles3
80k to 100k miles1
100k to 120k miles3
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles2
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 55 air bags complaints that report mileage, the median is about 40,000 miles, and 84% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 9 crashes, 7 injuries.

What owners wrote

"takata recall" vehicle accellerated, brakes did not stop vehicle, accident took place injuring my wife, physically, emotionally & psychologically. Air bags did not deploy. Wife was trying to park, when vehicle sped up and her braking had no effect and she crashed into a parked vehicle.

Reported at 600 miles, August 2016 CrashInjury

I copied this message from another complaint which explains exactly what I am trying to complaint. Subaru is knowingly building its cars with faulty passenger side air bag sensors which will randomly turn off the air bag while the passenger seat is occupied under normal life driving conditions. It is in the 2016 and 2017 owners manual that if there is a cell phone or electrical device in the front area of the car then the air bag sensors could malfunction.

Reported at 45,970 miles, September 2018

Other problems reported for the 2016 Subaru Forester

Air bags problems in other years

Air bags problems across all Subaru models