Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2001 Subaru Forester submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT. THEN IT GETS CLOSED IN THE DOOR BECAUSE IT HANGS LOOSE. IN THE BACK SEAT, THE MIDDLE SEAT BELT HAS THE WRONG PART SO IT CANNOT BE LATCHED. BECAUSE OF THIS, I CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE WITH MORE THAN 2 PASSENGERS IN THE BACK SEAT.
WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER WAS INJURED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, OWNER SAW A DEAD COW LEFT IN THE ROADWAY. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MANUEVER DRIVER STRUCK THE COW AND VEHICLE BECAME AIR-BORN. VEHICLE HIT THE GROUND WITH NOSE/FRONT. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN ACCIDENT. *SLC
VEHICLE WAS ON A SIDE STREET AND WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 20MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE JUMPED IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DIDN'T GO OFF. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. MECHANIC LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE THREE TIMES ALREADY.*AK
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE HEAD-ON AND FRONT AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. CONSUMER WAS GOING 35MPH. CONSUMER HAD NO IDEA IF SUBARU DEALER WILL INSPECT VEHICLE.*AK CONSUMER LISTED THERE WERE 3 INJURIES AND 3 FATALITIES, HOWEVER DID NOT SPECIFICALLY MENTION IN THE STATEMENT OF ANY DEATHS. *SLC
I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AND WAS HIT HEAD ON DAMAGING THE RIGHT FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. THE DAMAGE TOTALED OVER 8000.00 . DAMAGE INCLUDED THE FRONT HOOD, RIGHT FRONT FENDER, FRONT BUMPER COVER AND REINFORCEMENT , RADIATOR SUPPORT AND THE RADIATOR. ALSO, THE AC CONDENSOR, THE WHOLE FRONT WAS BENT TO THE LEFT RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE CHASSIS. THE ENGINE WAS TILTED, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED, AND THE SUB RAIL , WHERE THE AIRBAG SENSOR IS, CRACKED IN TWO. THERE WAS ADDITIONAL DAMAGEALSO. WITH ALL THIS DAMAGE, THE AIRBAGS, FAILED TO DEPLOY, SHOCKING THE POLICE , THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND THE REPAIR SHOP. I CONTACTED SUBARU TO INFORM THEM THAT THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM AND WAS TOLD NOT TO TOUCH THE CAR. THEY SAID THEY WOULD SEND ENGINEERS TO INSPECT THE CAR WITHIN 72 HOURS. A WEEK LATER,I CONTACTED THEM AGAIN AND THEY REQUESTED COPIES OF THE POLICE REPORT AND INSURANCE INFORMATION. I COMPLIED AND FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS , I WAITED FOR AN ANSWER. FINALLY, AN EMPLOYEE OF SUBARU CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME TO BRING THE CAR TO A DEALER TO CHECK IF THE AIR BAGS ARE WORKING. I TOLD THEM OBVIOUSLY, THEY DIDN'T WORK WHEN I NEEDED THEM TOO, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE IMPACT WAS RIGHT OVER THE SENSOR. HE THEN SAID WHY WAS I WORRYING , THAT THE DAMAGE WAS PAID. I EXPLAINED THAT I NO LONGER FELT SAFE IN THE VEHICLE AND THAT MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH SERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. TO DATE, I AM DRIVING A RENTAL CAR AND INCURRING EXPENSES FOR THE RENTAL AND ALSO STORAGE FEES OF MY DAMAGED VEHICLE. ON A TV PROGRAM, FEATURING BRIAN O'NEILL, FROM THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAYTEST SAFETY, AIR BAGS SHOULD DEPLOY AT AN IMPACT OF 12-25 MPH, RESULTING IN DAMAGE COST OF $585. MY QUESTION TO SUBARU WAS, WHY DIDN'T THE AIRBAGS DEPLOY IN A IMPACT THE RESULTED IN $8000 IN DAMAGE?*AK
PARKING WITH FOOT ON BRAKES AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OVER CEMENT BLOCK. HAD HIT A FEW BUSHES AND THEN A BUILDING. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A MECHANIC BASED ON REFERRAL FROM DEALERSHIP.*AK
WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH WAS HIT ON FRONT QUARTER, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. VEHICLE HAS SIDE AIRBAGS. LIKELY TO BE TOTALLED. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING 40 MPH ON SNOW WHILE TRYING TO SLOW DOWN CONSUMER RAN OFF ROAD .AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WITH FRONT END DAMAGE. *AK THE SEAT BELT NOT ADQUATELY RESTRAIN THE DRIVER. *YH
BRAKES LIGHTLY APPLIED DUE TO SLUSH ON ROADWAY,BRAKES DID NOT WORK VEHICLE CRASHED, DRIVER SUFFERED CONCUSION AS HEAD HIT WINDSHIELD AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPOLY. SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD DRIVER FIRMLY. SUBARU HOME OFFICE NOTIFIED, CHRIS, CUSTOMER SERVICE REP APPEARS NOT VERY CONCERNED AND ALMOST CALLOUS IN RESPONSE TO OUR CONCERNS. INS CO HAS ELECTED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATION THE VEHICLE. *AK
AOTOMOBILE SKIDDED OF ROAD D/T SNOW/SLUSH STOPPING IN CULVERT. DAMAGE TO FRONT END CONSIDERED SUBSTANTIAL. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND SEAT BELT APPARENTLY DID NOT HOLD OCCUPANT SINCE HER HEAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD. SHE WAS TRANSPORTED TO LOCAL ER. THE FACT THAT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPOLY IMPRESSED THE POLICE AND EMTS AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING AT 30 MPH AND AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT CONSUMER RAN HEAD-ON INTO A POLE, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .