2021 Subaru Outback air bags problems
16 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2021 Subaru Outback — 5% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“We are VERY concerned about the failure of some very important safety features of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring Edition. We were involved in a bad car accident caused by a person under the influence who was in handcuffs when we were taken away by ambulance. As you can see by the photos, there was…”
filed May 23, 2026
“The airbag light came on in my car even though the cars airbags have never deployed. The code that the scanner is bringing up is B1784. The description for this error is Right front occupant detection sensor collision detection, Subaru has a safety recall for this exact issue for this exact year…”
filed Jan 21, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short…Campaign 24V227000 · Mar 22, 2024
Air Bags problems in other Outback years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Outback | 5 | 7% |
| 2024 Outback | 6 | 6% |
| 2023 Outback | 2 | 2% |
| 2022 Outback | 6 | 1% |
| 2020 Outback | 18 | 2% |
| 2019 Outback | 13 | 1% |
| 2018 Outback | 8 | 1% |
| 2017 Outback | 16 | 2% |
| 2016 Outback | 10 | 2% |
| 2015 Outback | 14 | 3% |
| 2014 Outback | 38 | 18% |
| 2013 Outback | 42 | 14% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2021 Subaru Outback
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.