I have a 2016 Subaru Forester with a persistent “passenger airbag off” message and an illuminated airbag light on the instrument cluster. My current code reader doesn’t have the capacity to read any codes associated with that system, so any advice about an affordable code reader that would work for this particular problem would be welcome. I love buying new toys but affordability is always an issue. Ideas? I’ve tried resetting the light by disconnecting the battery for a few hours but that didn’t seem to accomplish much. There was a recall on the harness that was completed in 2021, but I don’t know if that is the problem again or if something else is to blame.
Does it turn off when the passenger seat is occupied?
Not sure I understand your question. The message about the passenger air bag being off and the airbag light are constantly on, regardless of whether or not there is a passenger. In other words, it appears as if the airbag is always off.
With a properly functioning SRS, the airbag mechanism will, in cars so equipped, automatically shut off, indicated as such on the dash, if a minimum weight is not present in the passenger seat bottom.
Evidently, yours is not functioning properly as the airbag off indication is illuminated all the time