Subaru bulletin 02-131-12R
What it saysThe purpose of this Bulletin is to provide procedures for the diagnosis and repair of oil seepage which may be coming from the timing chain cover, front camshaft cap, camshaft carrier and / or upper oil pan. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 29, 2023, received Oct 1, 2019, about the engine — 4 documents under this number. It names 17 model years (2016–2021). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThe purpose of this Bulletin is to provide procedures for the diagnosis and repair of oil seepage which may be coming from the timing chain cover, front camshaft cap, camshaft carrier and / or upper oil pan. There are five areas that should be closely inspected if an oil leak is reported by the customer: 1. The 6mm tapped hole casting boss area in the left-hand camshaft cap 2. The sealing surfaces between either the left or right-hand camshaft cap and camshaft carrier 3. The sealing surfaces between the cylinder head and camshaft carrier 4. The sealing surface between the upper oil pan and the engine block 5. The sealing surfaces of the front timing chain cover
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02-131-12R | Service bulletin | Jun 29, 2023 | 10238465 | PDF, 823 KB |
| 02-131-12R | Service bulletin | Jul 11, 2022 | 10216980 | PDF, 2,611 KB |
| 02-131-12R | Service bulletin | Jan 22, 2021 | 10186347 | PDF, 1,297 KB |
| 02-131-12R | Service bulletin | Sep 20, 2019 | 10165512 | not found |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Oil Seepage Diagnosis and Repair Procedures”.
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14451AA050 | — | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (8 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Subaru’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 17 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,986 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 459 of them name Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2016 Subaru Forester, the 33 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 42,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I purchased a 2016 Subaru Wrx (premium) used from a Subaru dealer in albany, ny with under 26k miles for approximately $25k in 2018. On a drive in december 2022 I experienced hesitation and/or stuttering under load or when attempting to accelerate, and car began getting very hot, and close to overheating, and the engine was knocking…
2016 Subaru WRX · Engine · filed with NHTSA Apr 10, 2023 · ODI 11516402
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled without warning. After stopping the vehicle and inspecting under the hood, the engine was restarted and the vehicle operated as designed. The failure recurred on multiple occasions.
2020 Subaru Impreza · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 29, 2020 · ODI 11342076
Car caught fire on the morning of sunday, january 5, 2020 while stationary in a parking lot. The car had been stationary for approximately 12 hours. The attending fire department felt the fire started in the engine compartment, and consumed the entire car by the time it was extinquished. The car was a total loss.
2019 Subaru Impreza · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jan 6, 2020 · ODI 11297486
In depth: 2020 Subaru Forester engine problems → · 2019 Subaru Forester engine problems → · 2016 Subaru Forester engine problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group45 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Subaru list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09-84-22R | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2026 | This bulletin announces Warranty Extension and design changes made to the front exhaust pipe and covers to address the concerns of some cust… |
| 02-196-26R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This service bulletin outlines the diagnostic and repair procedure for white smoke emitted from the exhaust after startup. This is an revise… |
| 07-231-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | This bulletin announces the service procedure for battery replacement on 2025-2026MY Impreza and Crosstrek. |
| 07-242-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 15, 2026 | This bulletin outlines a repair procedure to be performed if DTC B2781 is set in the steering lock control module. |
| 02-193-24R | Service bulletin | Jun 30, 2026 | This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel inject… |
| 09-74-21R | Service bulletin | Jun 26, 2026 | This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel inject… |
| 02-196-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 23, 2026 | This bulletin outlines the diagnostic and repair procedure for white smoke emitted from the exhaust after startup. |
| 18-243-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2026 | This bulletin announces the elimination of oil spacers from both left- and right side camshaft carriers on FB2.5 engines. |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Subaru, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Subaru 02-131-12R a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 02-131-12R repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Subaru warranty extension on file lists the ones Subaru has filed.
Which vehicles does 02-131-12R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 17 model years: 2021 Subaru Forester, 2020 Subaru Forester, 2019 Subaru Forester, 2018 Subaru Forester, 2017 Subaru Forester, 2016 Subaru Forester and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.