Subaru bulletin 02-195-26
What it saysThis bulletin announces the availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) for certain vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 1, 2026, received Jul 1, 2026, about the engine. It names 6 model years (2016–2019). 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 communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
This bulletin announces the availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) for certain vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines.
Trouble codes it names: P0116 all 1 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02-195-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 1, 2026 | 11034240 | PDF, 1,871 KB |
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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,922 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,689 of them name Electrical System, 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 2017 Subaru Legacy/Outback, the 179 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 32,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
While backing out of my garage, the radio unit froze making the backup screen inoperable. This is a brand new car with 200 miles on it. According to the dealer, they will have to replace the head unit. They were able to get the unit working, hopefully until the new head unit arrives, by physically disconnecting the car battery.
2019 Subaru Outback · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 6, 2019 · ODI 11218229
When I go to park my 2017 Subaru Legacy, I put my car in park and the key will not turn. It gets stuck and the engine will not turn off. Consequently, I AM not able to turn off my car and take my key out. The dealer told me to back up my car and thrust my gear shifter into park. Then I was able to turn the key off.
2017 Subaru Legacy/Outback · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 22, 2019 · ODI 11270314
Rear tail gate opens without activation at 35 MPH while vehicle is in motion. I have a video but it is too big to send. My wife and I were on a busy highway after just purchasing flowers and plants at a local nursery when the tailgate just started to open all by itself spilling some of the plants on the highway.
2018 Subaru Outback · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 4, 2018 · ODI 11091702
In depth: 2017 Subaru Legacy/Outback electrical problems → · 2016 Subaru Legacy/Outback electrical problems → · 2016 Subaru Legacy/Outback engine problems → · 2019 Subaru Outback electrical 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 group36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| 07-242-26 | 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. |
| 09-130-25R | Service bulletin | Jun 3, 2026 | This bulletin announces the design change made to the exhaust manifold flange nut material that has been changed from stainless steel to med… |
| 18-240-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 1, 2026 | "This bulletin provides a new diagnostic procedure for vehicles equipped with a Denso CP 1, 1.5 and 2.5 head units to provide an enhanced ve… |
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 02-195-26 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 02-195-26 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 02-195-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2019 Subaru Legacy, 2018 Subaru Legacy, 2017 Subaru Legacy/Outback, 2016 Subaru Legacy/Outback, 2019 Subaru Outback, 2018 Subaru Outback. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.