Subaru bulletin 03-96-25
What it saysThis bulletin announces design changes made to the rear axle hubs. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 22, 2025, received May 1, 2025, about the power train. It names 23 model years (2016–2024). 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 communicationThis bulletin announces design changes made to the rear axle hubs. These changes have been implemented to reduce cases water intrusion further leading to harmonic, humming, and grinding type sounds heard from the axle hub while driving.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03-96-25 | Service bulletin | Apr 22, 2025 | 11017444 | PDF, 1,588 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Rear Axle Hub / Design Change”.
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28473VA012 | Bulletin Number: 03-96-25; Date: 04/22/25 Page 3 of | — | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 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 23 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,244 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 306 of them name Power Train, Suspension — 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 2019 Subaru Ascent, the 34 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 18,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Part 1 Today is January, 28, 2026 How it all started. My appointment was Tuesday, June 10th, 2025 at 10:15 am. During my last oil change, I was informed by Chris that an alignment would be needed to correct the rear passenger wheel showing -2.4 camber. I asked Chris could I go ahead and schedule the service repair now.
2024 Subaru Impreza · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Jan 28, 2026
The transmission jerks and slips after accelerating from stops. It causes the car to jitter and not accelerate when necessary while in traffic. After taking it to the service center multiple times, the problem was reproduced with a service technician in the car. The tech had a computer connected to the diagnostic box.
2022 Subaru Ascent · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Oct 31, 2023
My new 2022 Forester Wildness is equipped with an automate "Start and Stop" function which (while driving) shuts the engine off if the sits still too long in traffic or a stop light. While the car has a button to disable this function. You must press the button every time you start the car to disable the auto SS.
2022 Subaru Forester · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Sep 6, 2022
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 power train
Source: same model, same component group25 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Subaru list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16-158-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This bulletin provides guidance when diagnosing chain slip, judder, shudder, and hesitation concerns on the TR580 model CVT transmissions us… |
| 16-156-25R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which enhancement was implemented to prevent abnormal operations.… |
| 16-154-25R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This Service Information Bulletin announces the release of a new diagnostic assistance application for TR690 and TR580 CVT-equipped vehicles… |
| 16-150-24R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | "This bulletin announces availability of new reprogramming files developed to address the two symptoms described below: SYMPTOM 1: A jerk or… |
| 16-132-20R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This Bulletin provides updated diagnostic procedures to follow and a brief questionnaire to complete when diagnosing an alleged Chain Slip c… |
| 16-151-24R | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2026 | This bulletin provides guidance when diagnosing chain slip, judder, shudder, and hesitation concerns on the TR690 model CVT transmissions us… |
| 16-155-25R | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Powertrain Warranty coverage for th… |
| 03-97-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures. |
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 03-96-25 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 03-96-25 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.
Which vehicles does 03-96-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 23 model years: 2024 Subaru Ascent, 2023 Subaru Ascent, 2022 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.