Subaru bulletin 05-62-18R
What it saysThis bulletin provides a procedure to address customer concerns of surface rust accumulating in the top center retaining nut area of the front strut mounts. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 31, 2026, received Jun 5, 2023, about the suspension — 2 documents under this number. It names 32 model years (2017–2023). 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 provides a procedure to address customer concerns of surface rust accumulating in the top center retaining nut area of the front strut mounts. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-62-18R | Service bulletin | Aug 31, 2026 | 11036822 | PDF, 935 KB |
| 05-62-18R | Service bulletin | May 22, 2023 | 10237291 | PDF, 346 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Surface Rust Accumulation in Front”.
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20326FL002 | RECOMMENDED MATERIALS | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 pages), read Sep 29, 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.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the body for the 2023 Ascent →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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 32 model years this bulletin names have filed 6,575 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 6 of them name Structure — 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 Forester, the 15 owners who gave an odometer reading for Structure reported it at a median of 4,389 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I had the new 2019 Subaru Forester for not even a month yet, and I have been in the dealership for 5 times regard of power rear gate not opening and cracked right rear quarter glass, which of the two I considered manufacturer defects, but they denied on both issues but could not provide me the reason and proper way of how they're going…
2019 Subaru Forester · Structure · filed with NHTSA May 12, 2019 · ODI 11207122
2018 sport model noticed front windshield cowl panel warped at 4770 miles and again at 6880 miles after warranty placement. Cowl panel pops up at the center of the panel leaving a 1/8" gap between the rubber seal and the base of the windshield. Upon pressing it down, the gap will return in a few days leaving a larger 1/4" gap.
2018 Subaru Impreza · Structure · filed with NHTSA Apr 1, 2019 · ODI 11193248
This incident occurred on January 20, 2023. I was driving alone on I-73 in Greensboro, NC. It was around 5:45 AM and was about 40 degrees outside. I had no vehicles in front of me and a very large separation to the vehicles in the oncoming traffic direction. The car was still new as it only had 4k miles on it.
2023 Subaru Outback · Structure · filed with NHTSA Mar 22, 2023 · ODI 11513158
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 suspension
Source: same model, same component group11 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (suspension), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Subaru list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05-96-26 | Service bulletin | Jan 12, 2026 | This bulletin announces design changes to the front stabilizer link to address concerns about boot cracking, which can allow grease to escap… |
| 05-97-25 | Service bulletin | Dec 16, 2025 | This Bulletin announces a design change to the rear stabilizer bar bushing to address knocking sounds as a result of excessive clearance bet… |
| 05-95-25 | Service bulletin | Dec 8, 2025 | This bulletin announces availability of new front wheel hub assemblies incorporating bearing surfaces having increased resistance to imperfe… |
| 05-84-21R | Service bulletin | Dec 8, 2025 | This bulletin announces availability of new front wheel hub assemblies incorporating bearing surfaces having increased resistance to imperfe… |
| WQQ-52R | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2025 | Due to incomplete repair instructions previously provided in the WQK-47 recall bulletin, the WQQ-52 recall will involve applying additional… |
| 03-95-24 | Service bulletin | Dec 19, 2024 | This bulletin announces the repair procedures to be followed when encountering cases of a groaningtype sound from the rear of the vehicle he… |
| 03-94-24 | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2024 | This bulletin outlines the judgment criteria to be used when inspecting front transverse link bushings to reduce unnecessary bushing replace… |
| 05-91-24 | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2024 | This Bulletin provides guidance for diagnosing a leaking front or rear suspension strut. |
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 05-62-18R 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 05-62-18R 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 05-62-18R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 32 model years: 2023 Subaru Ascent, 2022 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent, 2023 Subaru Crosstrek and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.