Subaru bulletin 05-90-24
What it saysThis bulletin addresses rumbling and or rattling coming from the undercarriage while traveling over bumps. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 5, 2024, received Mar 4, 2024, about the suspension. It names 5 model years (2019–2023). 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 addresses rumbling and or rattling coming from the undercarriage while traveling over bumps. Subaru has made a design change to the front strut assemblies to address this issue.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-90-24 | Service bulletin | Feb 5, 2024 | 10251096 | PDF, 399 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 5 model years this bulletin names have filed 973 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
New 2020 Subaru Ascent limited. Heard clunking or weird sound from front suspension/struts on bumpy road or potholes
2020 Subaru Ascent · Suspension · filed with NHTSA Apr 6, 2020 · ODI 11320281
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 group6 other manufacturer communications filed against the Subaru Ascent under the same component group (suspension), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05-62-18R | Service bulletin | Aug 31, 2026 | This bulletin provides a procedure to address customer concerns of surface rust accumulating in the top center retaining nut area of the fro… |
| 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… |
| 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. |
| 05-90-24R | Service bulletin | Mar 11, 2024 | This bulletin announces changes in design to the front strut assemblies which will address cases of rumbling and/or rattling coming from the… |
| WRJ-23R | Service bulletin | Jun 2, 2023 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2023 model year Ascent vehicles that may be equipped with a front… |

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 05-90-24 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 05-90-24 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 05-90-24 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years: 2023 Subaru Ascent, 2022 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.