Subaru bulletin 05-96-26
What it saysThis bulletin announces design changes to the front stabilizer link to address concerns about boot cracking, which can allow grease to escape. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 12, 2026, received Feb 2, 2026, about the suspension. It names 6 model years (2020–2025). 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 to the front stabilizer link to address concerns about boot cracking, which can allow grease to escape.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-96-26 | Service bulletin | Jan 12, 2026 | 11027984 | PDF, 1,180 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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A weekly email, sent only in a week when Subaru files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 219 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
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 group4 other manufacturer communications filed against the Subaru Legacy 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… |
| 05-84-21R | Service bulletin | Dec 8, 2025 | This bulletin announces availability of new front wheel hub assemblies incorporating bearing surfaces having increased resistance to imperfe… |
| 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 05-96-26 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 05-96-26 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 05-96-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2025 Subaru Legacy, 2024 Subaru Legacy, 2023 Subaru Legacy, 2022 Subaru Legacy, 2021 Subaru Legacy, 2020 Subaru Legacy. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.