Subaru bulletin 07-234-26
What it saysThis bulletin announces design changes to the heated steering wheel switch assembly and harness. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 1, 2026, received Jun 1, 2026, about the steering. It names 12 model years (2023–2025). 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 heated steering wheel switch assembly and harness. The new switch design relocates the connector, which requires a different harness routing.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-234-26 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | 11033053 | PDF, 2,150 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 12 model years this bulletin names have filed 536 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 66 of them name Electrical System, Steering — 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.
The infotainment system and Apple CarPlay connectivity is posing a safety hazard. When I’m on a phone call my audio will randomly cut out and suddenly the person on the other side of the call can no longer hear me. In order to fix the issue I must pick up my phone while I’m driving to disconnect from Apple CarPlay and reconnect.
2024 Subaru Crosstrek · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 9, 2024
I noticed that when I am driving on the freeway/highway for extended periods of time (30+ minutes) the wheel will start locking up. It stiffens enough that I have to force the wheel in a different direction. When it occurs there is no warning lights or messages from the car, it just suddenly stiffens.
2025 Subaru Crosstrek · Steering · filed with NHTSA Feb 12, 2026
Part 3 SUBARU STRUT ISSUE I called the service department at Peltier Subaru and told them what happened and that I should be reimbursed for the tire. I was told that I needed to bring the tire in so that it could be inspected, along with the car to make there wasn’t something else going on.
2024 Subaru Impreza · Steering · filed with NHTSA Jan 28, 2026
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 steering
Source: same model, same component group2 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (steering), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 04-29-23R | Service bulletin | Mar 13, 2024 | This bulletin announces the availability of new reprogramming files for the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) control module developed to addr… |
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 07-234-26 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 07-234-26 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.
Which vehicles does 07-234-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 12 model years: 2025 Subaru Ascent, 2025 Subaru Crosstrek, 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, 2023 Subaru Crosstrek, 2025 Subaru Forester, 2024 Subaru Forester and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.