Subaru bulletin 09-104-23R
What it saysThis bulletin announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (“A” Camshaft Position – Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 15, 2023, received Nov 6, 2023, about the engine — 2 documents under this number. It names 1 model year (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 announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (“A” Camshaft Position – Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021 (“A” Camshaft Position – Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2) detected by the ECM. The new files contain enhanced logic to optimize the detection parameters of DTCs P0011 & P0023.
Trouble codes it names: P0011 P0021 P0023
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09-104-23R | Service bulletin | Dec 15, 2023 | 10248198 | not found |
| 09-104-23R | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2023 | 10244897 | PDF, 257 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Reprogramming Files / P0011 & P0023”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22765AS921 | pak CEC38943 XE1W052k00G | — | eBay Motors → |
| 22765AS920 | CEC38943 XE1W052k00G | — | eBay Motors → |
| 22765AS931 | pak 95C2FE90 XE1W052z00G | — | eBay Motors → |
| 22765AS930 | — | — |
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.
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 engine control module (ecu/ecm) for the 2023 Forester →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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 74 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 8 of them name Electrical System — 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 vehicles battery does not hold a charge during short term, (3-5 weeks of storage). I understand that some prior years of Subaru vehicles have this same problem and there is currently a recall for this. I wonder if this battery problem exists in newer Subaru Foresters.
2023 Subaru Forester · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 26, 2024 · ODI 11568075
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group30 other manufacturer communications filed against the Subaru Forester under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Subaru list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09-84-22R | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2026 | This bulletin announces Warranty Extension and design changes made to the front exhaust pipe and covers to address the concerns of some cust… |
| 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. |
| 02-193-24R | Service bulletin | Jun 30, 2026 | This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel inject… |
| 09-74-21R | Service bulletin | Jun 26, 2026 | This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel inject… |
| 18-243-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2026 | This bulletin announces the elimination of oil spacers from both left- and right side camshaft carriers on FB2.5 engines. |
| 18-240-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 1, 2026 | "This bulletin provides a new diagnostic procedure for vehicles equipped with a Denso CP 1, 1.5 and 2.5 head units to provide an enhanced ve… |
| 18-230-26 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | This bulletin announces the diagnostic procedures to be used when DTCs B1571(REFERENCE CODE INCOMPATIBILITY IMMOBILIZER CM TO ECM) and B1572… |
| WRA-26 | Service bulletin | Mar 16, 2026 | In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is initiating a new voluntary emissions recall for certain 2018 m… |
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 09-104-23R 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 09-104-23R 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 09-104-23R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Subaru Forester. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.