Subaru bulletin 09-81-21R
What it saysThis bulletin announces design changes made to the fuel injector and fuel pipe in response to the DTCs listed DTC P030* / Engine Knocking / DTC P219C-D-E-F. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 27, 2026, received Feb 2, 2024, about the fuel/propulsion system — 3 documents under this number. It names 22 model years (2017–2025). 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 made to the fuel injector and fuel pipe in response to the DTCs listed DTC P030* / Engine Knocking / DTC P219C-D-E-F. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
Trouble codes it names: P219C all 1 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09-81-21R | Service bulletin | Jul 27, 2026 | 11035654 | PDF, 2,296 KB |
| 09-81-21R | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2026 | 11034250 | PDF, 1,222 KB |
| 09-81-21R | Service bulletin | Jan 22, 2024 | 10249614 | PDF, 521 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Fuel Injector- Design Change”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16611AA972 | MARK | 4 | eBay Motors → |
| 16611AA982 | MARK | 5 | eBay Motors → |
| 16611AA992 | MARK | 6 | eBay Motors → |
| 16611AB072 | MARK | 7 | eBay Motors → |
| 16611AB082 | MARK | 8 | eBay Motors → |
| 16611AB092 | MARK | 9 | eBay Motors → |
| 16611AB030 | — | — | |
| 17522AB091 | PIPE ASSEMBLY FUEL,RIGHT | — | eBay Motors → |
| 17523AB101 | PIPE ASSEMBLY FUEL,LEFT | — | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (5 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 tank assembly for the 2025 Crosstrek →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 22 model years this bulletin names have filed 4,944 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 867 of them name Electrical System, Fuel/Propulsion 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.
On the 2020 Subaru Outback, the 115 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 5,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. While turning the vehicle, the entire electrical system shut off, including the power steering and emergency braking system. The contact was almost involved in a crash due to the failure. The contact pulled over, shut off the engine, and restarted the vehicle, but the electrical failures remained.
2019 Subaru Forester · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 25, 2019
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
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Impreza. When starting the vehicle, it idled strangely. There were no warning indicators illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (ocean Subaru of fullerton, 1100 euclid st, fullerton, ca 92832), but the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired.
2017 Subaru Impreza · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA May 22, 2018
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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group8 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09-123-24R | Service bulletin | Jul 28, 2026 | This bulletin announces the design change made to the high-pressure fuel pump developed to prevent DTC P0087… |
| 09-140-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 13, 2026 | This bulletin announces a design change to the filler cap thread shape to improve ease of installation of the fuel cap onto the filler neck. |
| WRD-26R | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2026 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a new safety recall for certain 2025 model year Forester Hybrid Electric vehicles and 2026 mo… |
| 09-123-24 | Service bulletin | Jan 8, 2026 | This bulletin announces the design change made to the high-pressure fuel pump developed to prevent DTC P0087… |
| 09-82-23R | Service bulletin | Dec 12, 2025 | This bulletin announces design changes made to the fuel tank and vent tubes. The new fuel tank and vent tubes use a material with increased… |
| 09-129-24R | Service bulletin | Jan 7, 2025 | In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the Warranty coverage time period for the fuel pump imp… |
| 02-193-24 | Service bulletin | Dec 19, 2024 | This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel inject… |
| 09-82-23 | Service bulletin | Jan 8, 2024 | This bulletin announces design changes made to the fuel tank and vent tubes. An enhanced material has been incorporated into the production… |
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 09-81-21R 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 09-81-21R 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 09-81-21R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 22 model years: 2025 Subaru Crosstrek, 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, 2023 Subaru Crosstrek, 2022 Subaru Crosstrek, 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, 2020 Subaru Crosstrek and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.