Subaru bulletin 12-240-22R
What it saysThis bulletin announces the repair procedures for the left and right-side horns to address DTC B1610 (Front Sub Sensor RH Failure) detected when the horns are operated shortly after engine start up. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 5, 2025, received Jun 3, 2025, about the air bags. It names 4 model years (2019–2022). 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 the repair procedures for the left and right-side horns to address DTC B1610 (Front Sub Sensor RH Failure) detected when the horns are operated shortly after engine start up.
Trouble codes it names: B1610
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-240-22R | Service bulletin | May 5, 2025 | 11018901 | PDF, 1,802 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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 928 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 279 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.
On the 2019 Subaru Ascent, the 84 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 11,000 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 2022 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V907000 (Electrical System). The local dealer was contacted; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
2022 Subaru Ascent · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 9, 2023 · ODI 11506378
I attempted to start my Subaru Ascent and it would not start. I contacted subaru's towing and they came and jumpstarted the car. The towing company informed me that subaru's Ascent batteries are defective and that they have been forced to jump a number of them. I drove to work. The next morning, I woke to the same problem.
2019 Subaru Ascent · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 4, 2019 · ODI 11217905
After leaving liftgate open for a while, battery was dead. Learned from website that this was known issue for Subaru’s with automated liftgate. As i was camping with no cell signal, it was super difficult to get help and this could lead to the really big issue.
2021 Subaru Ascent · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 10, 2021 · ODI 11420375
In depth: 2020 Subaru Ascent electrical problems → · 2019 Subaru Ascent electrical problems →
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 air bags
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the Subaru Ascent under the same component group (air bags), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17-17-13R | Service bulletin | Jul 10, 2025 | NOTE: The Airbag systems used on previous and current WRX, STI and Tribeca models are NOT equipped with EDR functionality. This Bulletin p… |
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 12-240-22R 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 12-240-22R 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 12-240-22R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 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.