Subaru bulletin 12-248-23R
What it saysThis Service Information Bulletin announces the repair procedure developed to address rattle-type sounds heard from the left and/or right B-Pillar area. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 24, 2025, received Oct 3, 2023, about the structure — 3 documents under this number. It names 18 model years (2019–2025). 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 Service Information Bulletin announces the repair procedure developed to address rattle-type sounds heard from the left and/or right B-Pillar area.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-248-23R | Service bulletin | Jun 24, 2025 | 11019944 | PDF, 1,496 KB |
| 12-248-23R | Service bulletin | Oct 25, 2023 | 10244910 | PDF, 589 KB |
| 12-248-23R | Service bulletin | Sep 12, 2023 | 10243393 | PDF, 589 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 18 model years this bulletin names have filed 4,024 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2 of them name Structure — 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 Forester, the 15 owners who gave an odometer reading for Structure reported it at a median of 4,389 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I had the new 2019 Subaru Forester for not even a month yet, and I have been in the dealership for 5 times regard of power rear gate not opening and cracked right rear quarter glass, which of the two I considered manufacturer defects, but they denied on both issues but could not provide me the reason and proper way of how they're going…
2019 Subaru Forester · Structure · filed with NHTSA May 12, 2019 · ODI 11207122
This incident occurred on January 20, 2023. I was driving alone on I-73 in Greensboro, NC. It was around 5:45 AM and was about 40 degrees outside. I had no vehicles in front of me and a very large separation to the vehicles in the oncoming traffic direction. The car was still new as it only had 4k miles on it.
2023 Subaru Outback · Structure · filed with NHTSA Mar 22, 2023 · ODI 11513158
A design flaw in the remote (required for both keyless entry and vehicle operation) leads to accidental trunk openings due to "pocket trunk opening". This is a safety hazard as it could lead to humans or animals entering the vehicle, as well as a potential route to water damage.
2021 Subaru Outback · Structure · filed with NHTSA Jan 2, 2021 · ODI 11386116
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 structure
Source: same model, same component group17 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (structure), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Subaru list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-259-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 29, 2026 | This bulletin announces the repair procedures to be followed when encountering cases of excessive gap reported between the left and right re… |
| 12-283-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This service bulletin announces a repair procedure for the weatherstrips on the front of the rear doors. This is an revised version of the o… |
| WRF-26R | Service bulletin | Jul 13, 2026 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2026 model year Forester vehicles equipped with a power moonroof… |
| 12-268-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2026 | This bulletin announces a design change to the front hood release lever, which in certain circumstances, after the vehicle’s interior latch… |
| WRH-25R | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2026 | In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is initiating a service program for certain 2026 model year Fores… |
| WRG-25R | Service bulletin | Mar 3, 2026 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2026 model year Forester Vehicles to replace the rear gate stay a… |
| WRG-25 | Service bulletin | Jan 30, 2026 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2026 model year Forester Vehicles to replace the rear gate stay a… |
| WRH-25 | Service bulletin | Jan 15, 2026 | In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is initiating a service program for certain 2026 model year Fores… |
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 12-248-23R 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 12-248-23R 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 12-248-23R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 18 model years: 2024 Subaru Forester, 2023 Subaru Forester, 2022 Subaru Forester, 2021 Subaru Forester, 2020 Subaru Forester, 2019 Subaru Forester and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.