Subaru bulletin 12-251-23
What it saysThis bulletin announces the initialization service procedures to be followed when diagnosing and/or repairing Power Rear Gate (PRG) systems. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 9, 2023, received Dec 5, 2023, about the latches/locks/linkages. It names 15 model years (2018–2023). 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 the initialization service procedures to be followed when diagnosing and/or repairing Power Rear Gate (PRG) systems.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-251-23 | Service bulletin | Nov 9, 2023 | 10246093 | PDF, 582 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.
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.
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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 15 model years this bulletin names have filed 5,056 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,053 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 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 · ODI 11191388
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
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
In depth: 2020 Subaru Ascent electrical problems → · 2019 Subaru Ascent electrical problems → · 2020 Subaru Forester electrical problems → · 2019 Subaru Forester 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.
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 12-251-23 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 12-251-23 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 12-251-23 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 15 model years: 2023 Subaru Ascent, 2022 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent, 2023 Subaru Forester and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.