Subaru bulletin 12-255-24R
What it saysThis bulletin announces the repair procedure developed to address cases of a knocking type sound emitting from the engine compartment. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 30, 2024, received Oct 2, 2024, about the engine. It names 6 model years (2019–2024). 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 procedure developed to address cases of a knocking type sound emitting from the engine compartment.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-255-24R | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2024 | 11008271 | PDF, 1,313 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Knocking Type Sound from”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91486KJ010 | CAP-COWL PANEL, UPPER | — | eBay Motors → |
| 91486FL020 | CAP-COWL PANEL, LOWER | — | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (9 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.
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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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,858 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 244 of them name Engine — 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 23 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 30,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Took to Local dealership for 20,000 mile oil change. After the oil change the service advisor informed me of an oil leak on the right side of the engine. He could not confirm where the leak was from. I have scheduled to have it repaired under factory warranty.
2024 Subaru Forester · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jan 10, 2026 · ODI 11710142
In depth: 2020 Subaru Forester engine problems → · 2019 Subaru Forester engine 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 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 12-255-24R 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 12-255-24R 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 12-255-24R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2024 Subaru Forester, 2023 Subaru Forester, 2022 Subaru Forester, 2021 Subaru Forester, 2020 Subaru Forester, 2019 Subaru Forester. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.