Subaru bulletin 12-257-25R
What it saysIn the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 24, 2025, received Mar 4, 2025, about the visibility/wiper — 2 documents under this number. It names 14 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 communicationIn the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Warranty coverage for the Front Windshield used in the above listed models and model years from three (3) years / 36,000 miles to eight (8) years / 100,000 miles (whichever comes first). If a customer experiences windshield damage, inspect the damage as per the guidelines supplied in this bulletin to confirm if the damage is covered under the Warranty Extension.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-257-25R | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2025 | 11016218 | PDF, 1,868 KB |
| 12-257-25R | Service bulletin | Feb 13, 2025 | 11014848 | PDF, 957 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Windshield Warranty Extension / Inspection”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65009SJ171 | Standard windshield | — | eBay Motors → |
| 65009SJ191 | w/ wiper deicer & EyeSight camera | — | eBay Motors → |
| 65009SJ211 | — | — | |
| 65009SJ390 | w/ EyeSight camera | — | eBay Motors → |
| 65009SJ400 | w/ wiper deicer & EyeSight camera | — | eBay Motors → |
| 91486KJ010 | CAP COWL PANEL UP | — | eBay Motors → |
| 91486FL020 | CAP CLIP 2 PIECE LWR | — | eBay Motors → |
| 91486KJ000 | CAP COWL PANEL LOW | — | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (7 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 14 model years this bulletin names have filed 4,524 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,851 of them name Visibility/Wiper — 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 296 owners who gave an odometer reading for Visibility/Wiper reported it at a median of 8,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
My car was parked. I saw a crack in the windshield (cause unknown) on the passenger side that began at the top glass and descended, then heading inwards towards the mirror. Over the course of 2 days, it has extended past the mirror into the driver view. The Subaru glass (agc automotive, dot-376, m8h4 as1, 30e, lamisafe) could be faulty
2019 Subaru Ascent · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Jan 9, 2019 · ODI 11166069
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact noticed that the front windshield was cracking from the bottom of the passenger’s side going upward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they informed the contact that the issue was due to an object striking the windshield.
2021 Subaru Forester · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Jul 12, 2021 · ODI 11424346
My windshield cracked for no apparent reason. The crack began on the drivers side about midway up from the very left edge. I noticed it when I parked my car at my mothers house having driven one hour to get to her house. It was about a 3-4 inch crack going horizontally from the edge. In one week it is now over a foot long.
2020 Subaru Forester · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Feb 23, 2020 · ODI 11310841
In depth: 2022 Subaru Outback visibility and wiper 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 visibility/wiper
Source: same model, same component group6 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (visibility/wiper), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-268-25R | Service bulletin | Sep 15, 2026 | This bulletin announces a repair procedure developed to address cases of the driver side mirror glass vibrating at highway speeds. This is a… |
| 12-281-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 13, 2026 | This Service Information Bulletin was developed to provide a diagnostic and repair procedure for customers who report that rear washer press… |
| 12-268-25 | Service bulletin | Jul 10, 2025 | This bulletin announces a repair procedure developed to address cases of the driver side mirror glass vibrating at highway speeds. |
| 12-266-25 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2025 | This bulletin announces the design change made to the Washer Tank. |
| 07-189-21R | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2025 | This bulletin announces availability of new door window regulator assemblies and door glass run channel seals in response to limited concern… |
| 12-254-24 | Service bulletin | Sep 19, 2024 | This bulletin announces the design change made to the rear gate glass, it is intended to address cases of rust build up along the edge of th… |
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 12-257-25R 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 12-257-25R 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 12-257-25R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 14 model years: 2022 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent, 2022 Subaru Forester, 2021 Subaru Forester and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.