Subaru bulletin 12-262-25
What it saysThis Bulletin announces diagnostic procedures to be followed when working with a Power Rear Gate (PRG). NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 6, 2025, received Apr 1, 2025, about the structure. It names 20 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.
Get the next Subaru bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis Bulletin announces diagnostic procedures to be followed when working with a Power Rear Gate (PRG).
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-262-25 | Service bulletin | Mar 6, 2025 | 11016174 | PDF, 1,432 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.
Find the body for the 2025 Ascent →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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.
Email me new Subaru bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Subaru files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 20 model years this bulletin names have filed 4,944 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 4 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
The window pillars on the passenger side deformed on exposure to sunlight reflected from our house windows; in less than 6 months of ownership! We are the original owners and took possession in June 2025. Both the local Subaru dealer and Subaru USA have been involved. Subaru USA Case number is: 251230 - 1500232.
2025 Subaru Ascent · Structure · filed with NHTSA May 3, 2026 · ODI 11735425
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 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 group18 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 12-262-25 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 12-262-25 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 12-262-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 20 model years: 2025 Subaru Ascent, 2024 Subaru Ascent, 2023 Subaru Ascent, 2022 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru Ascent and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.