Subaru bulletin 12-268-25R
What it saysThis bulletin announces a repair procedure developed to address cases of the driver side mirror glass vibrating at highway speeds. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 15, 2026, received Oct 5, 2026, about the visibility/wiper. It names 7 model years (2024–2026). 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 a repair procedure developed to address cases of the driver side mirror glass vibrating at highway speeds. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-268-25R | Service bulletin | Sep 15, 2026 | 11037921 | PDF, 12,411 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 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 288 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 77 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.
My base level 2024 Subaru Impreza , while driving, has a vibration and shake in the drivers side rearview mirror at speeds over 25 mph, making it difficult to see clearly behind my vehicle. Vibration was present as a new vehicle and have reported issue to service advisor at Sport Subaru of Orlando Florida as a new vehicle owner
2024 Subaru Impreza · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Apr 17, 2026 · ODI 11731863
When driving the side mirror on the driver’s side vibrates so much that it impairs the drivers ability to see anything in it. I have had the mirror replaced once and the replacement does the same thing. I was told by the dealership that it is a known issue without a solution
2024 Subaru Ascent · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Dec 1, 2024 · ODI 11628146
Shortly after I bought the new car from a dealership in June 2025, I noticed the driver side mirror vibrates at speed above 60 mph, which makes the images in the mirror become quite blurry and makes it hard to judge the distance of other vehicles especially at night.
2025 Subaru Crosstrek · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Oct 30, 2025 · ODI 11696591
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-281-26 | 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… |
| 12-257-25R | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2025 | In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Warranty coverage for the Front Win… |
| 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 12-268-25R 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 12-268-25R 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 12-268-25R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2025 Subaru Ascent, 2024 Subaru Ascent, 2025 Subaru Crosstrek, 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, 2025 Subaru Impreza, 2024 Subaru Impreza and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.