Subaru bulletin 12-279-26
What it saysThis bulletin announces a design change to the Power Rear Gate Drive (PRG) Unit to address rare concerns about a very slight drop immediately after the gate is fully open. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 1, 2026, received Jun 1, 2026, about the structure. It names 7 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis bulletin announces a design change to the Power Rear Gate Drive (PRG) Unit to address rare concerns about a very slight drop immediately after the gate is fully open.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-279-26 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | 11033052 | PDF, 1,435 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “Power Rear Gate Unit / Design Change”.
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63329SJ013 | UNIT ASSEMBLY-POWER REAR GATE LEFT | — | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (2 pages), read Sep 29, 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.
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.
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 Forester →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.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,951 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 300 of them name Electrical System, 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 39 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 9,565 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
On march 2, 2021 I needed to get to an appointment and my car wouldn't start, nor would my fob work to even open the doors. After calling for assistance they jumped the battery. Then I brought it to Subaru where they did a complete diagnostics test and found that the battery was defective. I had bought the car nov.
2021 Subaru Forester · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 6, 2021 · ODI 11406803
In depth: 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.
More bulletins about the structure
Source: same model, same component group18 other manufacturer communications filed against the Subaru Forester 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… |
| 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… |
| 12-274-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 6, 2025 | This Bulletin announces changes to the replacement procedure due to a design difference between Japan-produced bumpers and SIA-produced bump… |
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 12-279-26 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 12-279-26 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 12-279-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2025 Subaru Forester, 2024 Subaru Forester, 2023 Subaru Forester, 2022 Subaru Forester, 2021 Subaru Forester, 2020 Subaru Forester and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.