Subaru bulletin 16-147-24
What it saysThis bulletin addresses limited cases of engine speed drop when the engine is restarted with the auto start/stop function. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 6, 2024, received Mar 4, 2024, about the engine. It names 3 model years (2019–2021). 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 addresses limited cases of engine speed drop when the engine is restarted with the auto start/stop function. Updated software available for the Transmission Control Module (TCM), will optimize the engine cranking speed monitoring program of the TCM.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-147-24 | Service bulletin | Feb 6, 2024 | 10251098 | PDF, 265 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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,653 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 506 of them name Electrical System, 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 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
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
When driving the driver heated seat puts out low heat even if the switch is in the off position. At 15 minutes sitting, heat can be felt on the buttocks skin and caused minor skin burn at around 30 minutes
2020 Subaru Forester · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 30, 2019 · ODI 11292191
In depth: 2020 Subaru Forester electrical problems → · 2020 Subaru Forester engine problems → · 2019 Subaru Forester electrical 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 16-147-24 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 16-147-24 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 16-147-24 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 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.