Subaru bulletin 16-155-25R
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 Apr 24, 2026, received Aug 4, 2025, about the power train — 2 documents under this number. It names 11 model years (2019–2020). 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 communicationIn the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Powertrain Warranty coverage for the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) on the above listed models and model years from the original five (5) years or sixty thousand (60,000) miles (whichever comes first) to ten (10) years or one-hundred thousand (100,000) miles (whichever comes first).
Trouble codes it names: P06EF P0711 P0712 P0713 P0841 P0962 P0963 P0966 P0967 P0970 P0971 P0973 P0974 P0976 P0977 P2720 P2721 P2729 P2757 P2762 P2764 P2769 all 22 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-155-25R | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | 11032037 | PDF, 1,624 KB |
| 16-155-25R | Service bulletin | Jul 14, 2025 | 11021247 | PDF, 1,464 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.
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 11 model years this bulletin names have filed 4,937 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 296 of them name Power Train — 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 Ascent, the 34 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 18,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
When shifting quickly into 4th gear on the manual transmission at higher rpm's (above 3000), the gear grinds. If you shift slowly, it doesn't. It seems to be only the 4th gear doing this. My car has 1300 miles on it. I AM wondering if it because the rpm's hang way too long. I have been driving a manual daily for 28 years.
2019 Subaru Impreza · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 22, 2019
2019 Subaru Crosstrek. Consumer writes in regard speedometer red dim light an older style transmission. The consumer stated the lighting on the instrument panel was insufficient and could not be manually adjusted separate from the headlights. The consumer stated the transmission does shift quick enough
2019 Subaru Crosstrek · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Oct 16, 2019
CVT appears to be faulty. While driving, rpms will jump up by 1-2k, stay at that level for a second or two, then drop down. When it drops, car will shudder or accelerate. Occassionally a screeching or grinding noise is heard. This has happened multiple times, but is not predictable.
2019 Subaru Ascent · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jun 14, 2019
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 power train
Source: same model, same component group25 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Subaru list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16-158-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This bulletin provides guidance when diagnosing chain slip, judder, shudder, and hesitation concerns on the TR580 model CVT transmissions us… |
| 16-156-25R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body which enhancement was implemented to prevent abnormal operations.… |
| 16-154-25R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This Service Information Bulletin announces the release of a new diagnostic assistance application for TR690 and TR580 CVT-equipped vehicles… |
| 16-150-24R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | "This bulletin announces availability of new reprogramming files developed to address the two symptoms described below: SYMPTOM 1: A jerk or… |
| 16-132-20R | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This Bulletin provides updated diagnostic procedures to follow and a brief questionnaire to complete when diagnosing an alleged Chain Slip c… |
| 16-151-24R | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2026 | This bulletin provides guidance when diagnosing chain slip, judder, shudder, and hesitation concerns on the TR690 model CVT transmissions us… |
| 03-97-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures. |
| 16-156-25 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2025 | This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to… |
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 16-155-25R 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 16-155-25R 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.
Which vehicles does 16-155-25R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 11 model years: 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Crosstrek, 2020 Subaru Forester, 2019 Subaru Forester, 2020 Subaru Impreza and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.