Subaru bulletin 17-17-13R
What it saysThe Airbag systems used on previous and current WRX, STI and Tribeca models are NOT equipped with EDR functionality. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 10, 2025, received May 29, 2018, about the equipment — 5 documents under this number. It names 36 model years (2016–2023). 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 communicationNOTE: The Airbag systems used on previous and current WRX, STI and Tribeca models are NOT equipped with EDR functionality. This Bulletin provides information regarding Event Data Recorder (EDR) functionality which has been incorporated into the airbag system. The function of the EDR is best explained using the following statements found in the vehicle Owner?s Manual: ?This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations such as an airbag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in the understanding how a vehicle?s systems performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record such data as: ? How various systems in your vehicle were operating; ? Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened; ? How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal; ? How fast the vehicle was traveling. This data can help provide a better understanding of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-17-13R | Service bulletin | Jul 10, 2025 | 11021251 | PDF, 272 KB |
| 17-17-13R | Service bulletin | Mar 19, 2020 | 10173127 | not found |
| 17-17-13R | Service bulletin | Jan 17, 2020 | 10171089 | not found |
| 17-17-13R | Service bulletin | Jan 10, 2019 | 10154207 | not found |
| 17-17-13R | Service bulletin | Dec 15, 2017 | 10138778 | not found |
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.
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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 36 model years this bulletin names have filed 10,269 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 3,291 of them name Electrical System, Air Bags — 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 2017 Subaru Legacy/Outback, the 179 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 32,000 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
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag occupant classification system deactivated when the seat was occupied. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but an appointment was scheduled for october 11, 2019 at grayson Subaru (8729 kingston pike, knoxville, tn 37923).
2019 Subaru Crosstrek · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Oct 11, 2019
The contact owned a 2018 Subaru Wrx Sti. While the contact's son was driving 5-10 MPH, a 2009 chevrolet hhr t-boned his vehicle and pushed it 60 feet. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The driver sustained head injuries and the passenger sustained neck injuries. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed.
2018 Subaru WRX · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Nov 5, 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 equipment
Source: same model, same component group35 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (equipment), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Subaru list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-249-23R | Service bulletin | May 13, 2026 | This bulletin announces the recommended cleaning procedures to followed when encountering vehicles with long time exposure to pollen on pain… |
| 01-184-22R | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | This Service Information Bulletin announces the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) procedure for Solterra. |
| 15-130-08R | Service bulletin | Oct 29, 2025 | This bulletin details an important regulation issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which impacts the way som… |
| 15-256-19R | Service bulletin | Jul 10, 2025 | This bulletin provides information on a new reprogramming procedure (FOTA) to optimize the Harman Gen 3.1 Audio and Navigation head units… |
| 03-91-23R | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2024 | This bulletin announces the design change made to the front drive axle shaft assemblies to address cases of a clicking/cracking-type sound h… |
| FAQ 15-318-24R | Service bulletin | Apr 22, 2024 | T16 VoLTE Warranty Extension (15-318-24R) Frequently Asked Questions. |
| 09-118-24 | Service bulletin | Apr 4, 2024 | This bulletin the announces diagnostic procedures and availability of new Engine Control Module (ECM) reprogramming files to address DTC P24… |
| 09-80-21R | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2024 | This bulletin announces availability of a new thermo control valve assembly. The new valve contains an enhanced stainless steel internal sha… |
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 17-17-13R 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 17-17-13R 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 17-17-13R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 36 model years: 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru BRZ, 2019 Subaru BRZ, 2018 Subaru BRZ, 2017 Subaru BRZ and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.