Subaru bulletin 17-22-26
What it saysThis Bulletin provides parts ordering and service guidance when replacing passenger seat assemblies and other passenger seat components. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 23, 2026, received Aug 4, 2026, about the seats. It names 2 model years (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 communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
This Bulletin provides parts ordering and service guidance when replacing passenger seat assemblies and other passenger seat components.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-22-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 23, 2026 | 11035648 | PDF, 2,008 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2 of them name Seats — 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.
Incident Summary: On August 23, 2026, a multi-occupant injury event occurred during routine city braking due to an inherent occupant packaging design defect in the vehicle’s front seating and sun visor layout.
2026 Subaru Outback · Seats · filed with NHTSA Sep 7, 2026 · ODI 11762630
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 seats
Source: same model, same component group6 other manufacturer communications filed against these Subaru models under the same component group (seats), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| WRA-24R | Service bulletin | Mar 16, 2026 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2020-2022 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles to replace all… |
| 12-273-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 18, 2025 | This bulletin announces a design change to the driver front lower seat cushion cover, addressing cases of tearing at the bottom corner of th… |
| WRC-25 | Service bulletin | Jun 20, 2025 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2025 model year Forester Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (SHEV) t… |
| WRA-24 | Service bulletin | Feb 3, 2025 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2020-2022 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles to replace all… |
| 18-224-24 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2024 | This Service Information Bulletin announces the Service Manual Correction when diagnosing the following DTCs; B1792: Front Right Occupant De… |
| 12-299-20R | Service bulletin | Sep 28, 2023 | "This bulletin announces a design change made to the outer hinge cover on the driverâs 10-way adjustable power seats." |
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 17-22-26 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 17-22-26 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 17-22-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2026 Subaru Forester, 2026 Subaru Outback. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: built 16 Mar 2026 – 24 Apr 2026; built on or after 16 Mar 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.