Subaru bulletin 18-225-22R
What it saysThis bulletin provides the diagnostic procedure for Harman Infotainment Systems when DTC B2255 is detected. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 5, 2024, received Oct 4, 2022, about the equipment — 3 documents under this number. It names 24 model years (2019–2024). 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 provides the diagnostic procedure for Harman Infotainment Systems when DTC B2255 is detected. This update should prevent unnecessary replacement of the head unit or USB cable.
Trouble codes it names: B2255
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-225-22R | Service bulletin | Mar 5, 2024 | 10252454 | PDF, 643 KB |
| 18-225-22R | Service bulletin | Oct 12, 2023 | 10244907 | PDF, 644 KB |
| 18-225-22R | Service bulletin | Sep 6, 2022 | 10222338 | PDF, 2,058 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.
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.
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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 24 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,850 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 689 of them name Electrical System — 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 84 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 11,000 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 2022 Subaru Ascent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V907000 (Electrical System). The local dealer was contacted; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
2022 Subaru Ascent · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 9, 2023
The infotainment system and Apple CarPlay connectivity is posing a safety hazard. When I’m on a phone call my audio will randomly cut out and suddenly the person on the other side of the call can no longer hear me. In order to fix the issue I must pick up my phone while I’m driving to disconnect from Apple CarPlay and reconnect.
2024 Subaru Crosstrek · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 9, 2024
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 group29 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… |
| 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… |
| 17-17-13R | Service bulletin | Jul 10, 2025 | NOTE: The Airbag systems used on previous and current WRX, STI and Tribeca models are NOT equipped with EDR functionality. This Bulletin p… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| WRL-21R | Service bulletin | Mar 28, 2024 | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated this safety recall for certain 2020 model year Ascent vehicles in which the front axle housin… |
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 18-225-22R 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 18-225-22R 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 18-225-22R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 24 model years: 2024 Subaru Ascent, 2023 Subaru Ascent, 2022 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Ascent, 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.