Subaru bulletin WRI-23R
What it says(Subaru) is initiating a new safety recall and stop sale for certain 2023 model year Impreza vehicles that may contain a stop lamp switch that was improperly adjusted during assembly. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 19, 2023, received Jun 5, 2023, about the service brakes. It names 1 model year (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 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.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is initiating a new safety recall and stop sale for certain 2023 model year Impreza vehicles that may contain a stop lamp switch that was improperly adjusted during assembly.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRI-23R | Service bulletin | May 19, 2023 | 10237286 | PDF, 1,012 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1 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.
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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group5 other manufacturer communications filed against the Subaru Impreza under the same component group (service brakes), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06-97-26R | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2026 | "This bulletin announces a design change to the front brake pads with a new friction material and shape that is intended to enhance the remo… |
| 06-97-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 30, 2026 | This bulletin announces a design change to the front brake pads which have been redesigned with a new friction material and shape to enhance… |
| 06-95-25 | Service bulletin | May 29, 2025 | This bulletin announces the availability of new reprogramming files developed to address cases of DTC C1C40 being detected by the Electronic… |
| 06-94-25 | Service bulletin | Feb 24, 2025 | This bulletin announces availability of new Electronic Brake Booster (EBB) & Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) module reprogramming files devel… |
| 06-90-24 | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2024 | This bulletin provides diagnosis and procedure information to be applied when diagnosing potential fluid leaks on front and rear brake calip… |
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 WRI-23R 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 WRI-23R 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 WRI-23R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Subaru Impreza. 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: 2023 Impreza: built 1 Feb 2023 – 20 Mar 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.