Subaru bulletin WRK-21/22R
What it says(Subaru) has initiated this safety and emissions Recall for certain 2019 - 2020 model year Ascent vehicles, 2020-2021 model year turbo Legacy vehicles, and 2020-2021 model year turbo Outback vehicles… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 4, 2025, received Sep 8, 2022, about the power train — 7 documents under this number. It names 6 model years (2019–2021). 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) has initiated this safety and emissions Recall for certain 2019 - 2020 model year Ascent vehicles, 2020-2021 model year turbo Legacy vehicles, and 2020-2021 model year turbo Outback vehicles in which the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) chain may slip and/or break.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRK-21/22R | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | 11023504 | PDF, 3,732 KB |
| WRK-21/22R | Service bulletin | Sep 12, 2023 | 10243391 | PDF, 3,735 KB |
| WRK-21/22R | Service bulletin | Mar 15, 2023 | 10233882 | PDF, 3,732 KB |
| WRK-21/22R | Service bulletin | Jan 12, 2023 | 10231303 | PDF, 8,412 KB |
| WRK-21/22R | Service bulletin | Oct 31, 2022 | 10225731 | not found |
| WRK-21/22R | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2022 | 10222371 | PDF, 2,671 KB |
| WRK-21/22R | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2022 | 10219473 | PDF, 8,415 KB |
What the document itself lists
The manufacturer titles it “CVT Chain Guide Breakage”.
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31000AK140 | Ascent Without CVTF Cooler CVT Assembly | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 31000AK270 | Outback & Legacy CVT Assembly | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 44011AL000 | GASKET A | 2 | eBay Motors → |
| 44022AA123 | GASKET-EXHAUST PIPE REAR | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 14497AA080 | GASKET-AIR INTAKE DUCT | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 21896AA130 | GASKET-INTER COOLER | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 44011AG000 | GASKET-EXHAUST PIPE REAR | 1 | eBay Motors → |
| 28333AG010 | — | — | |
| 18361AA090 | — | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (32 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Subaru’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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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.
Find the emission control for the 2020 Ascent →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,110 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 356 of them name Power Train, Engine — 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.
Car intermittently will studder and not go into first gear or go into second gear dangerously having car bog down and almost stall and then it violently downshifts having car RMP Hague go very high then slip and have no power to wheels and then a few seconds later go into second gear violently taking off again.
2021 Subaru Legacy · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 21, 2025
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
Odometer: 1,289 miles vehicle was in motion on a city street, drove 3 miles away from home. Battery light came on, vehicle started to overheat and check coolant indicator came on. Opened hood to smoke and serpentine belt had shredded. Coolant was sprayed all over under the hood.
2020 Subaru Ascent · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 9, 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 group22 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… |
| 16-155-25R | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Powertrain Warranty coverage for th… |
| 03-97-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2026 | This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures. |
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 WRK-21/22R 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 WRK-21/22R 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 WRK-21/22R cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2020 Subaru Ascent, 2019 Subaru Ascent, 2021 Subaru Legacy, 2020 Subaru Legacy, 2021 Subaru Outback, 2020 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: 2019-2020 Ascent: built 22 Feb 2018 – 20 Jul 2020; 2020 Legacy (turbo models): built 15 Jul 2019 – 13 Aug 2020; 2020 Outback (turbo models): built 15 Jul 2019 – 13 Aug 2020 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.