Subaru bulletin WRQ-23
What it says(Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2021 model year Crosstrek vehicles, certain 2022 model year Forester, and certain 2021-2023 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Subaru filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 12, 2023, received Jan 3, 2024, about the power train. It names 8 model years (2021–2023). 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 communicationSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2021 model year Crosstrek vehicles, certain 2022 model year Forester, and certain 2021-2023 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRQ-23 | Service bulletin | Dec 12, 2023 | 10248196 | 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.
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 8 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,144 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 216 of them name Electrical System, Power Train — 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 2022 Subaru Outback, the 13 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 25,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
My new 2022 Forester Wildness is equipped with an automate "Start and Stop" function which (while driving) shuts the engine off if the sits still too long in traffic or a stop light. While the car has a button to disable this function. You must press the button every time you start the car to disable the auto SS.
2022 Subaru Forester · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Sep 6, 2022 · ODI 11483112
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 · ODI 11700919
I bought this 2021 Subaru Outback in jan 2, 2021. In mid feb, I drove the Outback to lake tahoe. On my way, I went to costco gas station for gas after 1 hour highway driving. The car was just dead after refueling. I called roadside assistance not knowing what happened. The car was jumpstarted.
2021 Subaru Outback · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 18, 2021 · ODI 11408679
In depth: 2022 Subaru Outback electrical problems → · 2021 Subaru Outback electrical problems →
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 group20 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… |
| 16-132-20R | 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… |
| 16-157-26 | Service bulletin | May 12, 2026 | This bulletin announces a design change to the TR690 CVT control valve body which features an enhanced line pressure sensor O-ring, designed… |
| 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 WRQ-23 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 WRQ-23 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 WRQ-23 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 8 model years: 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, 2022 Subaru Forester, 2023 Subaru Legacy, 2022 Subaru Legacy, 2021 Subaru Legacy, 2023 Subaru Outback and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.