Subaru · Recall 25V889000
Subaru Recall 25V889000: Other safety defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Forester vehicles. These vehicles may have been manufactured with an incorrect and/or incorrectly oriented rear hatch support bracket which can detach without prior warning.
Recall 25V889000 at a glance
| NHTSA campaign number | 25V889000 |
| Manufacturer | Subaru of America, Inc. |
| Component | STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS |
| Vehicles affected | FORESTER |
| Model years | 2026 |
| Vehicles potentially affected | 5,603 |
| Reported to NHTSA | December 18, 2025 |
What can go wrong
A rear hatch support bracket that detaches can allow the rear hatch to fall unexpectedly during use and increase the risk of injury.
The fix — and whether it has actually arrived
Dealers will inspect the rear hatch support brackets and, if necessary, replace the stay and support bracket, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2026. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-25. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 20, 2025.
If the remedy is not available yet, or your dealer cannot tell you when the parts will arrive, ask for that in writing. A manufacturer that cannot repair your vehicle within a reasonable time is a manufacturer with a lemon law problem.
Your rights
Could this recall support a California lemon law claim?
It depends less on the recall than on what happened afterwards.
California's Lemon Law asks whether a substantial defect — one that impairs the vehicle's use, value or safety — survived a reasonable number of repair attempts, or kept the vehicle out of service for 30 or more cumulative days. A recall is the manufacturer's admission that a defect exists. What matters next is whether the remedy actually worked, and how long you waited for it.
It is also worth looking at the whole vehicle rather than this one campaign. Owners often come to us about a single recall and discover that the real claim is the repair history sitting behind it.
A recall is not automatically a lemon. It is the manufacturer admitting a defect and offering to fix it free — that is the system working. A lemon law claim arises when the fix fails, the fix never comes, or the defect has already taken the use of your vehicle away from you.
What to do now
Check whether your Subaru needs this recall
Not every Subaru is affected by 25V889000. Enter your 17-digit VIN in NHTSA's free federal database to see whether this recall — and any others — are open on your exact vehicle.
Look up your VIN at NHTSA.govRecall 25V889000 — common questions
What is 25V889000?
25V889000 is a safety recall issued by Subaru of America, Inc. and reported to NHTSA on December 18, 2025. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Forester vehicles. These vehicles may have been manufactured with an incorrect and/or incorrectly oriented rear hatch support bracket which can detach without prior warning.
Is my Subaru included in recall 25V889000?
Not every Subaru is affected. The recall covers 2026 FORESTER, but inclusion depends on the specific VIN. Enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm whether your exact vehicle is covered.
Does recall 25V889000 make my Subaru a lemon?
Depends. The recall itself is rarely the claim — the failed repair, the delay, or the rest of the repair history usually is.
What does it cost to have a lemon law attorney look at this?
Nothing. Case reviews are free, and under California's Song-Beverly Act the manufacturer pays your attorney's fees on a successful claim. You keep your recovery.
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Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Is your Subaru a lemon?
A recall is one data point. If your Subaru has been back to the dealer for the same problem, or has sat waiting on parts, the recall may be the least of it. Speak to a Subaru lemon lawyer before you agree to another repair attempt — our Subaru lemon law attorneys will tell you straight whether you have a case.
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