Subaru Forester Headlight Bulb Size

Additional Notes

• The 9005 bulb is the dominant high beam type across the Subaru Forester, covering model years 2006-2018 as a sole fitment and also appearing alongside the 9003 in 2005. It follows the ANSI standard used in the US and Canada, operates on a single filament with a P20d base, and is rated at 12V and 65W.
• The 9003 bulb served as the high beam source on the Forester from 1998-2004, with a dual-filament design rated at 12V and 60W for high beam and 55W for low beam. Its P43t base and dual-filament construction distinguish it from the single-filament 9005 that replaced it.
• In 2005, the Subaru Forester carried both the 9003 and the 9005 as listed high beam fitments, indicating a mid-cycle transition between bulb types across different configurations of that model year.
• The 9003 bulb also served as the low beam source from 1998-2004, and again in 2005 for one configuration. Because the 9003 is a dual-filament bulb handling both beam functions in a single unit, it is not interchangeable with the single-filament H1 or H11 bulbs used in later low beam applications.
• Low beam halogen fitment on the Forester shifted from H1 to H11 between the 2008 and 2009 model years. Both are single-filament halogen bulbs rated at 12V and 55W, but they use different bases, H1 with a P14.5s base and H11 with a PGJ19-2 base, making them physically incompatible with each other.
• HID low beam options appeared on the Forester from 2006-2018. The D2R bulb was fitted from 2006-2013, while the D4R replaced it from 2014 onward. Both types use reflector-type housings and are rated at 35W, but the D2R operates at 85V and requires an external ignitor, whereas the D4R is mercury-free and operates at 42V, making the two types non-interchangeable.
• For the 2017-2018 Forester, the halogen capsule headlamp qualifier appears on both the high beam 9005 and the low beam H11 entries, indicating that these bulb sizes apply specifically to vehicles equipped with halogen headlamp assemblies rather than HID units.
• The H11 and H1 bulbs both follow the ECE standard and carry US approval, while the 9005 and 9003 follow the ANSI standard. This means the low beam halogen fitments from 2006 onward use ECE-standard bulbs, whereas the high beam fitments across all listed years use ANSI-standard bulbs.