10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 67,504 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
I called Subaru almost 5 months ago when I came across there was a recall on brakes since we were having the issue of the brakes flashing and the vehicle not shifting. Manufacturer recall #: wue90 on 2-28-19. NHTSA recall #: 19V149000. When I called they said they did not have the parts yet to fix. On 8-29-19 the car was in an accident and brakes light was chiming and flashing earlier and may be related to why it did not stop in time and was involced in a rear end crash when driver in front slammed on brakes. A auto shop then tells me after the car was reported in the accident sommers Subaru called them on 9-4-19 to tell the car had a brake safety recall. I have made a previous complaint about this vehicle on 4-19-19. Complaint # 11197303
- Wauwatosa, WI, USA
Takata recall and safety recall wue90 NHTSA campaign: 19V149000 brake lamp switch. On April 4th, 2019 I called multiple dealers for this recall and the takata recall and they could not get me in until May 11th for airbag and the brake recall they do not have parts yet for it and the cars brake light is on. The last week and a half the brakes have been goofy and light illuminated which is part of the recall. Monday while driving on the highway at 55mph the rear passenger tire blew. Car has been towed because it appears part of the ABS system has broke and pierced the brand new tire!
- Wauwatosa, WI, USA
When I brought my 2009 Subaru Impreza into colonial Subaru (in va) 2 weeks ago, there were many issues, but I didn't know the cause or if they were related. The strangest thing was all the issues started occurring out of nowhere over the past 4 months. My uncle is a certified Subaru mechanic in NJ and has been servicing my car since I bought it in 2013. I also took meticulous care of it for the past 5 years, and it was running perfectly until now. There was nothing wrong with it when he looked at it in Sept. And it passed NJ inspection in Oct. Then between Oct and Feb (only 4 months), it's falling apart and needs a new engine and catalytic converter? I also didn't know until researching the issues (right before I took it into colonial) that there were still 2 open recalls on it ' brake line and air bags (I wasn't driving my car a lot at the time of the recalls because I was unemployed, and never even heard about them, so I had no idea). When I took the car to colonial, I asked for the free diagnostic and recall repairs, but also told them everything that was wrong. The full list I gave to them is in the attached doc. They lied about the real problems, my car was towed to hyman brothers Subaru, they found the cause of the catalytic converter damage (head gasket leak), but then refused to diagnose the other critical problems that are proven links to the new brake light switch recall...which causes an electricity flow interruption (clearly spelled out in the new recall), that is documented and proven to cause electrolysis (mutating the chemical elements in the coolant making it highly corrosive, eat through the heater core connectors, leak out and damage the head gaskets (then leak coolant/oil into the catalytic converter). All needed repairs should be free of charge because they are a direct result of the faulty brake light switch interrupting the flow of electricity.
- Mechanicsville, VA, USA
Chassis fatigue and cracking resulting in damage/potential compromise of driver controls. Clutch pedal assembly broke and will no longer dissengage the clutch(drivetrain system). This happened while driving on a local highway at a speed of approximately 45mph. I was forced to drive the vehicle off of the road to avoid a potential collision with another vehicle. The whole assembly is comprised of both the clutch and the brake pedals. Due to the assembly failure the brake pedal has significant play in it as well and doesnt function properly. Upon inspection I found that structural welds on the firewall, where the assembly is mounted, have failed. I called subaruofamerica about the issue on 08 May 2018. I referenced two different tsb's regarding this issue on my year range of vehicle. 1) NHTSA id: 10090413 tsb id: We 2) NHTSA id: 10090409 tsb id: 12-184-15 I was told that the extension to the warranty expired in 2013 and there was nothing they could do for me. Even though these tsb's are date 03 February 2017.
- Clarksville, TN, USA
Clutch weldings on firewall cracking and causing malfunction of brake pedal. Lost of the ability to shift up or down.
- Yuma, AZ, USA
I was driving on the highway with cruise control on and activated. I am not sure which speed it was set to (it would have been between 65-85). As I was driving, I approached a car in front of me and depressed the brake pedal with my right foot. I did not deactivate the cruise control first, because braking should deactivate it. When I pressed the brake pedal, it was completed jammed and would not move at all. I then lifted my foot, and pushed the brake again. I then slammed by foot down on the brake and it would not move. The whole time I couldn't depress the brake the cruise control was still active and I was coming very close to the car in front of me. I then depressed the clutch and the cruise control was deactivated, and the brake pedal then was not stuck and it worked as usual. After this, everything in the car seemed to work normally. I came extremely close to having an accident on the highway because of this problem and I could have killed myself or others. I had to swerve in order to avoid an accident on the highway and it was extremely stressful.
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Rear left brake started making a scraping sound as if the brake pads were worn and gouging the rotor, also the brake pedal was pulsating as if the rotor was warped. Upon inspection I noticed that the brake pads were not worn but in fact the smooth surface on the back side of the rotor was chipping away and the rotor was very rough, . these are the original rotors and the rear left was the only one with this problem although the rear right rotor was worn badly also but the pads barely showed any wear. These rear brake pads are the second set since the car was purchased new by me.
- New London, WI, USA
Front end collision, vehicle totaled. Seat belt failure. Brake failure. Airbags failed to deploy. Multiple injuries sustained.
- Arlington Heights, IL, USA
Car used as daily driver to commute less than 14 miles round trip for work. Clutch began to develop a pop noise which then turned into a loud squeak followed by more than a 1/2" of movement to the left that the brake pedal would start to move when the clutch would be depressed. After further investigation of reading local owners threads and asking around I have found that the welds that hold my brake and clutch together have broken and are continuing to break which could lead to my clutch pedal assembly falling down to the floor board which could potentially render me from using my brake pedal. This is a common issue with all Subaru Impreza WRX and sti owners which can be found on multiple local owners club websites and could affect bodily harm to drivers of the cars and other drivers on the road! Subaru refuses to acknowledge that this is a problem and in most cases will not cover repair costs!
- San Diego, CA, USA
My car started making this really loud popping noise everytime I would engage the clutch. What has happened in the past when I press on the brake pedal my foot has shifted off the pedal due to a fast sudden move from the clutch and brake assembly. I drove the car to Texas to visit family and decided to take the car for oil change before returning to California. There the service manager at Subaru in Texas, which drove my car to the service area, asked me if I had noticed the clicking noise and I told him yes. He then informed me that many 2008-2009 Impreza WRX have problems with weld spots which hold the brake and clutch assembly to the fire wall that then fail and brake off. He gave advice on how to look for broken welds, so as soon as I arrived to California I further inspected for the broken welds and sure enough he was right. So I contacted Subaru of America and described the defect on my car to have them repair it since it's a safety defect, specially with critical components of the car which are the clutch and brake pedal. As of today 11/5/2014 they have yet to decide if they are covering the repairs because my car is currently 85K and its no longer under warranty. Also, they are blaming the clutch because it has been replaced prior to me purchasing the car with an oem replacement clutch. I have never experienced such a nightmare with any vehicle that I have ever owned. I really hope NHTSA does something before any fatalities or accidents occur. I am currently going threw this right now, so I have yet to find out what they are going to do with my car. I really need help from NHTSA, even if they fix my car, Subaru needs to notify owners of this year and models of this problem. All over the internet there are people with the same issue and others that are yet to go threw. Owners need to be aware and cautious about this important fabrication defect.
- San Jose, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2009 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle. The contact mentioned that while attempting to merge to the side of the road, black smoke started coming from the vehicle. The contact and passenger immediately exited the vehicle and moments later the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames. No injuries were reported. A police report was filed. The forensics examiner determined that the ABS fluid leaked on the engine causing the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000.
- Wilmington, DE, USA
The bracket that attaches the clutch and brake pedals to the inside firewall has separated from its spot welds and is causing a loud creaking noise, as well as difficulty with shifting gears, and decreased braking ability. Very dangerous situation as it affects your ability to control the vehicle properly.
- Patchogue, NY, USA
My clutch started squeaking while driving on the highway. When depressing the clutch, the brake pedal moves toward the drivers side and down. Upon further inspection, I noticed the spot welds that hold the clutch and brake assembly to car were broken and starting to separate from the firewall. Eventually, the welds will fail and completely remove the assembly from the firewall. Thus, clutch and braking abilities will be gone and cause an accident.
- Indiana, PA, USA
- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA