2008 SUBARU IMPREZA Complaints

THE FIREWALL IS FLEXING UNDER CLUTCH PEDAL MOVEMENT OR BRAKING. UPON RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS CLAIMS BY 08/09 IMPREZA OWNERS OF SOFT WELDS ON THE FIREWALL CRACKING AND CAUSING THE FIREWALL TO FLEX UNDER OPERATION OF THE BRAKES OR CLUTCH. FURTHER FAILURE OF THE WELDS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF BRAKING OR CLUTCH OPERATION IS FURTHER DEGRADED. SUBARU OF AMERICA DENIES THAT THERE ARE CLAIMS TO THIS EFFECT THOUGH THERE IS DOCUMENTATION ON THE INTERNET TO THE CONTRARY. ISSUE SHOULD CAUSE A RECALL AS IT IS QUITE COMMON AND A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER ENGAGING AND RELEASING THE CLUTCH, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE THROW OUT BEARING AND CLUTCH WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49,000.

THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2008 WRX MAKES A LOUD CREAKING NOISE EVERY TIME IT'S DEPRESSED. WHEN I INVESTIGATED THE NOISE, I NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY (ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL) SHIFTS APPROX 1/4 INCH EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. I FOUND THAT THE THREE SPOT WELDS SECURING THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL WERE BROKEN. FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE FIREWALL, JUST UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, I SAW THE SPOT WELDS PULLING AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THIS ALLOWS THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY TO MOVE, CAUSING THE CREAKING NOISE. IF THE BRACKET COMPLETELY SEPARATES FROM THE FIREWALL, THE CLUTCH MAY BECOME COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE - ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING...I ALSO HAVE A VIDE FILE IF NEEDED. *TR

THERE STARTED TO BE A CLICKING / SQUEAKING SOUND WHEN DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH. BROUGHT THE CAR TO MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WITHOUT ANY ANSWERS - THEY CONTINUED TO APPLY LUBRICANT. MADE IT TO 106,000 MILES ON THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH, HAD IT REPLACED AS ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WITH THE GOAL OF THE SOUND GOING AWAY. THE SOUND AND CLICKING CONTINUED, YET THE CAR CONTINUED TO DRIVE NORMALLY. AT THE TIME OF CLUTCH REPLACEMENT, THE ENTIRE PEDAL ASSEMBLY MOVED AS ONE UNIT WHEN DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH - THIS CONTINUED TO BE AN UNDIAGNOSED PROBLEM (YET THE CAR CONTINUED TO DRIVE NORMALLY). BROUGHT CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, AGAIN COMPLAINED ABOUT THE NOISE - WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE FIREWALL WELD ISSUE BEING THE CAUSE FOR THE NOISE. FIREWALL WELDS WERE REPLACED WITHOUT COST TO ME. UPON PICKING UP THE CAR, THE SQUEAKING AND CLICKING NOISE WAS STILL PRESENT. UPON INSPECTION UNDER THE STEERING COLUMN / DASH, IT WAS NOTED THAT A CONNECTING BAR (CLUTCH / BRAKE) WAS FRACTURED AND FLEXES UPON DEPRESSION OF THE CLUTCH. ESTIMATED COST OF REPAIR IS ABOUT $1000. I HAVE CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA, AND THEY ARE INVESTIGATING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THIS WILL BE COVERED. I WILL NOT PURCHASE A SUBARU AGAIN. THIS IS MY FIRST SUBARU, AND IT WILL BE MY LAST. *TR

THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A LOUD SQUEALING NOISE WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED, IT STALLED OUT 5 TIMES IN 11 BLOCKS, AND IT STARTED TO SMELL. I STOPPED AT THE NEAREST MECHANIC TO MY WORK AND THEY WERE NICE ENOUGH TO LET ME LEAVE IT THERE FOR THE DAY EVEN THOUGH THEY DO NOT DO CLUTCH WORK. AFTER NUMEROUS DISCUSSIONS WITH SUBARU SERVICE, THEY FINALLY SEEMED TO AGREE TO WORK WITH ME AND INVESTIGATE WHY THIS HAPPENED. AT FIRST, THEY SEEMED TO WANT TO DISREGARD THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN AND THEY REALLY MADE IT SOUND LIKE I WAS TO BLAME (IE, BAD DRIVING). I EXPLAINED TO THEM OVER AND OVER THAT MY OTHER CAR IS A 15 YEAR OLD MANUAL JETTA WITH THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH, SO THE PROBLEM IS NOT BAD DRIVING. AFTER MUCH BACK AND FORTH, SUBARU PAID FOR THE ENTIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE CLUTCH AND THROWOUT BEARING, AS WELL AS SOME HYDRAULIC HOSES AND EVEN THE TOW TO THE DEALER. IN THE END, I WAS HAPPY WITH THE END RESULT, BUT I REALLY THINK THAT SUBARU NEEDS TO OWN UP AND ADMIT THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE 2008 IMPREZA CLUTCH. *TR

THIS CAR IS A LEMON. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED 2 SUBARUS (BOTH USED), THAT I HAD VIRTUALLY ZERO PROBLEMS WITH, THEN BOUGHT THIS NEW FROM APPLE SUBARU IN YORK, PA. IT HAS EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS BEFORE IT EVEN HIT 50,000 MILES. THE TRANNY THEY REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY; BUT IT TOOK THEM 3 WEEKS TO DO SO, AND ONLY COMPLETED JOB WHEN THEY NEEDED THE LOANER CAR BACK WITHIN 24 HOURS. LESS THAN 6,000 MILES LATER, ON CHRISTMAS EVE, THE CLUTCH THROW OUT BEARING FAILED, I HAD TO PAY FOR TOWING TO AND FROM THE DEALERSHIP. THEY CALLED ON12/26, AND INFORMED ME THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY ( EVEN THOUGH THEY EASILY COULD HAVE RUSHED THE TRANNY JOB AND CAUSED THIS), THAT IT WAS A "WEAR POINT." WHEN I HEARD $1700, ASKED TO SPEAK WITH THE SERVICE MGR., WHO INFERRED THAT I WAS IGNORANT, AND HUNG UP ON ME! I HAVE NEVER REPLACED A CLUTCH IN NEARLY 40 YEARS OF DRIVING MANUAL TRANSMISSION AUTOS. MOTOR NOW TAPS AT 69,000 MI.; NEEDS REPLACEMENT BECAUSE ONE OF THE CONNECTING RODS IS BENT, AND I AM BEGINNING TO LOSE OIL. BECAUSE OF THIS, I AM GOING TO TAKE A 50-75% REDUCTION ON THE SALE/TRADE VALUE OF THIS HAUNTED VEHICLE. I AM THE THIRD FAMILY MEMBER THAT SUBARU HAS SCREWED, SURE HOPE THEY TREAT THEIR OTHER LOYAL , DECADES-LONG CUSTOMERS BETTER THAN THEY HAVE TREATED US. *TR

A LOUD SQUEAK IS OCCURRING WHEN I PRESS AND RELEASE MY CLUTCH. I HAD MY CLUTCH REPLACED ABOUT 10K MILES AGO DUE TO A SEIZED THROWOUT BEARING. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER, THEY LUBED IT ALL UP BUT SQUEAK IS STILL THERE. THE TECH SAID THE NOISE IS ACTUALLY COMING FROM THE BRACKET THAT IS MOUNTED TO THE FIREWALL UNDER THE DASH. AFTER A FEW HOURS OF RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS POSTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND IT LIES WITH THE WELDS HOLDING THE BRACKET BEING FAULTY AND BREAKING. THIS CAUSES THE FIREWALL TO FLEX AND YOUR WHOLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY, CLUTCH AND BRAKE, TO MOVE AROUND WHILE IN OPERATION. *TR

A LOUD SQUEAK IS OCCURRING WHEN I PRESS AND RELEASE MY CLUTCH. I HAD MY CLUTCH REPLACED ABOUT 10K MILES AGO DUE TO A SEIZED THROWOUT BEARING. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER, THEY LUBED IT ALL UP BUT SQUEAK IS STILL THERE. THE TECH SAID THE NOISE IS ACTUALLY COMING FROM THE BRACKET THAT IS MOUNTED TO THE FIREWALL UNDER THE DASH. AFTER A FEW HOURS OF RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS POSTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND IT LIES WITH THE WELDS HOLDING THE BRACKET BEING FAULTY AND BREAKING. THIS CAUSES THE FIREWALL TO FLEX AND THE WHOLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY, CLUTCH AND BRAKE, TO MOVE AROUND WHILE IN OPERATION. *TR

I BOUGHT MY CAR USED, 38 MONTHS OLD AND 33,000 MILES, AND NOTICED THE CLUTCH WAS VERY HARD TO PRESS DOWN. I THOUGHT SINCE ITS A PERFORMANCE DRIVEN CAR, THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT WAS. AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT 3000 MILES I WAS SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND WHEN I PRESSED IN THE CLUTCH THERE WAS A LOUD POP. THE THROWOUT BEARING SEIZED AND COMPLETELY DISABLED THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE THROWOUT BEARING WASN'T SLIDING ALL THE WAY OUT SO THE CLUTCH WAS ALWAYS SOMEWHAT ENGAGED AND THIS IS WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. THEY SAID EVERYTHING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED; THROWOUT BEARING, CLUTCH PLATE, PRESSURE PLATE, AND FLYWHEEL. *TR