2012 SUBARU IMPREZA Complaints

THE AIRBAGS IN THIS VEHICLE TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING (DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD ICONS INDICATE AIRBAGS ARE TURNED OFF). VEHICLE MUST BE STOPPED AND RESTARTED FOR THE AIRBAGS TO TURN BACK ON. THERE SEEMS TO BE A RELATIONSHIP TO ELECTRONIC INTERFERENCE - PASSENGER USE OF IPHONE OR IPAD MAY BE INVOLVED - BUT IT HAS HAPPENED WITH NO PASSENGER AS WELL. THIS HAPPENED 5 TIMES IN ONE DAY RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH ALTITUDE (PIKES PEAK, CO). PROBABLY RELATED: THE SEAT BELT ALARM HAS GONE OFF WHEN IPHONE IS PLACED ON EMPTY PASSENGER SEAT WHILE DRIVING. *TR

I STARTED NOTICING THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT WASN'T ALWAYS "ON" WHEN THERE WAS A PASSENGER SEATED THERE. IT SEEMED TO MALFUNCTION MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN A HEAVIER PERSON WAS ON THE SEAT. ATTEMPTS TO GET IT TO ACTIVATE (UNBUCKLING AND REBUCKLING SEATBELT, BOUNCING ON THE SEAT, STOPPING THE CAR AND RESTARTING) ALL HAD NO EFFECT. THIS PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR STATED THAT IT WAS DISABLED RANDOMLY (WHETHER CAR WAS IN MOTION OR NOT), EVEN THOUGH SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON DASHBOARD. TO CORRECT ISSUE, VEHICLE HAD TO BE RESTARTED MULTIPLE TIMES, SO THAT AIRBAG WOULD REACTIVATE. THIS WOULD NEED TO BE REPEATED, AS ISSUE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY. IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT, AIRBAG MOST LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED DUE TO FAULTY PASSENGER SENSOR. SUBARU STATED AIRBAG MODULE REQUIRED REPLACING, AFTER INSPECTION WAS MADE. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG TURNED OFF WITH ADULT SITTING IN THE SEAT. SENSOR REPLACED BY DEALER IN JULY 2012, BROUGHT BACK AUGUST 2012 WITH SAME PROBLEM. WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE MALFUNCTION WAS CAUSED BY EITHER AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE (CELL PHONE) ON THE SEAT OR THE SENSOR MAY HAVE BEEN WET. I CONTACTED SUBARU NORTH AMERICA WITH THIS EXPLANATION AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE NEW SENSORING TECHNOLOGY USED IN THE IMPREZA, WAS SENSITIVE TO ELECTRONIC PULSES AND ALSO MOISTURE AND POSSIBLY SWEAT. THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE AIRBAG MAY TURN-OFF AND WOULD NOT BE ACTIVATED DURING A COLLISION. SUBARU NOW CONSIDERS THIS MATTER CLOSED. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA SPORT PREMIUM ON 12/24/2011. IT HAD LESS THAN 100 MILES WHEN PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER. AT 1200 MILES, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL AND IT WAS VERY LOW. I CALLED BROADWAY SUBARU IN OAKLAND,CA ABOUT THE PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED, HOW CAN A BRAND NEW CAR HAVE LOW OIL? THEY SAID THIS IS COMMON AND TO ADD OIL. ADDED OIL AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF. TODAY, THE LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN AT 5560 MILES. OIL AGAIN IS LOW BUT WITHIN NORMAL LEVELS. I CALLED BROADWAY SUBARU AND TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, THE GUY EXPLAINED THIS IS NORMAL FOR ALL CARS TO BURN OIL, WHETHER IT'S AN AMERICAN CAR, JAPANESE, OR ANYTHING ELSE. IS HE SERIOUS? I HONDAS FOR CLOSE TO 20 YEARS AND NEVER EVER DID AN OIL LIGHT COME ON, LET ALONE ON A NEW ENGINE WHICH IS NOT DUE FOR ITS FIRST OIL CHANGE UNTIL 7500 MILES. I MADE AN APPT FOR 8/24/2012. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS AN OCCUPANT IN THE FRONT SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE OCCUPANCY SEAT SENSOR DETECTED WETNESS FROM THE PASSENGER'S CLOTHING WHICH RESULTED TO THE SENSOR NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,800. UPDATED 08/29/12*LJ

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH A PASSENGER, AIRBAG LIGHT SWITCHES TO OFF AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASH ILLUMINATES. PASSENGER CAN THEN UNBUCKLE SEAT BELT AND NO ALARMS SOUND ALERTING THAT THE SEATBELT IS OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY BLAMED IT ON A PAIR OF JUMPER CABLES UNDER THE SEAT. SERVICE WRITER TOLD ME IT COULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER IN THEIR SYSTEM, WHICH IS BS. IF ITS NOT BS THEN I DON'T FEEL SAFE WITH A PASSENGER. EVEN AFTER JUMPER CABLES WERE REMOVED THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. HAVE SEEN MANY ISSUES ON FORUMS WITH SAME PROBLEM. *JS

POWER STEERING FAILED UNEXPECTEDLY, DEALER VERIFIED IT WAS DUE TO A CRACKED WIRING HARNESS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG INDICATOR WAS INDICATING THAT IT WAS OFF WHILE A PASSENGER WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT. THIS IS UNUSUAL BECAUSE IF SOMETHING SUCH AS A PURSE IS PLACED IN THE SEAT, THE INDICATOR WILL CHANGE FROM OFF TO ON DUE TO THE SEAT BEING OCCUPIED. I THINK THIS IS VERY UNSAFE AND I FEAR DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. THIS IS VERY ALARMING TO ME BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY TIMES I HAVE 4 CHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH ME. 3 IN THE BACK OF COURSE AND ONE IN THE FRONT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, HE NOTICED THAT THE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK ON THEIR OWN. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN WITHOUT ENGAGING THE LOCK BUTTON. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED. UPDATED 7/26/12 *CN THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED IF HE LOCKED THE DOORS AND TRIED TO EXIT THE DRIVERS DOOR (OR ANY OF THE DOORS), THE DOOR MUST BE UNLOCKED BEFORE THE DOOR WILL OPEN. UPDATED 08/07/12 THE CONSUMER STATED WITH ALL THE VEHICLES HE HAS DRIVEN/RENTED, HE HAS NEVER SEEN A SITUATION WHERE THIS WAS THE CASE. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH WHERE FUEL IS LEAKING, THE EXTRA SECONDS NEEDED TO RESET THE LOCK COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GETTING OUT THE CAR WITHOUT INJURY OR SUFFERING SIGNIFICANT/FATAL INJURY. UPDATED 03/26/13