2009 SUBARU IMPREZA Complaints

THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2009 WRX CONSTANTLY REQUIRES ADJUSTMENT TO ENABLE THE RELEASE OF THE CLAMP PRESSURE ON THE DRIVEN PLATE OF THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WHEN THE CLUTCH FOOT PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. UPON INVESTIGATING A CREAKING NOISE, I NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY (ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL) SHIFTS APPROX 1/4 INCH TO THE LEFT AND DOWN EACH TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS ACTIVATED. THIS CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY HAS THREE BROKEN SPOT WELDS SECURING THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL. FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE FIREWALL, UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER, I CONFIRMED THE MANUFACTURER'S SPOT WELDS ARE PULLING AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL EACH TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. THIS WELD DEFECT STEMMING FROM THE MANUFACTURER ALLOWS THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY TO MOVE UNSECURED, ULTIMATELY PREVENTING THE TRANSMISSION TO ENGAGE THE VEHICLE INTO 1ST, 2ND, OR REVERSE GEAR. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE CLUTCH PEDAL ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPORARILY ENGAGE THE GEARS, HOWEVER IF THE BRACKET COMPLETELY SEPARATES FROM THE FIREWALL, THE CLUTCH MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE. THIS NOTORIOUS DEFECT IS WELL KNOWN AMONG SUBARU CAR OWNERS AND IS INDEED A SAFETY ISSUE THAT CAN DIRECTLY CAUSE A VEHICLE COLLISION.

TAKATA RECALL - IT HAS BEEN OVER 4 MONTHS SINCE THE AIRBAG IN MY CAR WAS RECALLED. IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT PARTS ARE STILL NOT AVAILABLE, AND THAT THE MANUFACTURER STILL CANNOT PROVED AN ETA FOR PARTS.

STRUCTURAL DEFECT OF THE SPOT WELD OF THE CLUTCH BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO THE FIREWALL. ASSEMBLY SHIFT LEFT WHEN CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. NOW IT IS VERY HARD TO PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE.

TAKATA RECALL NOTICE ARRIVE IN JUNE. REMEDY NOT AVAILABLE AND NOW IN MID SEPTEMBER STILL NOT AVAILABLE. VEHICLE IS REPORTEDLY UNSAFE FOR PASSENGERS - AND NO INDICATION EXISTS OF WHEN REMEDY WILL OCCUR. IN MEANTIME, SUBARU HAS OFFERED NO RENTAL CAR ALTERNATIVE OR OTHER COMPENSATION FOR INCONVENIENCE.

I HAD JUST TURNED AND PUSHED ON THE GAS TO GET UP TO SPEED-ABOUT 45MPH. THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP ACCELERATING/REVVING. I WAS HEADING TO A LIGHT TURNING RED. I PUSHED ON THE BRAKE AS HARD AS I COULD AND ALSO BUT ON THE EMERGENCY BREAK. BETWEEN THE TWO, I OVERCAME THE ACCELERATION. ONCE STOPPED, I PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN INTO PARK. AT THAT POINT THE ACCELERATION FINALLY STOPPED AND THE CAR SEEMED TO RESET ITSELF. I TOOK IT IN TO BE LOOKED AT-IT HAD NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE-VERY SCARY. I HAVE HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA'S, BUT NEVER SUBARUS.

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.

EXCESSIVE BODY FLEX WHEN TURNING RIGHT, CAN FEEL AIR COMING IN. I RECENTLY NOTICED THAT MY WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. THE WEIRD THING ABOUT THIS CRACK IS THAT THE CRACKS STARTED AT THE VERY TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD, DEAD CENTER WHERE THE ROOF MEETS THE WINDSHIELD. WHEN I INSPECTED THE CRACK TO SEE IF A ROCK HAD HIT IT, THE CRACK IS ABSOLUTELY SMOOTH WITH NO CHIP IN IT. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF THE EXCESSIVE BODY FLEX AS BEING THE CAUSE. I ALSO HAVE THE SAME CLUTCH ISSUES OF GETTING THE CAR INTO REVERSE. MY CLUTCH ALSO MAKES A POPPING NOISE WHEN SHIFTING AND RELEASING THE CLUTCH. I NOTICED THIS IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING IT AND INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULDN'T ANY ISSUE AND INFERRED THAT I WASN'T DRIVING THE CAR PROPERLY. I AM A FORMER US NAVY SEABEE HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR AND HAVE OPERATED NUMEROUS TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AND I HAD NEVER HAD A CLUTCH MAKE THIS SOUND. ON THE NEXT SERVICE APPOINTMENT, I AGAIN INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE CLUTCH WAS MAKING A POPPING SOUND WHEN IT RELEASED. THEY AGAIN TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. AFTER READING ALL OF THESE COMPLAINT, I FINALLY FEEL JUSTIFIED AND I WILL BE IMMEDIATELY GETTING RID OF MY CAR BEFORE HAVING THE CLUTCH FIREWALL ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET, WHICH IS A KNOWN COMMON ISSUE WITH SUBARU. THANKFULLY, I HAD BOUGHT A 5 YEAR/100,000 MILE WARRANTY AND THE $1800 REPAIR WAS COVERED AT 98000 MILES.

WHEN I PUSH CLUTCH IN ITS POPPING AND FLEXING. I FOUND THAT THE WHOLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY IS MOVING BACK AND FORTH CAUSING FIREWALL TO FLEX AT SPOT WELDS.ITS CAUSING CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT DIFFICULT.

I BOUGHT MY 2009 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX HATCHBACK A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO BECAUSE IT IS SUPPOSEDLY A RELIABLE VEHICLE. I HAVE ALWAYS NOTICED A SLIGHT SHIFT IN THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN ENGAGING THE CLUTCH. WE WERE TOLD BY MANY SUBARU OWNERS THAT THAT IS NORMAL. ABOUT A MONTH AGO IT BECAME VERY HARD TO PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE. IT IS NOW ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT MY CAR IN REVERSE AS WELL AS SHIFT BETWEEN GEARS. WE WERE GOING TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH BUT AFTER LOOKING ONLINE NOTICED THE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME EXACT THING. THE CLUTCH WILL NOT ENGAGE BECAUSE THE FIREWALL IS CRACKING WHERE THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER MOUNTS FOR IT ARE. APPARENTLY SUBARU IS AWARE OF THIS DEFECT BUT HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING TO REMEDY THE SITUATION.

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.