2013 SUBARU IMPREZA Complaints

Slowing down to pull into a parking space when I put my foot on the brake to shift into park, the car lurched forward and accelerated over a parking barrier and into a brick wall. Unexplained acceleration. This was not driver error. I felt a few unexplained accelerations previously but thought it was a mistake on my end. In this instance, my foot was nowhere near the acceleration pedal. It was very very frightening. I am now waiting for the insurance adjusters. My car was damaged. I damaged the building and another car tat was parked inside the building. This is a significant safety issue. Consumer stated insurance provider stated it is a total loss and wants to take possession of the car.

Was driving on I-70 in Colorado going 60-65 mph uphill when all indicator lights came on and AT (Automatic Transition) Oil Temp light began flashing. Check Engine, Hill Assist, ABS, and Traction Control lights all came on steady on. Had to pull over and had significant power loss during driving. Googled what AT Oil Temp light meant and called a tow truck to take to my mechanic. Mechanic initially indicated it could be valve body problem which in his words is a "known issue with Subaru CVT engines." Code pulled was p2764. They ended up pulling the pan and draining fluid and found excessive metal built up on magnet in pan. This pan and headgasket were repaired less than 6k miles ago (October 2020) and at that time they said everything was in good shape so something drastic happened to CVT in less than a year. Mechanic unable to say what caused the excessive buildup in that time. Safety compromised as left on side of very busy highway waiting for tow - we were also concerned with whether or not car would overheat/catch on fire due to AT oil being over 200 degrees. Problem confirmed by our mechanic and indicated that we need a full transmission replacement. No other warnings prior to this event. Maintenance is current and in 2018 performed recall service indicated by Subaru for valve spring issue.

Brake line is rusted at rear distribution block. We were driving the vehicle on a highway (~60mph). When the driver pressed the brake pedal, it did not respond and we had to pull the emergency brake. When the brake pedal is depressed, it takes much longer (and more pressure) to stop the vehicle than it did previously. We had it inspected by a mechanic who had the brake line at the rear distribution block is rusted out. The car is registered in Upstate NY where there is a lot of road salt. Our safety and the safety of the others was at risk because the brakes did not respond as expected making stopping time much longer. There were no warnings or symptoms prior to the problem.

My horn suddenly stopped working. I googled extensively this issue and it is very common among Subaru owners of many different model years. This is a crucial safety concern since most people rarely use their horn, but when you need it, for example, a deer in the road or an inattentive driver crossing a centerline, you REALLY NEED IT! It seems to me Subaru is guilty of planned obsolescence. My car reached 144K miles and suddenly the dash is ablaze with idiot lights, multiple colors, some flashing, some not. My local mechanic gave me an estimate of $2,000 to fix everything. A Subaru dealer, $2900. I realize many items are wear and tear, but the horn, it should not suddenly quit working. I do not live in NYC and rarely use it. My local mechanic said $200 to fix the horn. Subaru dealer said $800. It is not a simple fuse. An expensive part within the steering wheel needs to be replaced. Thank you for reading my complaint. Sincerely,[XXX][XXX], New Haven, VT [XXX] [XXX]. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE INSPECTED AT A LOCAL MECHANIC, THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN THE FAN MOTOR AND CLIMATE CONTROL FAN SPEED SWITCH BURNED OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 107,000.*DT

VEHICLE HAS KNOWN DEFECT WHERE THE OIL CONTROL VALVES ON FRONT OF ENGINE FAIL AND LEAK OIL ONTO MAIN WIRING HARNESS. THE DEFECT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN ELECTRICAL SHORTS, LIGHTING FAILURE, ENGINE NOT BEING ABLE TO BE STARTED, ENGINE FUNCTION FAILING WHILE IN USE, BATTERY FAILURE DUE TO SHORT CIRCUIT CREATED AMONG OTHER ISSUES IMPACTING STARTING, RUNNING, SAFE USEAGE AND POTENTIAL DANGEROUS FAILURE WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE. PREVIOUS COMPLAINT LOGGED, NO EVIDENCE THAT PROBLEM IS BEING INVESTIGATED - ALTHOUGH MANUFACTURER HAS ACKNOWLEGED KNOWLEDGE OF ISSUE BY ISSUING A SERVICE BULLETIN.

ON (3) SEPARATE OCCASIONS, MY 2013 SUBARU IMPREZA UNINTENTIONALLY ACCELERATED WHILE I WAS DRIVING (IN MOTION). EACH TIME (SHORTLY AFTER), I TOOK MY CAR TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP IN GLEN MILLS, PA FOR INSPECTION. THOSE DATES ARE: 6/25/16, 1/16/20, 2/27/21. EACH TIME THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THE FIRST INCIDENT (2016), I WAS DRIVING TO WORK (WITHIN 3 MINUTES OF HOME). THE CAR WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. I PANICKED (HIT THE ACCELERATOR HARDER), BUT WAS ABLE TO BRAKE AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE SECOND INCIDENT (2020) , I HAD JUST LEFT WORK, WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR, AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AS BEFORE. AGAIN, I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR BY BRAKING LIKE NORMAL. THE THIRD TIME (2021), I WAS ABOUT HALFWAY HOME (FROM WORK) TRAVELING ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND THE CAR ACCELERATED. I WAS ABLE TO BRAKE LIKE NORMAL AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR. EACH INCIDENT WAS SIMILAR IN THE SENSE THAT IT "FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS POSSESSED". IT REMINDED ME OF A CAR WASH WHEN THE CAR FIRST MOVES ON ITS OWN. IT FELT DIFFERENT FROM SIMPLY "TRAVELING FASTER". I ALSO MENTIONED TO THE MECHANIC THAT MY CAR SOMETIMES "LUNGES" AT A RED LIGHT. THIS OCCASIONALLY OCCURS WHEN I FIRST START THE CAR. A FEW TIMES I NEEDED TO PUSH HARD ON THE BRAKE SO IT DIDN'T ADVANCE FORWARD AND HIT THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR. AS A RESULT, I TRY TO "WARM UP" MY CAR A SHORT WHILE BEFORE DRIVING. I DON'T KNOW IF THE "LUNGING" RELATES TO THE OTHER INCIDENTS. I AM ATTACHING THE PAPERWORK FROM THE DEALERSHIP. ALL (3) REPORTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE SINGLE PDF. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE DETAIL OR HAVE QUESTIONS.

CAR WAS PARKED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF RESIDENTIAL GARAGE. I STARTED THE CAR TO PULL IT INTO THE GARAGE. AS SOON AS I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE, WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE, IT SHOT FORWARD AT FULL SPEED AND CRASHED INTO A TRAILER AT THE BACK OF THE GARAGE. THE IMPACT FROM THE TRAILER BROKE A HOLE IN THE GARAGE WALL. TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED WAS ABOUT 25'.

MY PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR NEVER TURNS ON. EVEN IF I HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT, THE LIGHT STILL REMAINS OFF. I KNOW THAT THE 2012 MODELS USED THE SAME OCCUPANCY SENSOR AS THE 2013 IMPREZA BUT THE 2013 MODELS HAVEN'T BEEN RECALLED. THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE BECAUSE THEY'RE THE SAME EXACT MODELS SO THEY SHOULD ALSO BE RECALLED SO THEY CAN BE FIXED. THE SEAT HAS NEVER BEEN WET AND I HAVEN'T BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENTS, SO THIS IS A FAULTY OCCUPANCY SENSOR. I DON'T KNOW WHY I SHOUL DHAVE TO PAY $1500 FOR A FAULTY SENSOR.

I STARTED MY VEHICLE AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT. AFTER BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND DRIVING MAYBE 20 SECONDS THE PASSENGER WINDOW SWITCH BEGAN SMOKING, AFTER MAYBE 10 SECONDS THE WINDOW SWITCH BEGAN MELTING INTO ITSELF VERY QUICKLY. LESS THAN 1 MINUTE LATER MY ENTIRE CAR MY CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES IN MY DRIVEWAY (THANK GOD I MADE IT BACK). THIS ALL HAPPENED WITHIN 2 MINUTES OF ME STARTING THE CAR.