2008 SUBARU IMPREZA STI Complaints

BOTH HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT TEN TIMES OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND NOW I HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE TRIED THREE DIFFERENT HEADLIGHTS IN THE LAST MONTH, THE FIRST TWO WORKED BRIEFLY AND THE LAST ONE FROM SUBARU DID NOT WORK AT ALL. FROM 2005 - 20011 SUBARU HAS RECALLED OTHER MODELS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BUT AS I WAS TOLD, "THE IMPREZA IS THE CHEAP CAR"

WHAT IS THE ISSUE? BASICALLY THE FIREWALL IS SO THIN THAT IT FLEXES TERRIBLY EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH OR BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED. THE BIG PROBLEM IS THE WAY THE CLUTCH/BRAKE ASSEMBLY IS SECURED TO THE THIN FIREWALL. IT ONLY HAS 6 SMALL SPOT WELDS THAT RIP OFF THE FIREWALL AFTER TIME. THIS MAKES IT SO YOU CAN'T GET IN AND OUT OF GEAR. CLUTCH BECOMES USELESS. WHO? 2008-2014 GH/GR IMPREZA (2.5I/OBS/WRX/STI). I DON'T THINK THE ISSUE CAN BE LINKED TO A CERTAIN BATCH OF VEHICLES, CERTAIN CLIMATE/LOCATION, OR CERTAIN YEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED ALL OVER THE WORLD, ALL YEARS 08-14, AND ALL MODELS (WITHIN THE GH/GR CHASSIS).

WE HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE DEALER ABOUT REPLACING THE AIR BAG WE HAD AN EMAIL IN JULY 2016 CALLED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND THEY SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART IN THATS WHAT THEY WERE WAITING FOR THIS IS OCTOBER 2016 AND WE HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING YET. WERE SCARED TO DRIVE IT BUT WE NEED OUR CAR AND WE DON'T LET ANYONE SIT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT.

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.

BROKEN FIREWALL WELDS/CLUTCH SQUEAK IM HAVING LOUD CREAKING NOISE WITH DEPRESSION OF CLUTCHPEDALOVER LAST FEW YEARS WHICH DID NOT RESPOND TOLITHIUMGREASELUBRICATIONAT PIVOT BOLT WHERECLUTCH PEDALHINGESON BRACKET ATTACHED TO FIREWALL. ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC (SUBARUCERTIFIED) THERE IS A FAILURE OF A WELD ON THE FIREWALL NEXT TO CLUTCH BRACKET CAUSING A BOWING OUTWARD OF A PORTION OF THE FIREWALL AND CONSEQUENTIALLY A LOUD CREAKING NOISE.

CLUTCH SQUEAKS WHEN PEDAL IS PRESSED IN. SOUND COMES FROM INSIDE THE CABIN OR FIREWALL AREA.

THE CLUTCH BRACKET ON THE FIREWALL HAS ONLY 4 SMALL TACK WELDS FROM THE FACTORY. THIS BRACKET TAKES ALL THE FORCE OF YOUR LEG PUSHING IN THE CLUTCH EVERY TIME YOU CHANGE A GEAR. IT APPEARS TO BE VERY COMMON ON THE SUBARU WRX STI FOR THESE SMALL TACKS TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL AND CAUSE ACCELERATED CLUTCH WEAR AND EVENTUALLY CLUTCH FAILURE. MY CLUTCH FAILED AND THE DEALER IS NOW TELLING ME THAT THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE REPAIR FOR THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT WILL NOT BE COVERED BY SUBARU. TALKING TO OTHER PEOPLE AND CHECKING THE STI FORUMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT SUBARU HAS PAID FOR FOR SOME PEOPLE. THEY ARE REFUSING TO COVER THIS FOR ME. *JS

WELDS ON BRACKET THAT HOLDS CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDAL TO FIREWALL FAILING. CAUSING CLUTCH PEDAL INCONSISTENCY ALONG WITH BRAKE PEDAL MOVEMENT UPON CLUTCH PEDAL DEPRESSION. *TR

CLUTCH AND BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS HAVE POOR DESIGN. MY CLUTCH PEDAL CURRENTLY SQUEEZE AND WOBBLES WHILE MY BRAKE PEDAL IS WOBBLEY. THE MINIMAL/POOR SPOT WELDS FOR THE MASTER CYLINDERS ON THE FIREWALL HAVE CRACKED. *TR

THERE IS A LOUD SQUEAK NOISE WHEN THE CLUTCH IS BEING PRESSED, AND AT TIMES WHEN THE STRUCTURE FLEXES,IT INTERFERES WITH CHANGING GEARS. NOT ONLY DOES IT INTERFERE WITH CHANGING GEARS BUT,IT ALSO CAUSES THE BREAK PEDAL ASSEMBLY MOVES WHEN PRESSING THE CLUTCH. I HAVE VERIFIED THAT SOME WELD SPOT HAVE BROKEN OFF AND HAVE BECOME LOOSE. THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM SEEING AS HOW IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN IT COMPLETELY SEPARATES, DUE TO SHOTTY WELDING, NOT ONLY COULD THE CLUTCH GO OUT WHILE DRIVING BUT IT COULD CAUSE THE BREAKS TO GO OUT AS WELL. THIS IS NOT WEAR AND TEAR, I'VE ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT A 1.5 YEARS. WELDS SHOULD NOT BUST THAT QUICKLY. I HAVE VERIFIED IN THE SUBARU COMMUNITY THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM MANUAL TRANSMISSION IMPREZAS. *TR