2003 SUBARU WRX Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND ROLLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED SEVERE BACK AND NECK INJURIES. *AK

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS YESTERDAY (2/12/04) MORNING, AND WAS JUST CROSSING AN INTERSECTION. I WAS GOING ABOUT 15MPH, AND SAW THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME HIT THERE BREAKS. I PUSHED DOWN THE PEDAL, AND TO MY HORROR, IT SEEMED TO GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT MY CAR STOPPING AT ALL. NEXT THING I KNEW, I HAD REAR-ENDED A BUICK (WHICH AS AN ASIDE SUFFERED NOTHING WORSE THAN A SCRATCHED BUMPER, COMPARED TO MY FOLDED HOOD, RUINING FRONT BUMPER, AND OTHER TWISTED METAL).I HAVE ABOUT 15K MILES ON THE CAR, AND HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. THIS IS MY FIRST ACCIDENT IN ALMOST 15 YEARS OF DRIVING, AND DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO PROCEDE. I CALLED MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER, WHO SAID HE HAD NO IDEA OF SUCH A PROBLEM. WHEN THE POLICE OFFICER WAS ASKING ME WHAT HAPPENED JUST AFTER THE ACCIDENT, I DESCRIBE THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR FOR HIM, AND HOPEFULLY HE'LL INCLUDE MY STATEMENT IN THE REPORT. *AK

I HAVE A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STATION WAGON WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE INCIDENT ON JANUARY 19, 2004 IS ONLY ONE OF AT LEAST FIVE EXAMPLES OF THE PROBLEM DETAILED BELOW. *AK HERE IS THE RECURRING PROBLEM: WHENEVER I BRAKE AT RELATIVELY LOW SPEEDS (UNDER 30MPH AS FAR AS I REMEMBER) OVER EVEN MILDLY BUMPY SURFACES, THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSES COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR DOES NOT BRAKE. THE CAR WILL NOT BEGIN BRAKING UNTIL I REALIZE WHAT IS GOING ON, RELEASE THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND THEN HEAVILY DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AGAIN. I ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE ON JANUARY 19, 2004. THIS IS VERY BAD, BUT EVEN WORSE IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST -- I LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOME OF THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALKS IN MY AREA UTILIZE RAISED, WHITE-PAINTED CONCRETE SURFACES TO HIGHLIGHT THE CROSSWALK. THIS RAISED, UNEVEN SURFACE HAS TRIGGERED THE BRAKE PROBLEM I'M DESCRIBING SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST. THIS IS VERY SCARY SINCE MY CAR MIGHT STRIKE A PEDESTRIAN IN THE CROSSWALK BECAUSE OF ITS INABILITY TO BRAKE SMOOTHLY ON UNEVEN SURFACES. I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL ABS-EQUIPPED CARS IN THE PAST, AND NONE HAVE EXHIBITED THIS SCARY BEHAVIOR. AFTER READING ON A SUBARU OWNER'S INTERNET SITE THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM, I CONTACTED A SUBARU DEALER ABOUT THE ISSUE. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS NORMAL FOR ABS-EQUIPPED CARS. I FIND THIS EXTREMELY SCARY AND VERY HARD TO BELIEVE.

LOSS OF BRAKING AT LOW SPEEDS ON ROUGH SURFACES. WHEN BRAKING ON AN UNEVEN PATCH ON THE ROADWAY AT APPROX 15MPH ABS SEEMED TO BE ACTIVATED HENCE REDUCING BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS. ALSO NOTICED THE PROBLEM AFTER RUNNING OVER A GENTLE SPEED BUMP AT SIMILAR SPEED. THIS SECOND INSTANCE CAUSED WHAT FELT LIKE A TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING.*AK

THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES TO DATE. THIS IS THE TYPICAL SITUATION: I WAS DRIVING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED, AROUND 25, COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN. A SECOND OR SO AFTER I APPLIED THE BRAKES I WENT OVER SOME SMALL BUMPS ON DRY PAVEMENT AND IT FELT LIKE ABS WAS COMING ON, THE PEDAL DROPPED, BUT THEN IT WENT WAY DOWN AND IT WASN'T PULSING. NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED, IT DIDN'T SEEM TO HELP. *LA

SUBARU IMPREZA WRX SEDAN, 2003. ANTI-LOCK BRAKE ACTIVATION UNDER MINIMAL LIFT CONDITIONS (SUCH AS GOING OVER MINOR BUMPS IN ROADS, PARKING RAMPS, ETC.) HAVE HAD SEVERAL EPISODES OF ANTI-LOCK ACTIVATION LEADING TO LOSS OF BRAKING FORCE AND EXTENDED BRAKING DISTANCES. PROBLEM RESOLVED WITH REMOVAL OF ABS FUSE, BUT THEN I HAVE NO ABS EVER. *LA

OVERLY SENSITIVE ABS AND PROLONG ABS INTERVENTION. LOSS OF STOPPING POWER. SMALL BUMPS IN ROAD CAUSING ABS TO ACTIVATE AND STAY PULSING TOO LONG. *LA

EARLY ABS ACTIVATION ON ROUGH OR UNEVEN SURFACES (MAN HOLE COVERS, ETC.) AND FOLLOWING THIS A HUGE LOSS OF BRAKING FORCE. ALMOST LIKE THE BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED UNTIL THE PEDAL IS RELEASED AN REAPPLIED WHICH CAN TAKE SEVERAL SECONDS. THIS IS NOT GOOD WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME JUST STOPPED. *LA

WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH AND WITH NO WARNING REAR RIGHT TIRE TREAD SEPARATED AND CAUSED THE TIRE TO BLOWOUT. THE CONSUMER HAD TO PULL OVER. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK *PH *NLM

SUBARU WRX WAGON, 2003. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SLOW FOR A CORNER ON A WELL GROOMED, DRY, GRAVEL ROAD THE ABS SYSTEM OF THE CAR INITIATED A MODE THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW THE CARS BRAKES TO FUNCTION AT ALL. DURING THE EPISODE (WHICH HAS BEEN AND CAN BE RECREATED) PEDAL PRESSURE AND PEDAL HEIGHT WAS MAINTAINED AS DURING NORMAL BRAKING OPERATIONS. THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK DESPITE THE FACT THAT I WAS STANDING WITH BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF DISCONNECTING MY ABS AND SUBARU NA CLAIMS THAT I'M NUTS. *NLM