2003 Subaru Baja Brakes Problems

At the beginning of April, I purchased a 2003 Subaru Baja from Roseville Auto Center for $10,500 and was reassured by the salesman that it passed a safety inspection and that there were no leaks in the head gasket. I did my own inspection under the hood and underneath the vehicle. I found there to be undercoat sealant which made sense as the vehicle was from Pennsylvania. I asked about the rust condition of the car to which I was once again reassured that it was okay. I took the car home and the following week I took it to my mechanic to see where I should start on modifications and upgrades. However, upon doing a multipoint inspection with the car on a lift he discovered that the undercoat sealant had been sprayed over duct tape to conceal rust holes in the running boards. Further, the undercoat had been sprayed after the frame had gotten significantly damaged by rust, not as a preventative measure as it’s intended to be used. The frame has severe rust damage as does the steering, suspension, and worst of all, the brakes. The backing plates for the brakes are almost entirely disintegrated. Additionally, my mechanic discovered that there was oil and coolant which had leaked from the engine, indicating that there was in fact a head gasket leak. So, this vehicle is in an unusably unsafe condition with a head gasket leak which makes it unreliable. The vehicle was purchased under false pretenses due to intentional misrepresentation by the salesman regarding the reliability and safety of the vehicle. Furthermore, I’ve spoken to multiple mechanics and a dealership and none of them want to attach their name to this vehicle because of the liability attached to it due to these safety issues. Beyond this I have done extensive research to find out how much it would cost to repair these issues and replace these parts myself and it would cost me more than the cost of the vehicle let alone the actual value of the car. Finally, I am going to be unable to sell the vehicle for anyt

NHTSA ID

11592745

Incident

Apr 8, 2024

REAR BRAKE LINE HAS CORRODED AT THE 4 WAY CONNECTOR AND FAILED, SIMILAR TO OTHER MODELS AND YEARS THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED. VEHICLE IS REGISTERED AND OPERATED IN RHODE ISLAND

NHTSA ID

11113043

Incident

Jul 23, 2018

Mileage

113,000 mi

I WAS APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT LAST APRIL 28, 200) AND WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES, ONLY TO FIND THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO WORK. I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 20 MPH AND GRAVITY SLOWED ME DOWN TO BELOW 18 MPH BECAUSE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY, ONLY TO BE STOPPED BY A CAR MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ONTO A HIGHWAY VIA ROAD-RAMP. 3 PEOPLE WERE INJURED, AND MY DRIVING RECORD SEVERELY SCORCHED. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO FIX THE DEFECTIVE BRAKES TICKET. THERE WERE NO SUBARU DEALERS IN TOWN. THEY DID A VISUAL INSPECTION AND FOUND NOTHING TO BE THE MATTER. AS SOON AS I GOT BACK HOME, A WEEK LATER, I TOOK MY CAR INTO SUBARU, WHO RAN DIAGNOSTICS ON THE ABS ONLY TO CONCLUDE THAT I WAS A CRAZY PERSON. I DECIDED I RATHER NEEDED A SECOND, AND THIRD OPINION. NOW SUBARU HAD MY CAR FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS, GAVE IT BACK, TOOK ME BEHIND THE STORE TO TEST THE BRAKES, AND THE 20 FEET ON GRAVEL IT TOOK TO STOP WAS NORMAL, NOT TO MENTION, I HAD I QUOTE STATING 100% FUNCTIONAL AND NEW BRAKES. SO MY MAIN MECHANIC TOOK THE TIRES OFF TO LOOK THE BRAKES ,AND SAID OH MY GOD YOU CAN'T DRIVE THIS CAR, THERE WERE NO BRAKES! NONE, IT WAS NOT MEASURABLE, THAT' WAS HOW LITTLE THERE WERE.. SO I GOT A THIRD OPINION, AGREEING WITH THE SECOND OF MY MECHANIC, I CONCEDED, AND GOT MY BRAKES CHANGED. I ASKED TO KEEP THE BRAKE PADS TO TAKE TO SUBARU TO SHOW THEM THEIR GRAVE ERROR. I GAVE THE PADS TO THEM, THEY SWORE UP AND DOWN TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT, AND THAT WAS JULY 3, 2006, THIS IS APRIL 9, 2007. I THOUGHT ALL WAS WELL THAT ENDS WELL, BUT NOW THAT I KNEW OTHER PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS I DIDN'T WANT TO DIE JUST BECAUSE I LOVE MY CAR, AND I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE TIME TO BUY OUT OF MY BAJA. *AK

NHTSA ID

10187400

Incident

Apr 28, 2006

Mileage

40,000 mi

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING DOWN A WINDING MOUNTAIN ROAD THE VEHICLE LOST BRAKING POWER. SHE TRIED TO SLOW IT BY DOWN SHIFTING THE GEARS, AND THEN SHE USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING AND SHE DROVE INTO A DITCH. THE BRAKES HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPLACED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. A POLICE REPORT TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THERE WAS BODY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER STATED THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES. THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT YET INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10145969

Incident

Dec 12, 2005

MY SUBARU BAJA HAS AN INTERMITTENT BRAKING PROBLEM. WHEN TRAVELLING AT ABOUT 10 - 20 MILES PER HOUR IT WILL NOT STOP BUT JUST SLOW DOWN EVEN THOUGH PRESSING THE BRAKE AS HARD AS I CAN. THE BRAKES DO NOT GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. TWO DAYS AGO I ALMOST HIT A CAR WHEN DOING ABOUT 10 MILES PER HOUR AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP PROPERLY. IT TOOK THE CAR ABOUT 20 FEET TO STOP APPLYING AS MUCH PRESSURE AS I COULD TO THE BRAKES. IT REPEATED THIS PROBLEM IN A SAFE AREA OF THE PARKING LOT 4 MORE TIMES BEFORE WORKING PROPERLY. THE PAVEMENT WAS DRY. THE DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM. THIS IS THE 3RD OR 4TH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER THE PAST 5 MONTHS . WE ARE BRINGING THE CAR IN AGAIN BUT THE DEALER SAYS IT HAS TO OCCUR WHEN THEY ARE DRIVING THE CAR. THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS. WOULD YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR INJURED.*AK

NHTSA ID

10063628

Incident

Mar 18, 2004

Mileage

8,135 mi

THIS VEHICLE'S BRAKES ARE DEFECTIVE. THE ABS IS TOO EASILY ACTIVATED BY BUMPS OR DEBRIS ON THE ROAD DURING ROUTINE STOPS UNDER NORMAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, RESULTING IN LOSS OF DECELARATION OF VARYING DEGREES OF SEVERITY. THIS HAS CAUSED ONE ACCIDENT ALREADY AND ALMOST CAUSED ANOTHER ONE ON 12MAR04. WE HAVE NOTIFIED SUBARU OF AMERICA AFTER THE FIRST ACCIDENT, WHO REFUSED ASSISTANCE. WE HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP SINCE THEN, WHO MAINTAINS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE'S ABS. STILL, THE FAILURES CONTINUE. WE ARE BEING COMPELLED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA AND ITS LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO OPERATE A PATENTLY DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. THIS FAILURE CAN BE REPLICATED AND IT OCCURS AN AVERAGE OF THREE TIMES A WEEK ON DAILY DRIVING. IT EVEN HAPPENS WHILE PULLING UP INTO OUR GARAGE AT LESS THAN 1 MPH. WE URGE NHTSA TO EXTEND DEFECT INVESTIGATION EA-03-024 TO INCLUDE ALL MODELS COVERED IN SUBARU'S TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 06-31-03.*AK

NHTSA ID

10062598

Incident

Mar 12, 2004

Mileage

7,672 mi

TOTAL ABS BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE IN LIGHT TRAFFIC AT LESS THAN 20 MPH ON DRY SURFACE. FIRST ATTEMPT TO BRAKE MET WITH UNDUE BRAKE PEDAL RESISTANCE WITH NO STOPPING ACTION. SECOND ATTEMPT MET WITH UNRESTRICTED PEDAL TRAVEL TO THE FLOOR WITH NO STOPPING ACTION. VEHICLE ONLY STOPPED ON IMPACT. THE DRIVER AND TWO OTHER PEOPLE WERE INJURED.

NHTSA ID

10071145

Incident

Oct 15, 2003

Mileage

6,790 mi

TOTAL ABS BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE IN LIGHT TRAFFIC AT LESS THAN 20 MPH ON DRY SURFACE. FIRST ATTEMPT TO BRAKE MET WITH UNDUE BRAKE PEDAL RESISTANCE WITH NO STOPPING ACTION. SECOND ATTEMPT MET WITH UNRESTRICTED PEDAL TRAVEL TO THE FLOOR WITH NO STOPPING ACTION. VEHICLE ONLY STOPPED ON IMPACT. THE DRIVER AND TWO OTHER PEOPLE WERE INJURED. *LA

NHTSA ID

10043567

Incident

Oct 18, 2003

Mileage

6,802 mi