Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Subaru Forester submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
BRAKE PADS ARE GOOD AND MOST OF THE TIME WORK RIGHT. WHEN ROAD IS ICY OR WET AND I PUSH THE PEDAL THE CAR STARTS SHUTTERING, BRAKE LETS LOOSE AND WON'T STOP THE CAR. I TRY TO LET OFF THE PEDAL AND BARELY PUSH IT AGAIN AND IT STILL WON'T QUIT SHUTTERING OR STOP. IF I GO TO LOW GEAR REAL FAST OR PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TWO CLICKS THEN I CAN STOP. HAS THIS EVER BEEN A RECALL ON THIS AUTO? *TR
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER PRESSED THE ACCELERATE PEDAL ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STOP AND ACCELERATE AT THE SAME TIME. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THIS COULD BECOME A POTENTIAL DANGEROUS SITUATION. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. *AK
WHEN THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE, HE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HIT A MEDIAN WALL HEAD ON. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED HEAD AND BACK INJURIES AND WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. *JB *SC
2002 SUBARU FORESTER S - DEALER CLAIMS THAT NORTHEAST CLIMATE (SALT & WET ROADS) WILL CORRODE DISC BRAKES, CAUSING PADS TO FAIL TO RETRACT COMPLETELY AND THEREFOR CONTINUOUSLY RUB ON THE ROTORS, HEATING THEM AND CAUSING WARPING. DEALER CLAIMS BRAKES SHOULD BE INSPECTED AND CLEANED EVERY 15,000 MILES. MANUFACTURER'S MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE MAKES NO MENTION OF THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM. REPAIRS COST $600.00. *AK
I ALMOST HAD A BAD ACCIDENT, AND I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW IN OUR SUBARU FORESTER. I CAME TO A RED LIGHT, BEGAN TO SLOW USING THE BRAKE, AND FOUND THE CAR TRYING TO SURGE AHEAD INTO THE PASSING TRAFFIC: MY FOOT HAD CONTACTED THE ACCELERATOR AS WELL AS THE BRAKE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR, BUT IT WAS A SCARY MOMENT.*AK
WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED THERE WAS A DELAY BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPPED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND TECHNICIAN INDICATED VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED BY THE MANUFACTURER. INDEPENDENT SHOP REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER, AND IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY.*AK THE PROBLEM THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED WAS SIMILAR TO A RECALL ISSUED FOR 1998 AND 1999 MODELS. AFTER THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS REPLACED THE PROBLEM SUBSIDED. *NM
CONSUMER STATED BRAKE PEDAL AND GAS PEDAL ARE TOO CLOSE. SOMETIMES WHEN BRAKING THE DRIVER PRESSES THE GAS PEDAL INSTEAD OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, ALMOST RESULTING IN CRASHES. *AK *MR
AFTER THE RECALL FOR THE PARKING ROD 02 V 282 000 WAS PERFORMED, THERE IS VERY LOUD NOISE FROM THE BRAKES. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THIS IS CAUSED BY THE BRAKE LINE RUSTING, BECAUSE CAR IS NOT BEING DRIVEN ENOUGH.*AK
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE UNTIL CONSUMER PUSHES THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT FUNCTION, HAD TO USE HAND PEDAL TO STOP VEHICLE. TS. *AK
WHEN PARKING AND BRAKES APPLIED VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. ON 27 JUNE 2002 WHILE PARKING VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD, BRAKES WERE APPLIED, AND VEHICLE HIT A POST, CONSUMER SUFFERED MINOR INJURY. VEHICLE AT DEALER AT THIS TIME.*AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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