2003 Subaru Impreza Brakes Problems

APPROACHING STOP LIGHT ON SURFACE STREET; DRY CONDITIONS, FLAT ROAD; APPROX 30 MPH; ANTICIPATING STOPPING. LIFT FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR AND APPLY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN; CAR DOES NOT SLOW; FEELS OUT OF CONTROL & UNABLE TO STOP; TURN CAR TO RIGHT TO GET OFF ROAD TO AVOID HITTING CARS AHEAD; TURN INTO A TREE; AIRBAG DEPLOYED; CAR TOTALED; EMERGENCY VEHICLES RESPOND; AMBULANCE TO HOSPITAL; BROKEN L-2 IN BACK; SEVERE BRUISING; AT MY REQUEST, VEHICLE INSPECTED BY INSURER; HAVE NOT SEEN INSPECTION REPORT; REPORTED TO ME THAT "BRAKES HAD PRESSURE AND FLUID"; AFTER SEEKING ADVICE FROM ACCIDENT EXPERT, NOT CONFIDENT VEHICLE INSPECTION WAS THOROUGH ENOUGH; AM ABSOLUTELY SURE THERE WAS A MECHANICAL FAILURE OF SOME TYPE DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES OF ACCIDENT (I.E., ENOUGH TIME TO CORRECT ANY DRIVER ERROR). *NM

NHTSA ID

10093777

Incident

Sep 19, 2004

Mileage

10,800 mi

HAD TO BRAKE HARD ON SEMI-BUMPY PAVEMENT AND ABS ACTIVATED AND LOST ALL STOPPING POWER. ABS IS WAY TOO SENSITIVE AND OVER-REATIVE. I ENDED UP SLIGHTLY CRASHING INTO VEHICLE IN FROT OF ME. THIS ABS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AND I WAS WELL AWARE OF IT, HOWEVER I WAS STILL UNABLE TO COMPENSATE AND MAKE A COMPLETE STOP.*AK

NHTSA ID

10086097

Incident

Jul 9, 2004

Mileage

38,000 mi

THE BRAKES ON MY CAR HAVE BEEN WORKED ON THREE TIMES SINCE I GOT MY CAR A YEAR AGO AND ABOUT TO GO AGAIN. THEY KEEP TRYING TO FIX THEM BUT I KEEP HAVING TO TAKE IT BACK. THE DATE BELOW IS THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP.*AK

NHTSA ID

10082560

Incident

Dec 18, 2003

THE ABS PROGRAM INSTALLED ON THIS CAR (WRX) IS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE. SNOW COVERED ROADS REQUIRE EXTREME CARE BECAUSE THE ABS ENGAGES AY TOO EASILY, RESULTING IN VERY LITTLE STOPPING POWER. ONE TIME I WAS MAKING A 90 DEGREE LEFT TURN ON WET ASPHALT; I HAD TO BRAKE SUDDENLY. THE ABS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND AND THE RIGHT SIDE LOCKED FOR ONE SEC AND I DRIFTED OFF LINE, BARELY MISSING A MEDIAN. FORGET ABOUT RECEIVING MAXIMUM BRAKING POWER OVER ANY UNDULATING SURFACE (EVEN ON A STRAIGHT ROADWAY), ABS INTRUDES AND STOPPING DISTANCE IS SEVERELY COMPROMISED. NOTHING HAS RESULTED AS OF TODAY, BUT WHO KNOWS WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BRING. MOST DRIVERS WILL BE THROWN OUT BY THE INTRUSIVENESS OF THE ABS PROGRAM. CONVERSELY, A BETTER THAN AVERAGE DRIVER WILL ALMOST BE ABLE TO AVOID THIS SCENARIO ENTIRELY. I DISCUSSED THE DEAL WITH A DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS ALL NORMAL. I AGREE, BUT THE ABS IS STILL WAY TOO SENSITIVE, AND I HAVE PROOF. I HAD A WHEEL SPEED SENSOR GO OUT ON MY RIGHT REAR SIDE WHICH DISABLED MY ABS. I DROVE THE CAR FOR A FEW MONTHS AFTERWARD AND THE BRAKES WERE MUCH MORE PREDICTABLE AND TWICE AS EASY TO MODULATE. I WAS ENJOYING A NON-ABS CAR SO MUCH THAT I ACTUALLY TOLD THE DEALER IT WAS NO BIG DEAL AND I WOULD GET IT FIXED ONCE I FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE SYSTEM. I EVENTUALLY GOT THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR REPLACED AND ALL IS WELL, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT ABS IS STILL EXTREMELY INTUSIVE. I NOW HAVE PERFORMANCE TIRES ON THE CAR AND I STILL CAN'T MAXIMIZE THEIR ABILITY! *LA

NHTSA ID

10072315

Incident

Jul 4, 2003

Mileage

6,000 mi

THIS FAILURE HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. WHEN STOPPING USING A MODERATE BRAKING FORCE FROM AVERAGE ROAD SPEEDS (25-45MPH) I HAVE EXPERIENCED TOTAL INABILITY TO STOP DUE TO PREMATURE AND PROLONGED ENGAGEMENT OF MY ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKE) SYSTEM. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SOMEWHAT BUMPY ROADS, DURING RAIN, OVER SMALL AMOUNTS OF LOOSE GRAVEL ON ROADWAYS, AND EVEN ON SMOOTH DRY ROADS DURING HARDER BRAKING. I HAVE NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS, BUT I HAVE FOUND MYSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTIONS MULTIPLE TIMES. I HAVE SINCE DISABLED MY ABS SYSTEM IN ORDER TO FEEL SAFE WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE THE NUMBER OF FAILURES LISTED AT 5, DATING FROM THE TIME I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE. THERE HAVE EASILY BEEN MORE INCIDENTS THAN 5 THOUGH, BUT I CAN CLEARLY REMEMBER AT LEAST 5 OF THEM WHEN I FEARED AN ACCIDENT.*AK

NHTSA ID

10067733

Incident

Oct 18, 2002

Mileage

100 mi

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT AN ABS BRAKE PROBLEM. BRAKES ACTIVATE WHEN VEHICLE IS RIDING OVER BUMPS. THE ABS IS OVERLY SENSITIVE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10065290

Mileage

12,000 mi

ABS IN MY SUBARU IMPREZA WRX ENGAGED UNEXPECTEDLY AS I TRIED TO STOP ON A BUMPY (SMALL LIGHT DEBRIS) ROAD. AS DISTANCE LESSENED BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, BRAKES DID ALMOST NOTHING TO SLOW THE APPROACHING SPEED. TO AVOID COLLISION, I VEERED OFF THE ROAD CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE FRONT BUMBER SKIN OF MY CAR. ALL DAMAGE WAS COSMETIC, AND INVOLVED NO OTHER VEHICLES. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SAID ABS PROBLEM BEFORE, BUT NEVER RESULTING IN DAMAGE OR OVERLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE IN ANY OTHER ABS EQUIPPED CAR SINCE I BEGAN DRIVING. IN MY OPINION, THERE SEEMS TO BE PROBLEM WITH THE WAY THE ABS COMPUTER DECIDES WHEN TO ACCTIVATE AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES IT NEEDS TO FUNCTION. I COULD FORSEE THIS BEING A LARGER PROBLEM AND LEADING TO A MORE SEVERE ACCIDENT.*AK

NHTSA ID

10059061

Incident

Feb 9, 2004

Mileage

19,000 mi

WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES ON ROUGH DRY ROADS OR WHEN THE ROAD IS WET OR SNOWY ABS KICKS IN AND MY SUBARU WRX TAKE A VERY LONG TIME TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE BRAKES AREN'T EVEN WORKING. I HAVE ALMOST REAR EDNED PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THIS. ALSO, WHEN THE ABS GOES OFF ONCE IN THE SNOW, IT CONTINUES TO GO OFF EVERY TIME I STOP. *AK

NHTSA ID

10049734

Incident

Dec 13, 2003

Mileage

19,200 mi

ABS ACTIVATES WHEN DRIVING OVER A SEMI-BUMPY SURFACE. DOES NOT SEEM NORMAL. ALMOST REAR ENDED A CAR DUE TO THIS INCIDENT. THIS HAPPENS REGULARLY AS THE EXIT OF THE PARKING LOT SEEMS TO CAUSE THIS TO HAPPEN. *LA

NHTSA ID

10047616

Incident

Oct 31, 2003

Mileage

12,000 mi

ABS TURNS ON WAY TO QUICK IN SNOW... *LA

NHTSA ID

10047421

Incident

Nov 24, 2003

THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ON MY 2003 SUBARU WRX SEDAN, SEEM TO BE MALFUNCTIONING. WHILE BRAKING OVER BUMPS / BROKEN PAVEMENT THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ACTIVATES AND SEEMS TO MALFUNCTION AS THERE IS A VERY ACUTE LOSS OF PEDAL PRESSURE AND A SEVERE LOSS IN BACKING POWER. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AND HAPPENS ON A SEMI REGULAR BASIS WHENEVER BRAKING OVER A SURFACE THAT HAS IRREGULARITIES. *LA

NHTSA ID

10047419

Incident

Nov 23, 2003

Mileage

7,800 mi

ON MY 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA OUTBACK SPORT, THE ANTILOCK BRAKES ARE DANGEROUS. IF YOU HIT A BUMP WHILE BRAKING IT WILL TRIGGER THE ABS - AND RESULT IN AN ALMOST COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. I NOTICE A BULLETIN IS LISTED FOR THE WRX ONLY, BUT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN MY CAR AS WELL. *LA

NHTSA ID

10043583

Incident

Sep 13, 2003

Mileage

2,000 mi

WHEN TRAVELING OVER ROUGH OR WET ROADWAY AND BRAKES ARE APPLIED ABS KICKS IN AND VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP, OR SLOW DOWN AT ALL. YOU THEN HAVE TO RELEASE THE BRAKES AND THEN PRESS THE PEDAL AGAIN TO GET ANY BRAKING ACTION. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS (APROX 10 OR SO) TIMES SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN FEB 2003. I HAVE DRIVEN NUMEROUS OTHER VEHICLES WITH ABS AND NONE OF THEM HAVE RESPONDED IN THE SAME MANNER.*AK

NHTSA ID

10030625

Incident

Mar 9, 2003

Mileage

1,500 mi

ABS ON 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX "FREAKS OUT" WHEN YOU STOP ON A BUMPY PIECE OF PAVEMENT. IT TAKES LONGER TO BRAKE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I LEAVE ENOUGH ROOM BETWEEN ME AND THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME, AND HAVE NOT HAD ANYTHING BAD HAPPEN YET. BUT I SAW THAT IT WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION AND WANTED TO CONTRIBUTE. IF YOU DO NOT LEAVE ENOUGH BRAKING ROOM, THIS COULD BE A REAL PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10028775

Incident

Jul 7, 2003