1995 Subaru Legacy Brakes Problems

THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS ON AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SUBARU LEGACY MODELS ARE SO CLOSE TOGETHER THAT A MAN OF AVERAGE SHOE SIZE, WEARING BOOTS OF ANY KIND, IS LIABLE TO INADVERTENTLY APPLY PRESSURE TO BOTH PEDALS AT THE SAME TIME. THE "FIX" IS SIMPLE: SUBARU OF AMERICA SHOULD HANG THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION BRAKE PEDAL, WITH ITS SMALLER PAD FOOTPRINT, ON ALL AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LEGACY MODELS. PROBLEM SOLVED. WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE, AND IF WEARING BOOTS, I MUST MAINTAIN CONSTANT VIGILANCE TO AVOID THE POTENTIALLY LETHAL CONSEQUENCE OF APPLYING PRESSURE TO BOTH PEDALS AT THE SAME TIME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10486460

Incident

Nov 28, 2012

Mileage

121,100 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL FROZE AND WAS RESISTANT TO ENGAGEMENT. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UPON IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND WAS NOT INSPECTED FOR THE FAILURE OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 174,278.

NHTSA ID

10398037

Incident

Feb 1, 2011

Mileage

174,278 mi

VEHICLE IS A 1995 SUBARU LEGACY L WAGON WITH AUTO. TRANS. GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE PEDAL ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER, AND AT THE SAME HEIGHT. ONE'S FOOT CAN INADVERTENTLY APPLY BOTH PEDALS AT ONCE, CAUSING ACCELERATION AND BRAKING SIMULTANEOUSLY. ALSO, CLEARANCE BETWEEN PEDALS AND LOWER DASH PANEL JUST ABOVE, IS MINIMAL. THIS CAN CAUSE FOOT (ESPECIALLY IN A WINTER BOOT) TO JAM IN THE LIMITED SPACE, RESULTING IN DIFFICULTY LIFTING FOOT FROM A PEDAL. IN AN OTHERWISE PRAISEWORTHY CAR, THESE FLAWS ARE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10376756

Incident

Jan 14, 2011

Mileage

113,419 mi

CAR SHAKES AND STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. GIVES SENSATION OF INABILITY TO BRAKE. FEELING OF INSECURITY. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN DONE: RESURFACED FRONT AND BACK ROTORS AT 17,002 MILES. REPLACED FRONT AND REAR PADS AND FRONT ROTORS AND RESURFACED REAR ROTORS AT 29,154 REPLACED REAR ROTORS AND RESURFACED FRONT ROTORS AT 42,325. NOW AT ABOUT 53,000, FRONT ROTORS NEED REPLACING AGAIN! A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH FOUND ONE REPORTED FAILURE OF ABS IN 2005 LEGACY THAT POTENTIALLY COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I AM CONCERNED AND WORRIED THAT THIS CAR COULD PROVE UNSAFE FOR MY FAMILY IF OUR BRAKES FAIL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10259793

Incident

Feb 24, 2009

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED/TAPPED THEY SUDDENLY TIGHTEN AND GET HOT AS TIME PROGRESSES. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO CONTINUE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. THIS FAILURE RESULTED IN A FIRE DUE TO MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER FAILURE. BRAKE PADS AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10105556

Incident

Dec 30, 2003

Mileage

150,000 mi

FRONT RIGHT WHEEL ABS MODULE FAILED WHILE PULLING INTO DRIVEWAY. DEALER CONTACTED. *AKTHE BRAKE LIGHT IS ON BECAUSE THE ABS MODULE LEAKS. THE ABS MODULE WAS REPLACED. *JG

NHTSA ID

8016346

Incident

Jul 15, 2002

NEWLY-ACQUIRED ABS/AWD MODEL OF OTHERWISE SIMILAR SUBARU WAGON THAT HAD TAKEN SAME DESCRIBED TURN HUNDREDS OF TIMES: DESCENDING WET GRAVEL ROAD IN 2ND GEAR, WHILE BRAKING SIMULTANEOUSLY AND APPROACHING A TIGHT TURN, THE CAR ACTUALLY BEGAN TO SPEED UP -- SO, INSTEAD OF SLOWING TO POINT WHERE BRAKES ALONE WOULD TAKE ME AROUND TURN AS USUAL, I PUSHED IN CLUTCH TO DOWNSHIFT TO 1ST - WHICH POINT I NEVER REACHED, SINCE THE WAGON SWUNG AROUND TO OUTSIDE OF ROAD, AND SLID DOWN A STEEP 30' EMBANKMENT, ROLLING OVER. ALTHOUGH NEITHER I NOR PASSENGER [DOG!] WERE HURT, THERE WAS EXTENSIVE GLASS AND BODY DAMAGE. PHONE CALL FROM NEARBY NEIGHBORS TO TOW COMPANY HAD THE WAGON BACK UP ON THE ROAD WITHIN CA. 90 MINUTES, ON SECOND TRY [FIRST TRY POPPED BOTH TOW HOOKS ON REAR, CAUSING ANOTHER 10-15' NOSEFIRST DIVE THAT DENTED FRONT FENDER ON SOFT SOIL]. I CALLED TOW TRUCK OPERATOR'S ATTENTION TO APPARENT LACK OF SKID/BRAKING MARKS, BUT THE WHOLE ROAD HAD BEEN GRADED BY THE TIME I RETURNED WITH MY CAMERA THE NEXT DAY. AFTER REINFLATING TIRE, I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT 1.5 MI. BACK UP MOUNTAIN ROAD TO HOUSE, BUT ABS LIGHT AND WARNING FLASHERS REMAINED ON UNTIL I DISCONNECTED BATTERY. GLASS REPLACEMENT [WINDSHIELD, HATCH, REAR QUARTER] ALONE OVER $1000, PLUS WHATEVER BODY WORK [REAR QUARTER CLIP, ROOF, HOOD, FENDERS] AND PAINT NEEDED. BUT MAINLY, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS WAGON DOWNHILL AGAIN, AS AWD/ABS WERE THE TOUTED SAFETY REASONS FOR BUYING IT: SUBARU'S RECENT BYLINE IS "BECAUSE SAFETY IS NOT AN OPTION".*AK

NHTSA ID

743084

Incident

Mar 20, 2001

WHEN BRAKING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS SEVERE VIBRATION OCCURS IN FRONT END DUE TO EXCESSIVE WARPING OF ALL FOUR BRAKE ROTORS. *AK *ML

NHTSA ID

864513

Incident

Jun 17, 1997

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CONTINUALLY EXPERIENCING FAILURES OF VARIOUS COMPONENTS (STARTER,(2)BATTERY,ALTERNATOR,(2)RADIO,KNOCK SENSOR,CRANKSHAFT SENSOR AND FUEL SENDING UNITS ON 2 OCCASIONS). POSSIBLE SHORT WITHIN THE SYSTEM CAUSING CONTINUAL FAILURES. YH

NHTSA ID

550623

Incident

Jun 1, 1996

ABS BRAKING SYSTEM NEEDLESSLY ENGAGES AT MODERATE SPEED AND LIGHT BRAKING, DRASTICALLY INCREASING STOPPING DISTANCE, ON WASHBOARD SURFACED ROADS (DIRT OR GRAVEL OR SNOW). LOOSE MATERIAL MAY OR MAY NOT BE PRESENT. THIS HAS CAUSED MANY NEAR ACCIDENTS. A DIFFERENT NON-ABS EQUIPPED VEHICLE STOPS IN A MUCH SHORTER DISTANCE IN IDENTICAL CONDITIONS, WITH BRAKING MODERATE ENOUGH TO AVOID LOCK-UPS OR LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. *AK

NHTSA ID

714826

PLASTIC END PIECE OF HAND LEVER BROKE, ALLOWING SPRING TO BE EJECTED. RATCHETING MECHANISM NO LONGER WORKS. IN A CRASH, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WOULD NOT FUNCTION AS EXPECTED. ON HAND WOULD HAVE TO BE LEFT ON THE BRAKE TO KEEP IT APPLIED, INSTEAD OF APPLYING THE BRAKE AND RETURNING BOTH HANDS TO THE STEERING WHEEL FOR CRASH AVOIDANCE.

NHTSA ID

712877

Incident

Oct 2, 1999

BRAKE ROTORS WARPED TWICE, AT 20000 AND 36000 MILES. DEALER RESURFACED ROTORS AT 20855 MILES, ROTORS HAVE WARPED AGAIN WITHIN 17000 MILES, NO UNUSUAL DRIVER BRAKE APPLICATIONS HAVE HEATED ROTORS, VEHICLE SHUDDERS HEAVILY WHEN COMING TO A STOP. SUSPECT DEFECTIVE/INFERIOR ROTOR METALS.

NHTSA ID

712096

Incident

Jul 1, 1997

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN ICY CONDITIONS THE PEDAL BECOMES HARD, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID

848111

EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE DUE TO REAR BRAKE ROTORS CORRODING. DEALER SAID ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID

840869

BRAKE ROTORS WARPED, CAUSING SEVERE VIBRATION UPON BRAKING.

NHTSA ID

527772

Incident

Jun 1, 1996

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROX 60 MPH DOWN A 10 MILE LONG WINDING NARROW HILL ROAD, WENT TO CHANGE LANES BUT COULD NOT GET IN, HAD TO APPLY BRAKES. PUSHED HARD, ALMOST TO FLOOR, HAD NO RESPONSE. HAD TO RE-APPLY AGAIN. THIS OCCURRED TWICE WITHIN 5 MINUTES, RECEIVED NO WARNING LIGHT, MECHANIC'S ANALYSIS WAS THAT MASTER CYLINDER FAILED. *AK UPDATED 01/05/10. *LJ UPDATED 01/05/10. *JB

NHTSA ID

816559

Incident

Sep 1, 1997

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 25 MPH THE COMSUMER STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP; DEPENDING ON THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE, THE LONGER THE VEHICLE WILL STOP. THE DEALER DID CHECK THE SYSTEM AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ABS. COMSUMER HAD NOT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. *AK

NHTSA ID

815177

Incident

Jul 20, 1997

REAR BRAKES FAILED AT VERY LOW MILEAGE.

NHTSA ID

546859

Incident

Jan 18, 1997

ABS BRAKE FAILURE, MADE A NOISE, CORROSION AND WARPED ROTORS IN FOR REPLACEMENT CONTINUES TO MAKE A NOISE. *AK

NHTSA ID

803552

Incident

Jan 1, 1995

THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS VIBRATE WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. *AK VEHICLE VIBRATES WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED TO SLOW DOWN FROM SPEED OF 65 MPH.*JB

NHTSA ID

804680

Incident

Oct 12, 1996

THE SHIFT LOCK RELEASE DOES NOT RELEASE THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE. PLEASE DESCRIBE IN DETAIL. *AK

NHTSA ID

803987

Incident

Sep 25, 1996

ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM FAILS TO STOP VEHICLE IN A REASONABLE DISTANCE ON SLIPPERY ROAD SURFACES.

NHTSA ID

502240

Incident

Feb 29, 1996

ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED. *SD

NHTSA ID

501242

Incident

May 31, 1995

IN THE SNOW AND RAIN BRAKES LOCK UP WHILE DRIVNG. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT

NHTSA ID

978307

ABS SYSTEM FAILURE, WHEN DRIVING ON ROUGH SURFACE THERE IS LOSS OF BRAKING. TT

NHTSA ID

976613

Incident

Dec 14, 1995