Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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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 1999 Subaru Legacy submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 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
I HAVE A 1999 SUBARU LEGACY WAGON WITH 4 WHEEL DISC BRAKES AND 15 INCH WHEELS. EVERY TIME THE FRONT DISK PADS ARE REPLACED, THE MECHANIC GETS THE PADS FOR 15 INCH WHEELS THE ARE INSTALLED AND THE CAR WILL NOT STOP. WHAT WE HAVE DISCOVERED IS THAT THE FRONT TAKE THE DISK PADS FOR 14 INCH WHEELS AND THE REAR TAKE THE DISK PADS FOR 15 INCH WHEELS. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING DOWN INTERSTATE 5, THE TRAFFIC SLOWED DUE TO AN ACCIDENT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FWY., UPON NOTICING THE TRAFFIC SLOWING I RELEASED MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR THE TRAFFIC CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES APPLYING THEM ALL THE WAY. I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO STOP THE CAR IN ORDER TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. UNFORTUNATELY THE CARS BRAKES DIDN'T STOP THE CAR, AND THE CAR STOPPED WHEN I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY EITHER. I HAD THE SAME TYPE OF ACCIDENT IN MARCH OF 2000. I JUST FELT MAYBE IT WAS MY FAULT AND DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT MUCH. THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AT THIS TIME EITHER, AND I FELT IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS GOING SLOW, AND THE IMPACT WASN'T ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM COME OUT. UPON HAVING MY BRAKES CHECKED THIS PAST SUMMER THE MECHANIC NOTICED THE ACTUAL PADS ON THE BRAKES WERE SMALLER THAN THE PADS THAT CAME UP WHEN LOOKED UP IN THE PARTS BOOK. THE PADS ON MY CAR WERE FOR A 13 INCH TIRE AND MY CAR HAS 15 INCH TIRES. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE BRAKES DIDN'T STOP MY CAR VERY ACCURATELY. UPON LEARNING THIS I CHECKED FOR A RECALL AND FOUND OUT THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER ON MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A RECALL. AT THIS TIME I WENT TO THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THEY LOOKED THE RECALL UP AND GAVE ME A PRINT OUT THAT STATED THE RECALL WAS INDEED COMPLETED. THE PROBLEM IS THE CAR DOESN'T STOP PROPERLY IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER WITH TWO CHILDREN, AND I "TAXI" THEM TO NUMEROUS ACTIVITIES. MY CONCERN IS THE SAFETY OF THIS CAR. THE BRAKES DON'T RESPOND PROPERLY AND THE AIR BAGS DON'T DEPLOY. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTOR TOLD ME THAT ABS BRAKES ARE MADE TO KEEP FROM GOING OUT OF CONTROL, NOT STOPPING THE CAR. IF THIS IS INDEED THE CASE I WILL NEVER BE SAFE IN THIS PARTICULAR CAR.*AK
WHILE DRIVING 55 TO 60 MPH ON A WARM DRY DAY CONSUMER TRIED TO STOP VEHICLE AND BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY. ALSO, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, VEHICLE NOT STOPPING. CONSUMER HAD NO WARNING. CONTACTED DEALER, AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED INTO DEALERSHIP. DEALER REPLACED BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER.*AK
WHEN DRIVING PRESSED ON BRAKES AND VERY ABRUPTLY ENGINE DOWNSHIFTED. ALSO, WHEN STOPPING ABRUPTLY CONSUMER LURCHED FORWARD IN SEAT. CONTACT DEALER DEALER STATED IT WAS COMMON IN 1999 VEHICLE. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK
WHILE SON WAS DRIVING TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, CONSUMER WENT TO APPLY BRAKES SO AS TO NEGOTIATE A 90 DEGREE TURN, AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND FAILED TO ENGAGE BRAKE SYSTEM. VEHICLE WENT STRAIGHT INTO A CONCRETE WALL . DRIVER AND A PASSENGER WERE INJURED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *STATE FARM INSURANCE WAS INVESTIGATING THIS CASE. *AK
BRAKES WERE NOT OPERABLE. WHEN CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC PUT IN A NEW MASTER CYLINDER, AND THE CONSUMER IS STILL EXPERIENCING BRAKE PROBLEMS. *AK *ML
THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING THERE IS A PROBLEM. THERE IS A NOISE AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. DEALER REPLACED THE ABS SYSTEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
TOTAL BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE; WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, JUST AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND BACKING OUT OF A PARKING LOT, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND VEHCILE REQUIRED MORE STOPPING DISTANCE. DRIVER USED EMERGENCY BRAKE TO START VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WILL BE CHECKED BY A DEALER. *AK
BRAKES FAILED RESULTING IN ACCIDENT NO DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE AIR BAGS DURING COLLISION. NLM
INTERMITTENTLY WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN A PANIC STOP, PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE ABS SYSTEM PRIOR. WHEN ABS FAILS THE CRUISE CONTROL ALSO FAILS. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN SNOWY AND COLD CONDITIONS BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AT LOW SPEED, CAUSING BRAKE PEDAL TO GO TO THE FLOOR AND HAD NO BRAKING ABILITY. THIS RESULTED IN A CRASH. THERE IS RECALL #99V040000, DEALING WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. RECALL 99V040, BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION*AK
WE HAVE HAD THE CAR INSPECTED AND TESTED TWICE. SUBARU SAYS THEY FIND NO DEFECT WITH THE BRAKES. WE HAVE CONTACTED SUBARU CUSTOMER SUPPORT. THEY PROMISED THAT OUR AREA'S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE WOULD CONTACT US, BUT HAS NOT DONE SO. WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING. TWO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE BRAKE FAILURES WITH US. THEY ARE WILLING TO REPORT THE EXPERIENCE. *AK
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAS A CRACK ON ONE SIDE, AND CLIP IS BROKEN ON CLIP HOUSING ,WIRE TIE IS HOLDING BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH TOGETHER. THIS DEFECT IS CAUSING BRAKE LIGHT TO BECOME INOPERATIVE,AND SHIFT TO LOCK UP. *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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