2009 Subaru Impreza

THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2009 WRX CONSTANTLY REQUIRES ADJUSTMENT TO ENABLE THE RELEASE OF THE CLAMP PRESSURE ON THE DRIVEN PLATE OF THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WHEN THE CLUTCH FOOT PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. UPON INVESTIGATING A CREAKING NOISE, I NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY (ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL) SHIFTS APPROX 1/4 INCH TO THE LEFT AND DOWN EACH TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS ACTIVATED. THIS CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY HAS THREE BROKEN SPOT WELDS SECURING THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL. FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE FIREWALL, UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER, I CONFIRMED THE MANUFACTURER'S SPOT WELDS ARE PULLING AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL EACH TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. THIS WELD DEFECT STEMMING FROM THE MANUFACTURER ALLOWS THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY TO MOVE UNSECURED, ULTIMATELY PREVENTING THE TRANSMISSION TO ENGAGE THE VEHICLE INTO 1ST, 2ND, OR REVERSE GEAR. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE CLUTCH PEDAL ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPORARILY ENGAGE THE GEARS, HOWEVER IF THE BRACKET COMPLETELY SEPARATES FROM THE FIREWALL, THE CLUTCH MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE. THIS NOTORIOUS DEFECT IS WELL KNOWN AMONG SUBARU CAR OWNERS AND IS INDEED A SAFETY ISSUE THAT CAN DIRECTLY CAUSE A VEHICLE COLLISION.

EXCESSIVE BODY FLEX WHEN TURNING RIGHT, CAN FEEL AIR COMING IN. I RECENTLY NOTICED THAT MY WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. THE WEIRD THING ABOUT THIS CRACK IS THAT THE CRACKS STARTED AT THE VERY TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD, DEAD CENTER WHERE THE ROOF MEETS THE WINDSHIELD. WHEN I INSPECTED THE CRACK TO SEE IF A ROCK HAD HIT IT, THE CRACK IS ABSOLUTELY SMOOTH WITH NO CHIP IN IT. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF THE EXCESSIVE BODY FLEX AS BEING THE CAUSE. I ALSO HAVE THE SAME CLUTCH ISSUES OF GETTING THE CAR INTO REVERSE. MY CLUTCH ALSO MAKES A POPPING NOISE WHEN SHIFTING AND RELEASING THE CLUTCH. I NOTICED THIS IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING IT AND INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULDN'T ANY ISSUE AND INFERRED THAT I WASN'T DRIVING THE CAR PROPERLY. I AM A FORMER US NAVY SEABEE HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR AND HAVE OPERATED NUMEROUS TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AND I HAD NEVER HAD A CLUTCH MAKE THIS SOUND. ON THE NEXT SERVICE APPOINTMENT, I AGAIN INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE CLUTCH WAS MAKING A POPPING SOUND WHEN IT RELEASED. THEY AGAIN TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. AFTER READING ALL OF THESE COMPLAINT, I FINALLY FEEL JUSTIFIED AND I WILL BE IMMEDIATELY GETTING RID OF MY CAR BEFORE HAVING THE CLUTCH FIREWALL ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET, WHICH IS A KNOWN COMMON ISSUE WITH SUBARU. THANKFULLY, I HAD BOUGHT A 5 YEAR/100,000 MILE WARRANTY AND THE $1800 REPAIR WAS COVERED AT 98000 MILES.

CAR USED AS DAILY DRIVER TO COMMUTE LESS THAN 14 MILES ROUND TRIP FOR WORK. CLUTCH BEGAN TO DEVELOP A POP NOISE WHICH THEN TURNED INTO A LOUD SQUEAK FOLLOWED BY MORE THAN A 1/2" OF MOVEMENT TO THE LEFT THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD START TO MOVE WHEN THE CLUTCH WOULD BE DEPRESSED. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF READING LOCAL OWNERS THREADS AND ASKING AROUND I HAVE FOUND THAT THE WELDS THAT HOLD MY BRAKE AND CLUTCH TOGETHER HAVE BROKEN AND ARE CONTINUING TO BREAK WHICH COULD LEAD TO MY CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY FALLING DOWN TO THE FLOOR BOARD WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY RENDER ME FROM USING MY BRAKE PEDAL. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH ALL SUBARU IMPREZA WRX AND STI OWNERS WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON MULTIPLE LOCAL OWNERS CLUB WEBSITES AND COULD AFFECT BODILY HARM TO DRIVERS OF THE CARS AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD! SUBARU REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM AND IN MOST CASES WILL NOT COVER REPAIR COSTS! *TR

EXCESSIVE FIREWALL FLEX AND POSSIBLE BROKEN WELDS HAVE LEAD TO PREMATURE CLUTCH FAILURE, MOVEMENT OF BRAKE PEDAL DURING CLUTCH OPERATION, AND LOUD CLICKING SOUND WHENEVER CLUTCH IT RELEASED. SUBARU OF AMERICA HAVE REFUSED TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS KNOWN MANUFACTURING DEFECT, DESPITE MY CAR STILL BEING COVERED BY A SUBARU ADDED SECURITY WARRANTY PLAN. *TR

WELDS ATTACHING THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO THE FIREWALL BROKE. THE CLUTCH IS NOW NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ENGAGE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL MOVES 3/4 OF AN INCH WHEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THE CAR IS NOW AT RISK OF LOSING ABILITY TO BRAKE IF THE WELDS COMPLETELY DETACH FROM THE FIREWALL. THE WELDS HOLD THE ENTIRE PEDAL ASSEMBLY IN PLACE. *TR

2009 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX - CLUTCH PEDAL STARTED TO MALFUNCTION, BEGAN MAKING A CREAKING NOISE WHEN DEPRESSED, AND WOULDN'T SHIFT CLEANLY INTO MOST GEARS. WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE LUBRICATED OR ADJUSTED BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. OVER A SHORT TIME, THIS CREAKING NOISE TURNED INTO A CLICKING NOISE WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED 8 MONTHS PRIOR - THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE FOREMAN AND SERVICE MANAGER BOTH ADVISED US THAT SOME OF THE SPOT WELDS THAT HOLD THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL HAVE BROKEN. BOTH MEN INSISTED THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE (NOT COMFORTING COMING FROM TRAINED SUBARU SERVICE SPECIALISTS) AND HAD NO INDICATION AS TO HOW IT HAD HAPPENED (OTHER THAN BEING IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT SINCE WE PURCHASED IT, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE AND THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY, I.E. BODY DAMAGE, VEHICLE HISTORY REPORTS, ETC). UPON RESEARCHING FURTHER, WE FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY INSTANCES OF THIS ISSUE HAPPENING. STOHLMAN SUBARU OF VIENNA, VA TOLD US THAT IT WAS OUR PROBLEM AND THAT IF IT WAS THEIR CAR, THEY WOULDN'T EVEN BOTHER FIXING IT! I FIND THIS VERY HARD TO UNDERSTAND, AS THE CAR IS NOT CHEAP, IT IS MADE FOR RALLYING AND RACING, AND WHILE THE REPAIR IS EXTENSIVE (SO WE WERE TOLD), IT DEFINITELY WOULD NOT BE MORE THAN THE VEHICLE IS WORTH. WHY WOULD THEY RECOMMEND TO US TO NOT FIX THE CAR? THIS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A RELATIVELY COMMON ISSUE ON SUBARU IMPREZA WRXS, AND JUST THAT FACT ALONE POINTS TO DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT. ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN NO OFFICIAL RECALL ON THESE PARTS, IT IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. EACH TIME THE CLUTCH IS ENGAGED, WE RUN THE RISK OF BREAKING THE FINAL WELDS, WHICH LEAVES YOU WITH ZERO CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY NOT BEING DRIVEN. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN UTTERLY WORTHLESS FOR ANY HELP OR GUIDANCE. *TR

I NOTICED A CONSISTENT SQUEAK WHEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, AT ALL SPEEDS, AT ALL TIMES, EVEN WHEN THE CAR WAS OFF. I TRIED TO LUBRICATE IT, BUT THE NOISE DID NOT GO AWAY. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY ALSO TRIED TO LUBRICATE IT, BUT THE NOISE DID NOT GO AWAY. THE DEALER ASKED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FOR A DAY SO THE CLUTCH COULD BE DISASSEMBLED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. I HAD PURCHASED A NEW CLUTCH FROM THE DEALER FOR $1600 IN SEPTEMBER, 2012 WHICH WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE CAUSE WAS BROKEN WELDS BETWEEN THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY AND FIREWALL. THE DEALER AND I BOTH CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA TO FIND A RESOLUTION. MY CASE NUMBER WAS SR #:[XXX]. I TOLD THE SUBARU REP THAT THIS WAS A COMMON AND WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OF SUBARU BASED ON MY OWN INTERNET RESEARCH, BUT THE REP DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH IMPREZZA WRXS. THE REPAIR IS EXPENSIVE (>$2000) BECAUSE THE ENTIRE DASH OF THE VEHICLE MUST BE REMOVED IN ORDER FOR THE BROKEN WELDS TO BE FIXED BY A THIRD PARTY BODY SHOP. THEN, THE DASH MUST BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR TOOK TWO FULL WEEKS. OTHERS HAVE REPORTED REPAIR TIMES OF UP TO TWO MONTHS. WITH NEW WELDS, THE CLUTCH SQUEAK IS GONE. SUBARU INFORMED ME THAT THE DEALER WOULD COVER THE REPAIR EXPENSE AS A "ONE TIME GOOD WILL GESTURE" AND I AM GRATEFUL ABOUT THAT, BUT CONCERNED FOR OTHER OWNERS THAT SUBARU IS SWEEPING THIS PROBLEM UNDER THE RUG. IF THE CLUTCH COMPLETELY BREAKS APART FROM THE BODY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD BE SEVERELY DAMAGED AND LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL MAY RESULT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR