2012 Subaru Impreza

MY SON'S 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA, WAS BOUGHT USED, WITH 59,000. MILES, WITH HOPE OF OWNING A RELIABLE, SAFE VEHICLE ON 2/11/16. ON 6/26/16 HE WENT FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND WITHIN ONE WEEK THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY SEIZED. HE WAS DRIVING HOME, NO WARNING LIGHTS, OR ANYTHING JUST MADE A LOUD SOUND THEN HE WAS JUST BARELY ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF A BUSY 3 LANE ROAD TO CALL FOR A TOW TRUCK. AT THE TIME, WE WORRIED THAT THE OIL CHANGE MAY HAVE BEEN DONE IMPROPERLY AND CAUSED THE ISSUE. WE CONTACTED THE BUSINESS, WHO THEN HAD A ASE CERTIFIED MECHANIC/INSPECTOR VERIFY THAT IT WAS NOT THE OIL CHANGE BUT AN INTERNAL ENGINE PROBLEM. WE THEN HAD TOWED IT AGAIN TO SUBARU DEALER THAT WAS 7/12/16. THEN WE BEGAN CALLING- DAILY OR EVERY OTHER DAY; TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND EMAILING TO CORPORATE SUBARU- ASKING WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIS CAR? WHY DID IT HAPPEN? WHAT CAN BE DONE? WHAT WILL IT COST? FINALLY, ON 8/22/16, WE HEARD FROM SUBARU SAYING THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY -BUT WILL AUTHORIZE A $2,000. TOWARD REPAIR OR NEW CAR. WE CALLED THE DEALER AGAIN BECAUSE WE STILL HAD NOT HEARD OR RECEIVED A REASON/QUOTE OF REPAIR. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS DAMAGE TO A PISTON AND IT WOULD COST AT LEAST $10,000. AND THEY DID NOT RECOMMEND IT; BETTER TO TALK TO SALES. THE WARRANTY IS FOR 60,000 MILES OR 5 YEARS ON THE POWERTRAIN, WE ARE AT 67,000 MILES AND 4 YEARS. SO NOW WE STILL OWE $8,000. AND HAVE $10,000. REPAIR, AND THEY ARE OFFERING $2,000. MONEY VS SAFETY AND NOW VS TRUST WE WANT A SAFE RELIABLE CAR, FROM A COMPANY THAT WE COULD TRUST. WE THOUGHT THAT WAS SUBARU.

WITH A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL TURN ON AND THE DASH WILL REPORT "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF." THIS HAPPENS ANYWHERE FROM IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CAR IS TURNED ON, BEFORE IT IS PLACED IN DRIVE, TO AN HOUR AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING. WE DO FREQUENTLY HAVE ELECTRONICS PLUGGED IN, BUT I JUST LEARNED OF THE POSSIBLE CONNECTION AND HAVE NOT TRIED TO TROUBLESHOOT IT. THE SEATS ARE HEATED. THE AIRBAG LIGHT DOES NOT TURN ON WITHOUT A FRONT SEAT PASSENGER. FIRST STARTED IN JUNE OF 2016 AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THEN, APPROXIMATELY 75% OF THE TIME A PASSENGER IS IN THE FRONT SEAT.

MY FIANC SAT IN THE DRIVER SEAT, I IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. WE STARTED THE CAR AFTER WE BOTH WERE SITTING DOWN. I HAD HIS PHONE CHARGING IN THE CENTER CONSOLE AND MY PHONE WAS IN THE HOUSE. MY SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE PASS. AIR BAG WAS TURNED OFF. CODES B1660, B16FO, AND B1650 WERE SAVED. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME A WET PASSENGER, A CELL PHONE IN A POCKET, OR EVEN A LAP TOP THAT WAS TURNED OFF IN A BAG COULD CAUSE THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM TO MALFUNCTION DUE TO IT BEING STATIC ELECTRIC BASED DUE TO THE SEAT HEATERS. I HAD A SEAT RECALL COMPLETED IN NOV 2015 AND THE DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO STATE THAT THIS COULD BE RELATED TO THE RECALL. SERVICE CAMPAIGN WQT55 NHTSA CAMPAIGN 15V419000. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THINK THAT HAVING A CELL PHONE WHILE A PASSENGER IN A SAFETY RATED CAR COULD CAUSE A MALFUNCTION IN THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. *JS

ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS (APRIL 10, 2016, JUNE 13, 2016 AND AUGUST 5, 2016),SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR STOPPED RESPONDING TO GAS PEDAL INPUT, STOPPED RUNNING, AND COASTED TO A STOP. THE ENGINE WOULD CONTINUE TO RUN, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. FORTUNATELY THE INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE ON CITY STREETS, AND NOT ON THE FREEWAY. HAD I BEEN ON THE FREEWAY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. THAT WOULD HAVE HAD TRAGIC, PERHAPS FATAL CONSEQUENCES. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER'S FOR REPAIR AFTER THE THIRD AND LATEST INCIDENT. I HAD TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER'S AFTER EACH OF THE OTHER INCIDENTS AS WELL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO EXIT A PARKING LOT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION AFTER ENGAGING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000. UPDATED 09/28/16*LJ *TR

SUBARU HAD A RECALL ON THE ODC (OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM) NHTSA 15V419000 FOR CARS PRODUCED FROM 4/2011 THROUGH 2/2012. MY CAR WAS PRODUCED IN MID MARCH 2012 - AND EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALLED VEHICLES. THE ODC WOULD BE DEACTIVATED IF A PASSENGER WAS IN THE CAR AND WE HAD A CHARGER PLUGGED IN THE POWER OUTLET. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. IT IS BEING FIXED, BUT IT IS A $1,200 CHARGE, FOR WHAT I BELIEVE SHOULD BE PART OF THE RECALL. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND I WAS ACCELERATING TO PASS SOMEONE WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR REVVED UP VERY HIGH AND ACCELERATED VERY FAST TO AN UNINTENDED SPEED. I BRAKED WITH NO EFFECT. I PUT ALL MY WEIGHT ON THE BRAKE, ALMOST STANDING UP, FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS, THEN I HEARD A LOUD SNAP UNDER THE CAR, LIKE I JUST UNSTUCK SOMETHING, THEN IT REVVED BACK DOWN TO A CONTROLLABLE SPEED. IF IT WASNT FOR THE FACT IT WAS EARLY MORNING AND THERE WEREN'T AS MANY CARS AROUND ME ON THIS HIGHWAY I WOULD HAVE SURELY BEEN HIT OR HIT SOMEBODY ELSE. VERY SCARY. LUCKILY, I DIDN'T, AND MY CAR'S BEEN DRIVING OKAY FOR PAST FEW DAYS ; IT IS AT THE DEALERSHIP AS I WRITE THIS (4/21/16) GETTING CHECKED OUT.