2013 Subaru Impreza

IN AN OUTSIDE PARKING LOT WITH PARKING BLOCKS STARTED THE CAR AND MOVED FORWARD TOWARD AND OVER THE PARKING BLOCK AT STARTING SPEED. THE CAR LEAPED FORWARD AND LOST BRAKING POWER, WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL GOING TO THE FLOOR. CAR LEAPED AHEAD ACROSS THE ASPHALT ROAD TO NEXT PARKING ROW ON GRAVEL WITH DRIVER TURNING RIGHT, TO AVOID A POLE AND STANDING CARS AHEAD, AND NON-ACCELERATING STEADY-SPEED MOVEMENT CONTINUED OVER SEVERAL PARKING BLOCKS ON GRAVEL WITHOUT ABILITY FOR THE DRIVER TO STOP USING BRAKE PEDAL. THE CAR COULD NOT BE STOPPED, WITH BRAKES DROPPING, EVEN WHEN BACK ON ASPHALT ROAD. MOVEMENT ONLY STOPPED WHEN SHIFT PUT IN PARKING POSITION. IN TOTAL THE BRAKING POWER WAS LOST FOR AT LEAST 5 SECONDS. THE TRIGGER FOR EVIDENCED BRAKE DISFUNCTION WAS LOW-SPEED FRONT-WHEEL COLLISION WITH THE CONCRETE BELOW-BUMPER PARKING BLOCK, OR PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN GOING OVER THE BLOCK, OR A COMBINATION OF THESE AND POSSIBLY OTHER FACTORS. DEALER STATED NO BRAKE FAILURE, NO FLUID LEAK, NO ERROR CODES. DRIVER HOLD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE > $2400 COST TO REPLACE DAMAGED EXHAUST SYSTEM AND SCRATCHED DRIVER-SIDE FRONT WHEEL. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED NOT BY THE INITIAL COLLISION WITH THE PARKING BLOCK, BUT THE SUBSEQUENT UNCONTROLLABLE MOVEMENT OVER SEVERAL (4-6) PARKING BLOCKS DUE TO LOSS OF BRAKE PEDAL FUNCTION. HAD THERE BEEN PEOPLE, CARS OR BIGGER OBJECTS AHEAD OF THE CAR, THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY OR EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE HEIGHT OF THE PARKING BLOCK WAS JUST SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE HEIGHT OF A STANDARD SPEED BUMP. WE ENCOURAGE INVESTIGATION ON SUBARU IMPREZA 2013 BRAKE AND ABS FUNCTION WHEN BRAKING OVER SPEED BUMPS, CURBS AND OTHER LOW OBSTACLES OR FOLLOWING A LOW-SPEED, LOW-OBSTACLE FRONT-WHEEL COLLISION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE TRACTION CONTROL INDEPENDENTLY DISENGAGED WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE DEALER FOUND CERTAIN SPIDER SPECIES HAD CRAWLED INTO THE FUEL SYSTEM, CREATING A WEB THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE AND THE TRACTION CONTROL TO FAIL. THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS CLEANED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,200. . UPDATED 03/12/14*LJ

WE WERE PULLING INTO A PARKING PLACE, TURNING THE WHEEL AND THE CAR UNEXPECTED LEAPED FORWARD. THIS HAS OCCURRED NOW 5 TIMES--ALL TIMES MOVING SLOWLY FORWARD, TURNING THE WHEEL AS WE TRIED TO PARK. THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH BOTH MY PARTNER DRIVING, AND WITH MYSELF DRIVING. SO FAR WE HAVE MANAGED TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES IN TIME--AND THEY STOPPED THE CAR. BUT WE FEAR CRASHING OR ACCIDENTALLY HURTING SOMEONE. *TR

THE MALFUNCTION DESCRIBED IN THE FOLLOWING ALWAYS OCCURS UNDER THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING MALFUNCTION THAT IN MANY CASES WOULD RESULT IN THE TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. 1. CAR IS PARKED, WITH THE ENGINE OFF. 2. DRIVER ENTERS CAR, DEPRESSES CLUTCH PEDAL, AND RELEASES PARKING BRAKE. 3. VEHICLE ROLLS (EVEN SLIGHTLY) BEFORE ENGINE IGNITION IS TURNED ON AND ENGINE STARTS. 4. ENGINE STARTS AND THE STEERING MALFUNCTION LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SERVO POWERS ON AND ACTIVELY LOCKS THE STEERING WHEEL IN POSITION, PREVENTING THE DRIVER FROM TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS CONDITION CONTINUES TO EXIST WHEN THE CLUTCH IS RELEASED AND THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION UNDER ENGINE POWER. THIS CONDITION LASTS 4-10 SECONDS, AND THEN THE VEHICLE BEGINS OPERATING NORMALLY. IN ORDER TO TURN THE WHEEL, THE DRIVER MUST OVERPOWER THE POWER STEERING, SOMETHING MANY DRIVERS WOULD BE UNABLE TO DO. THIS IS NOT A CASE OF "DRY STEER" (ENGINE OFF STEERING) OR ATTEMPTING TO STEER WITHOUT POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE CAN BE STEERED (WITH INCREASED STEERING EFFORT, AS EXPECTED) UNDER "DRY STEER" (ENGINE OFF) CONDITIONS, THE FIRST TIME THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH BEFORE THE DRIVER (MYSELF) NOTICED THE INABILITY TO STEER. I NARROWLY MISSED CRASHING INTO A CURB/DIVIDER BY PERFORMING A "PANIC STOP" WITH THE BRAKES. I WAS UNABLE TO STEER TO AVOID THE CURB, I WAS FORCED TO COME TO A RAPID STOP USING THE BRAKES. *TR

2013 SUBARU IMPREZA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM. *SMD ACCORDING TO THE SUBARU MANUAL, THE BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM ASSISTED THE BRAKE POWER WHEN THE DRIVER CANNOT DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL STRONGLY AND THE BRAKE POWER WAS INSUFFICIENT. BRAKE ASSIST GENERATED THE BRAKE POWER ACCORDING TO THE SPEED AT WHICH THE DRIVER DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING IN THE RIGHT LANE, ON A RURAL INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, WITH VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC. WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 65 MPH, HE IMMEDIATELY HAD TO HIT THE BRAKE, AS ANOTHER DRIVER MOVED INTO HIS LANE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE POWER ASSIST FORCEFULLY SLOWED THE VEHICLE DOWN, AGAINST HIS WILL. THE CONSUMER STATED HE FOUND HIMSELF STRUGGLING WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, TO TRY AND GAIN SPEED.

WAS AT A RED LIGHT, STOPPED. LIGHT TURNED GREEN STARTED TO GO, WENT TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR AND HEARD A LOUD POP AND THE CAR WOULDN'T GO ANY MORE. HAD IT TOWED TO GERALD JONES SUBARU DEALER, WHERE I BOUGHT IT. WAS TOLD IT WAS DRIVER ERROR AND THE CLUTCH WENT OUT. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC SAID HE'S SEEN IT PLENTY OF TIMES IN THE WRX GOING BACK TO 2008 AND THAT SUBARU HAS DEFECTIVE WELDS ON THE VEHICLES' FIREWALL, WHICH RESULTS IN CLUTCH AND/OR BRAKE FAILURE. *TR

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING MY RECENTLY ACQUIRED 2013 SUBARU IMPREZA, WHERE ANOTHER DRIVER HIT MY VEHICLE IN A SIDE IMPACT ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT WHEEL AND DRIVER DOOR (I CAN SEND THE PICTURES VIA EMAIL). THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE BAD NEWS IS THAT THE SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THIS WAS ALSO NOTED BY THE EMERGENCY CREW WHO ARRIVED ON THE SCENE. I BELIEVE THAT THIS MAY BE A DESIGN FLAW OR DEFECT THAT SUBARU ENGINEERS NEED TO HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT. *TR

VEHICLE WILL NOT START AFTER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF ATTEMPTS. APPEARS TO HAPPEN MOST OFTEN WHEN VEHICLE IS PARKED (EITHER INDOORS OR OUTSIDE) FOR MORE THAN SEVERAL HOURS. CAR WILL CRANK OVER FOR 10+ SECONDS AND WILL NOT START. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS, CAR HAS STARTED EVENTUALLY. HAVE COMMUNICATED WITH DEALER AND SIA OFFICES THAT I HAVE NOTICED THE CAR WILL MAKE WHIRRING NOISES THAT COME FROM THE BACK RH SIDE OF VEHICLE - AND ALSO A CLICKING NOISE NEAR CENTER OF DASH WHEN TURNED OFF AND SITTING. THIS WILL GO ON FOR OVER 5 MINUTES AT A TIME, WHICH MUST DRAIN BATTERY SINCE CAR IS NOT TURNED ON OR ENGINE RUNNING. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT THIS IS THE EMISSION SYSTEM "PURGING" ITSELF - AND IS CONSIDERED NORMAL FOR THIS VEHICLE. SIA OFFICES CONFIRMED THIS AND ALSO STATED THAT NOTHING IS NOTED IN THE CURRENT OWNERS MANUAL WHICH EXPLAINS THIS FEATURE. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE CAR IS UNABLE TO START WHEN REQUIRED TO - AND AM GUESSING THAT IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THIS UNUSUAL FEATURE... . REGARDLESS OF ORIGIN, SAFETY ISSUE WITH CAR NOT STARTING AND BEING READY TO OPERATE WHEN NORMAL STARTING PROCEDURES ARE FOLLOWED. *TR