2008 Subaru Wrx

I WAS HAVING A PROBLEM SHIFTING GEARS AND NOTICED THAT WHEN I DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS MOVING ALSO. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE PEDAL MOUNTING BRACKET THAT IS SPOTWELDED TO THE FIREWALL HAD BROKEN AT THE WELDS. I WAS QUOTED $1200 FOR THE REPAIRS AS THE DASH & STEERING COLUMN HAVE TO BE REMOVED. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION AS IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I FEEL THAT SUBARU SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE REPAIRS AS THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN DEFECT AND A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

SPOT WELDS ON THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ATTACHED TO THE FIREWALL HAVE CRACKED CAUSING A DISTINCT SQUEAKING NOISE AND HARD SHIFTING. MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE BRACKET SEPARATION IS PUSHING AGAINST THE CLUTCH, CAUSING A SIDEWAYS PUSH INTO THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER. THIS DOES NOT ALLOW FOR FULL ENGAGEMENT OF THE CLUTCH WHEN SHIFTING GEARS AND IS FLEXING THE MASTER CYLINDER, CAUSING ADDITIONAL STRESS AND DAMAGE. ADDITIONALLY, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS BEING DEPRESSED BY APPROXIMATELY 1/2" DURING EVERY CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT. SUBARU OF AMERICA IS ONLY OFFERING TO COVER 50% OF THE WORK TO CORRECT THEIR DESIGN/MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. NO VEHICLE SHOULD EXPERIENCE FIREWALL DAMAGE AT ANY MILEAGE, LET ALONE A DEFECT SO DANGEROUS THAT IT IMPACTS SHIFTING AND BREAKING. *TR

MY CLUTCH STARTED SQUEAKING FOR A MONTH AND HALF. WHEN THE SQUEAKING STOPPED, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE SQUEAKING STOPPED ONLY BECAUSE THE WHOLE FIREWALL HAD BROKEN. THE CAR IS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED TOMORROW, AND I AM OUT OF WARRANTY FOR MY 2008 STI. I AM WRITING TO YOU BECAUSE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, WHICH INCLUDES THE CLUTCH AND THE BRAKING AND THE TRANSMISSION. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP WILL NOT FIX IT FOR ME AND HAS REFERRED ME TO A COLLISION SHOP BUT I AM NOW BEING FORCED TO PAY FOR THESE REPAIRS OUT-OF-POCKET. *TR

CLUTCH PEDAL STARTED SQUEAKING AND THOUGHT IT WAS PART IN NEED OF GREASE. SUBARU DEALERSHIP DID A 60K MAINTENANCE AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS. CLUTCH SUDDENLY WENT OUT (WITHIN A FEW MILES) AND PEDAL BECAME HARD TO USE. TOOK TO A VERY EXPERIENCED SUBARU MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED BROKEN FIREWALL WELDS. REPAIR WILL CONSTITUTE REMOVING THE ENTIRE DASH TO REWELD THE SPOTS. MECHANIC EXPLAINED TO ME THAT WITHOUT REPAIR, THE PEDAL COULD EXPERIENCE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE DURING DRIVING AND COME LOOSE, POSSIBLY INTERFERING WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL. VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE REPORTING SIMILAR CONCERNS. *TR

THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2008 WRX WOULD MAKE A LOUD CREAKING NOISE EVERY TIME IT'S DEPRESSED. RECENTLY, THE CREAKING WENT AWAY, BUT IT BEGAN TO BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO GET INTO GEAR AND SHIFT GEARS. I INVESTIGATED THE NOISE AND NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY (ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL) SHIFTS APPROX. ONE HALF INCH EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. I FOUND THAT THE THREE SPOT WELDS SECURING THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL WERE BROKEN. FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE FIREWALL, JUST UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, I SAW THE SPOT WELDS PULLING AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THIS ALLOWS THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY TO MOVE ALONG WITH THE FIREWALL. IF THE BRACKET COMPLETELY SEPARATES FROM THE FIREWALL, THE CLUTCH WILL BECOME COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE - ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING. MY VEHICLE IS A 2008 WITH ONLY 70,000 MILES. *TR

METAL ON METAL POPPING STARTED FOR APPARENTLY NO REASON. INTERMITTENT, INCONSISTENT AND DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE. NOISE STOPPED AFTER WARMER WEATHER STARTED. NOTICEABLE CHANGES IN SHIFTING BEGIN TO OCCUR. APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS LATER, SHIFTING BEGINS TO BECOME DIFFICULT. SYNCHRONIZATION OF GEARS WHEN SHIFTING BEGINS TO FAULT AND GEAR SCRATCHING CAN BE HEARD. STILL INCONSISTENT, NO IMMEDIATE INDICATION REPAIRS ARE NEEDED. SEVERAL WEEKS GO BY AND SUDDENLY SHIFTING IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. GEAR MATCHING AND SYNCHRONIZATION IS NO LONGER SMOOTH AND SCRATCHES GEARS OFTEN. OFTEN NOT POSSIBLE TO SHIFT IN TO REVERSE WHILE CAR IS RUNNING. IT HAS NOW BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT THE SPOT WELDING THAT HOLDS THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY HAS BROKEN FREE FROM THE MOUNTING POINTS UNDER THE DASHBOARD. THE ENTIRE PEDAL ASSEMBLY NOW BENDS AND FLEXES PREVENTING PROPER CLUTCH PLAY AND THROW, PREVENTING CLUTCH FROM COMPLETELY DISENGAGING TRANSMISSION. *TR

THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND CLUTCH IS NOT OPERATING PROPERLY WHEN DEPRESSED. THE PEDALS SHIFT WHEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AND MAKES A POPPING SOUND EVERY TIME THAT ORIGINATES FROM THE FIRE WALL / BULK HEAD. MY CAR HAS BEEN REPAIRED ONCE BEFORE AT JUST UNDER 40,000MI AT A SUBARU DEALER AS AUTHORIZED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA AND KNOW IT HAS 100,000MI AND THE ISSUE HAS COME BACK. THIS IS A STRUCTURAL FLAW THAT CAN AND WILL LEAD TO A ACCIDENT WITH THE 2008 AND NEWER SUBARU WRX'S IF IT IS NOT ADDRESSED AND FIXED BY SUBARU. IF SUBARU IS NOT WILLING TO REPAIR THE BRACKET WELD ISSUE AND REPLACE THE CLUTCH DUE TO IMPROPER ENGAGEMENT I WILL LET THE WELDS FAIL AND ALLOW THE CLUTCH PEDAL AND BRAKE PEDAL FALL TO THE FLOOR BOARD AND TRY TO CONTROL THE CRASH AS BEST AS POSSIBLE. THEN I WILL PROCEED TO FILE A LAW SUIT ON THE BASES THAT SUBARU KNOWS OF THE ISSUE AND MEANT TO CAUSE DUE HARM TO THE VEHICLE OPERATOR AND THE POPULATION OF AMERICA. *TR