2010 Subaru Forester: brake failure

Filed Oct 9, 2020 · Brakes · 144,547 miles · TX

My brakes failed while I was driving because subaru did not properly address recall wqk47 on my car in 2018 even though they claimed it was completed. My brake lines are completely corroded and they are refusing to honor the recall that they improperly addressed 2 years ago. They knew in 2018 when they applied the anti-rust solution that the brake lines were rusted but they did not do any repairs. Thus, my car is currently non-functioning.

Filed Jan 7, 2020 · Brakes · 119,000 miles · NY

The federal safety agency campaign 14v830000 and 14v311000: subaru of america recall(s) were completed in 2014. However, on january 5 2020, while coming to a stop on a rural road, the brake pedal went to the floor and the car rolled through the intersection. No other cars were present and no accident occurred. Inspection revealed that a brake pipe had rusted and ruptured near the "4 way junction" at the rear of the vehicle. The very junction that is the subject of the aforementioned recalls.

Filed Apr 27, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 72,000 miles · NY · crash · 1 injury

While backing slowly into a parking space (2-3 MPH) in my apartment parking lot. Car accelerated rapidly out of control. Brakes failed. Car accelerated ftom 3mp to 20-35 MPH jumped a curb and hit car parked in street (impact so high that the car ended up in the middle of the street). Impact was the only thing that stopped the car.

Filed Feb 14, 2013 · Brakes · 32,715 miles · CT

At 32,715 miles rear brakes failed. Both the brakes pads and rotor had completely rotted or fallen apart. The front brakes and rotors also needed to be replaces. At 25,000 miles I had a complete inspection of the braking system where it was determined that the brakes were worn down to about 50%. So in less than 8000 miles the the rear brakes had completely failed, and the front brakes where almost completely gone.

Filed Oct 8, 2011 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · PA

During a routine state inspection it was discovered that the rear disc brake rotors and pads were no longer acceptable and had to be replaced. The brakes were still functional at this point but only barely. There was no wear indicator sound that ever emanated from the brakes. There was no warning light on the dash board indicating a brake problem. There was longer braking detected but only that associated with normal wear of a vehicle. There were no signs of any issue with the brakes. A routine recent inspection of the front brakes by the owner to assess the vehicle prior to inspection revealed no issues with normal wear of the front pads and rotors. The rear disc brakes were not examined at the time as the assumption was that brake wear would be nominally the same as the front. The yearly state inspection revealed the excessive wear of the rear brakes relative to the front brakes. This indicates a vehicle flaw, possible design or component, as the vehicle only had 25,000 miles on it and the front disk pads and rotors indicate only normal wear. The rotors were worn too thin to be used. There was excessive rust on the brake components. The pads were past acceptable wear. The rear brakes/pads/rotors were either defective, improperly working, or improperly designed. There could have been a serious brake failure resulting in an accident as a result of the excessive wear of the rear disc brakes. This should be red flagged as a serious issue of concern.

Filed Dec 13, 2010 · Brakes, Tires · 18,000 miles · IN

At low speeds near intersections with light snow or slush on the road vehicle's ABS system causes loss of stopping ability and loss of directional control. Partial or complete loss of braking and/or directional control at stop signs and on slick roads. Premature activation of ABS system in snowy and slushy conditions. Potential consequences include striking pedestrians, leaving the road unexpectedly and stopping in not before an intersection. Dealer inspected braking system and stated that it is performing as intended. Dealer further documented that oem tires had low traction rating causing ABS system to operate incorrectly in certain driving conditions. In particular ABS causes drastically increased stopping distance with loss of directional control with oem bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires with 7/32 tread depth and correct inflation pressure. Dealer states that tires should be changed to improve drivability and ABS function in snow and ice conditions. Bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires will be replaced with a different brand. These tires will be put in storage and will be available.

Filed Dec 13, 2010 · Brakes · 4,000 miles · IN

On icy downhill grades when braking or slowing ABS system will cause a "rock hard" pedal and complete loss of brakes. All four wheels will lockup. This causes loss of directional control and loss of braking. This failure occurs when ABS fails to prevent wheels from locking up on slick surfaces. Consequences include rear end collision, loss of control, unexpected exit from the roadway and loss of control of vehicle attitude. Vehicle was take to dealer and brakes were inspected. Nothing was found to be wrong. Brakes were operating as designed. This is a design defect in the antilock braking system in that the system causes unexpected drastic changes in the feel of the brake pedal, allows the wheels to lock and does not give the driver clear expectation of how to regain control of the vehicle. On low coefficient of friction surfaces the ABS system cannot differentiate between the vehicle moving with wheels locked and vehicle stationary with brakes engaged. Vehicle must be accelerated to start wheels turning in order for the ABS to release the pedal.

Filed Nov 26, 2010 · Acceleration, Brakes · 21,797 miles · PA

We experienced brake failure twice on a trip 11/4/10 - 11/6/10. The first incident occurred on 11/4 while using cruise control. To slow for a vehicle in front of us, I hit the brake pedal. The brakes were not responsive and the cruise control remained active. Pumping the brake pedal in a few seconds deactivated the cruise control and the brakes returned. This occurred with a noticeable jerk. The second incident occurred 11/6 while on heading east on rt 30 coming down sidling hill. The cruise control was not in use. While attempting to brake to reduce speed going down the hill, the brakes completely failed. Repeated attempts to use the brake pedal failed to provide any braking. I used the parking brake to slow us down; however, the parking brake did not seem very effective. It took a considerable distance to come to a stop. I proceeded down the hill in a lower gear and at some point the brakes returned to use. There does not appear to be any reason as to why they failed or how or why they returned. The car has over 20,000 miles on it and this was the first incident of brake failure; although the situation with the cruise not deactivating had occurred once before. The car was taken to the dealer on 11/7. The dealer checked both the cruise and the braking system and found no problems. The dealer reported consulting with subaru on the problem as well. On 11/12 at the suggestion of the dealer, I contacted subaru customer service (ref#1-1157948155). Subaru's follow up was that the car was checked and found to be ok and we should drive it and see if it happens again. This was not acceptable and we opted for a replacement vehicle at considerable out of pocket expense. This vehicle should not be sold to someone else. It should be returned to subaru to determine what caused the failures described.