When braking hard, if a small bump is encountered ABS will often activate and fail causing loss of stopping power. Releasing the brake and re-applying will restore stopping power but not before giving the driver a good scare. I have not hit anything yet but I have had several close calls, even taking to the grass to avoid a collision. Dealer could not replicate. *ts *jb ****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis****761464
2002 Subaru Impreza brakes complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 60 of 60, newest first, as owners wrote them.
When braking over bumps or potholes, ABS system "fails" causing near-zero braking ability and much longer stopping distances. Repeatable and dangerous!
Abs fails after going over minor bumps and all pressure in the brake system is lost soon after. Driver must completely disengage brake and then reapply to begin slowing down again.
When applying brakes lost all brake compression and pedal went to the floor.*akvehicle was braking fine until consumer lost compression after hitting a rough surface on the road.
While driving on a bumpy road, ABS engages and loses all braking power. Dealer contacted. *ak
While in motion insured approached stop sign. Vehicle 2 stopped and proceeded as insured was already accelerating and was unable to stop, therefore hitting the rear of vehicle 2. May be a possible problem with the ABS system.
When the wrx with an automatic transmission is at high idle, the car does not generate enough vacuum to energize the power brake booster. According to subaru, this is "normal". Durning high idle, braking performance is severely reduced. From 10mph you can floor the brakes and it won't lock up the tires. Apparently this problem is only with the automatic, not 5 speed.. Nlm
Driving along highway i94, when had to brake (medium braking) due to car slowing in front, went over a bump in the road during the braking the brakes seem to completly disappear with very little pedal pressure. The road was dry. I nearly ran into the back of the car in front. Tyhis can be duplicated with similar conditions such as smooth road with medium to heavy braking (not full braking) with a bump in the road it seems to send the ABS out of control and loose all breaking for a 1sec or so.
I have experienced multiple occurrences of ABS problems. If a wheels hits a bump when the brakes are applied the brakes let go completely for 2-3 seconds. It's as if the system is sensing a loss of grip at whatever wheel has hit the bump and instead of releasing pressure on that wheel for a fraction of a second it releases pressure on all four brakes for 2-3 seconds. This can occur not only under hard braking but also when slowing down gradually from a low speed. This is at best discomforting and at worst dangerous. I know that the federal safety agency is aware of the thread in the brake forum of www.I-club.com. Additionally the problem has been documented in the april 2002 issue of sport compact car magazine page 16. Article is titled picking nits. Section of the article is ambitious ABS. Here's a quote: "it takes only the slightest bump, pavement irregularity or suggestion of lost traction to send the wrx's ABS into convulsions." another one: "what makes most subarus uncommonly safe and stable in severe conditions makes the usually confidence inspiring wrx feel frighteningly unpredictable charging into bumpy corners. Our long-term wrx is getting an off switch for the ABS." this situation is unacceptable. An aftermarket off switch should not be required for the safe operation of an ABS system. I have had my car to the dealer and they called the subaru tech hotline. They were told that there are no ABS issues. I and others have called and e-mailed subaru's customer service and have been told there is no record of concerns with the ABS. Subaru is refusing to acknowledge this problem. It needs to be investigated and corrected. Thanks.
I was slowing to make a right turn, the brake pedal went almost to the floor and the car was not stopping. I pulled ABS fuse shortly thereafter.
Abs failure - upon depressing the brake pedal on uneven pavement, the brake pedal drops to the flow with no apparent brake pressure but occasional ABS pulsation. Contacted subaru to see if it was a known issue and was told by soa that there were no previous reports of this issue and no factory issue. See also ... Http://www.I-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102893&perpage=40&pagenumber=1.
On 2/4/02 I was coming up to a stop light behind traffic. When I applied my brakes nothing happened. I had brake pedal but the car did not slow down at all. I immediately I geared down going about 20mph and applied the brakes again but no reaction. I hit the car in front at the rate of about 10mph and did considerable damage to my car. This was not the first time I had a problem with the brakes. In oct. 2001 I applied the brakes at about 55mph, the ABS system kicked in, but the vehicle didn't even slow down. I continued trying the brakes for at least 1 mile down the road with no slowing of the vehicle. Finally the brakes started to work and I continued on my way. In dec. When I took the car in for servicing, I stated this incident and was told that the ABS braking system isn't supposed to stop or slow down the car. From that point I decided to brake the car by gearing down so the ABS brakes would never kick in. In jan. I applied the brakes one day to turn into my driveway and nothing not even the ABS. A little further down the hill, the brakes worked and I stopped. It was a little slippery that day so I thought the failure to slow down or stop was related to the road conditions. Then on 2/4/02 the brakes failed to have any reaction once again and this time there was an accident. I do not intend to drive the car again until this problem is solved.
Abs in the 2002 impreza is dangerous over bumps. Brakes can fail when braking over bumps at moderate speeds when in neutral. I have had several near misses, as have many others. The problem is largely reproduceable, and not uncommon. Please follow this.
Abs is not working properly! There are at least 44 others with exact same problem I know of. Abs engages at low speeds over bumpy roads, and lose braking power. Alot of braking power gone. Some one will get hurt soon.
The braking system often fails when the brakes are applied while travelling over a rough or bumpy surface, regardless of speed (I have had it occur several times, from 5 to 35 MPH). In these cases the ABS is wrongfully triggered under mild braking, then the vast majority of braking power is lost and the car barely stops at all. This braking is completely different in feel and performance from the ABS functioning properly ( I.e. Very hard braking on a smooth surface. The brakes work fine in these cases.). This is a common problem that I am hearing about from other 2002 impreza/wrx owners.
Brakes did not respond to full pressure applied to the brake pedal after getting in the exit lane of northbound interstate 75 and the I-675 south exchange. Brakes did not slow the car and the car proceeded to swerve off the road, resulting in a rollover of multiple revolutions. Exact number of turns is not known. It was noticed that the brakes had been grinding the day before. Also, the brake pedal had started to feel soft the day of the accident. Air bags, neither front nor side impact bags, did not deploy.
Vehicle stopping distance in snow increases by a factor of 10 when ABS system is enabled (tested by removing ABS fuse - disables ABS).
The ABS system does not adaquately brake over a bumpy road surface. I have almost crashed into other cars as a result of the ABS system not allowing the car to brake anything like as fast as it should.
The brakes that come standard on this vehicle are nowhere near sufficient for a vehicle with this level of performance. My brakes are scored, have grooves, and have chips and burrs. During my hour commute to work I experience brake fade and brake shudder in the steering wheel. The dealer tells me these problems are "normal." well, if you're going to sell me a car that accellerates and handles like a race car, it should be able to stop like one as well. Or at least stop at all! This vehicle requires larger, more performance oriented brakes right from the factory. I hope subaru handles this quickly.
Rotors have been scored since new.
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