The contact owns a 2004 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and hard braking, the vehicle started shuddering violently and the steering wheel was not operating as needed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence at 20 MPH. The contact then inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the front driver's side control arm had fractured. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Suspension). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 235,000.
2004 Subaru Impreza: ball joint or control arm failure
6 of the 96 complaints about the 2004 Subaru Impreza describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 127,842
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
The passenger side lower control arm failed due to corrosion. There was a previous recall to address this issue with an anti corrosion coating, but it did not prevent the control arm from corroding and failing. I had this addressed at the dealer, and they mentioned the issue was addressed. Recall the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 11V464000
Lower control arm failed causing a complete loss of steering due to rust.car was starting out just after traffic light turned green so a very slow speed.this would have been much worse if I was traveling at a faster speed. Car was previously recalled for this same issue and the repair was to inspect and spray rust proofing on lower control arms. This was not an acceptable repair as it failed anyway. I have a 2006 same make and model with the same recall and it was sprayed with rust proofing. I expect it will fail also if something more is not done like replacing them. So far dealer refuses to replace them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru impreza. While braking, the vehicle veered to the left and right. The vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 11v464000 (suspension), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the driver side lower control arm was severely corroded and was bending to the point of detachment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,300.
While driving along a smooth, straight stretch of us-12 the right lower control arm broke at the hanger bracket. See http://i62.tinypic.com/2ajq7ex.jpg. Control arm had been "rustproofed" as part of the 2011 recall. At one point along the break the metal measures less than 4 hundredths of an inch (0.0355") - see http://i62.tinypic.com/2q3qa1t.jpg. The sway bar link also broke.
I was driving on i190 in worchester ma merging into i290 when the lower control arm broke and the front end collapsed causing loss of control of the vehicle. At the subaru dealer's the control arm and sub frame were found to be rusted clear through. There was a factory recall issued in 2011, which we were not informed of. The vehicle has been serviced by subaru only since we purchased it.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
- What is wrong
- Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.
- Risk
- A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will handle their vehicles and saab will handle theirs. Dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Owners may contact saab at 1‑800‑955‑9007.
Recall number 11V464000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2004 Subaru Impreza ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 2004 Subaru Impreza?
6 of 96 owner complaints about the 2004 Subaru Impreza (6%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Subaru Impreza?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Subaru Impreza
VIN decoder
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