2009 Subaru Impreza: grinding or squealing brakes

Filed Jan 5, 2020 · Acceleration, Brakes · 28,000 miles · FL

Subaru of america inc. Should recall 2008-2014 impreza, impreza wrx, and impreza wrx sti. These vehicles just above the drivers feet, use 6 spots welds to hold a mounting bracket for the pedal assembly to the inside of the firewall.this design flaw, where the pedal mounting box is spot-welded to the firewall using only a handful of tiny spot welds is dangerous. The firewall itself is of a weak design and inherently has quite a bit of flex and over time and normal use these spot welds fail from too much stress and the pedals will begin to squeak, creak, pop and eventually the pedals will move away from the firewall when depressed. Once this happens the clutch and other pedals will no longer properly engage or disengage and the car will no longer be drivable. In the event of this failure at highway speeds potentially catastrophic loss of life and endangering the public. Safety risk firewall failure potential result in loss of vehicle control. The sudden loss of function of pedal assembly including clutch, brake, and acceleration pedals. Loss of vehicle control may lead to occupants having serious injury or death especially at highway speeds. Remedy subaru will notify their owners. Dealers will facilitate the, permanent solution which involves properly welding the pedal assembly box to the firewall with a continuous seam weld along the circumference of the mounting tab, free of charge. Sources: http://www.circuitmotorsports-blog.com/2015/04/the-2008-2014-subaru-impreza-clutch.html https://www.5250performance.com/blog/subaru-firewall-repairs-less-money-better-repair https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=745c2ff65d52924b49418232894051cd&t=2700583 https://bit.ly/2ssk3ij https://bit.ly/37flmp4 https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2008+subaru+wrx+firewall

Filed Dec 17, 2018 · Body · 90,000 miles · CA

The firewall welds have failed and broken, resulting in structural failure of the clutch and brake pedal mounts. This leads to the clutch not being able to be fully and properly depressed, resulting in hard gear shifts, grinding, excess transmission wear, as well as the brake pedal and clutch pedal moving when depressed, which is obviously a safety hazard if the pedals move where they shouldn't without being purposefully adjusted. When the clutch is depressed, the brake pedal moves to the left, toward the clutch pedal at least an inch. This is an incredible safety hazard because in an emergency situation, if the brake needs to be applied while the clutch is depressed, the brake pedal is not where it should be and can be missed by my foot while trying to apply the brake quickly. There is also an incredibly distracting and annoying squeaking sound every time the clutch is depressed. Subaru is well aware of this problem as it is relatively common. However, they quoted me $900 to fix it. This is a manufacture defect and something that should be taken care of by the manufacturer. My car has approximately 105,xxx miles with the problem starting at 90,xxx miles.

Filed Nov 21, 2014 · Body, Brakes · 96,000 miles · CA

Car used as daily driver to commute less than 14 miles round trip for work. Clutch began to develop a pop noise which then turned into a loud squeak followed by more than a 1/2" of movement to the left that the brake pedal would start to move when the clutch would be depressed. After further investigation of reading local owners threads and asking around I have found that the welds that hold my brake and clutch together have broken and are continuing to break which could lead to my clutch pedal assembly falling down to the floor board which could potentially render me from using my brake pedal. This is a common issue with all subaru impreza wrx and sti owners which can be found on multiple local owners club websites and could affect bodily harm to drivers of the cars and other drivers on the road! Subaru refuses to acknowledge that this is a problem and in most cases will not cover repair costs!

Filed Jul 30, 2014 · Transmission · 98,000 miles · UT

Was starting to have problems shifting into gear especially getting into reverse. Took my vehicle to a subaru dealership for a cause. The tech wanted to replace the entire clutch assembly for 1800 bucks. I took my vehicle to another shop for a second answer, immediately was told it was the firewall.the welds have snapped. Because the welds have snapped the clutch can't engage properly causing one to have either terrible shifts or possibly grinding of gears!

Filed May 22, 2013 · Body, Transmission · 70,000 miles · CA

I noticed a consistent squeak when the clutch pedal was depressed, at all speeds, at all times, even when the car was off. I tried to lubricate it, but the noise did not go away. I took it to the dealer and they also tried to lubricate it, but the noise did not go away. The dealer asked to keep the vehicle for a day so the clutch could be disassembled to determine the cause. I had purchased a new clutch from the dealer for $1600 in september, 2012 which was still under warranty. The dealer determined the cause was broken welds between the clutch assembly and firewall. The dealer and I both called subaru of america to find a resolution. My case number was sr #:[xxx]. I told the subaru rep that this was a common and widespread problem with this model of subaru based on my own internet research, but the rep denied any knowledge of similar problems with imprezza wrxs. The repair is expensive (>$2000) because the entire dash of the vehicle must be removed in order for the broken welds to be fixed by a third party body shop. Then, the dash must be replaced. The repair took two full weeks. Others have reported repair times of up to two months. With new welds, the clutch squeak is gone. Subaru informed me that the dealer would cover the repair expense as a "one time good will gesture" and I am grateful about that, but concerned for other owners that subaru is sweeping this problem under the rug. If the clutch completely breaks apart from the body at highway speeds, the transmission could be severely damaged and loss of vehicle control may result. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Nov 2, 2012 · Transmission · 47,850 miles · IL

I have a horrible squeak coming from my clutch pedal. For several months now, when I depress and release the clutch a loud squeak squeaking noise is produced. This week the clutch pedal began to squeak constantly while driving as if were loose. I have to brace the clutch pedal with my left foot in order to stop the noise which is constant at most speeds and especially over bumps. A closer look revealed that it appears the welds on the clutch pedal are beginning to fail where it attaches to the vehicle's firewall. This would eventually lead to the pedal breaking off during driving and the potential of a crash.

Filed Aug 17, 2012 · Brakes, Transmission · 62,000 miles · PA

My clutch started squeaking while driving on the highway. When depressing the clutch, the brake pedal moves toward the drivers side and down. Upon further inspection, I noticed the spot welds that hold the clutch and brake assembly to car were broken and starting to separate from the firewall. Eventually, the welds will fail and completely remove the assembly from the firewall. Thus, clutch and braking abilities will be gone and cause an accident.

Filed Jan 3, 2012 · Acceleration, Body · 52,135 miles · AE

When the clutch is pressed, a squeaking sound appears as if an old wooden door is opening. Upon search was found that the welds holding the pedal assembly are breaking. There are only spot welds holding the assembly down and is a safety problem if all welds break.