Subaru Impreza harsh shifting problems

Filed Apr 10, 2026 · Steering, Suspension · OH

I contacted Subaru in Mentor Oh at adventure subaru under TSB 19V065000 and was told to take it in to get looked at, my issue when I purchased the car at 67k miles i found that the car had a loud clunky sound while steering and going over bumps. After seeing the dealer and the stated the issue was from the steer rack and was exactly what was described exactly in the TSB but the only thing was they did not see a visible crack, the repair was denied. I then took the car to another dealer near Beavercreek oh after calling Subaru of America Case # [XXX]. Subaru of America was very certain that the repair was going to get performed. After going to the dealer it was yet again denied again, now it is outside the TSB warranty window. The car has had the entire suspension repaired and the noise is so bad and the steering doesn’t feel right. The car literally is unsafe to drive, i owe money to my loan company for 540 a month, the car just sits in the garage. I am sick of getting put through this nightmare. I want the part replaced or to get out of the loan completely and return the car to Subaru or the bank. Please help i have ran out of ideas. I do lots of driving and dying in a car accident scares me to death. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 3, 2025 · Suspension · FL

The front suspension has been broken since I purchased the vehicle with 50,000 miles on it. This has always been a safety concern for this vehicle yet I see no recalls for it. This puts my safety at risk as there is a metal clunking sound when turning the wheel and the tire rod can break from the faulty parts used for the vehicle. The vehicle’s front suspension was checked by a car repair company that was changing my brake pads at the time and saw that there was a dire issue with the vehicle that could put my life at risk. I have not had any car accidents or any other issues that could have caused this, meaning it is faulty manufacturing on Subaru’s part. There are no warning lights for the suspension, there is no way to know if you have a suspension issue unless you get the vehicle checked, or in my case can hear metal clunking sounds as the wheel is moved left or right while turning. This issue has been seen by many other owners of the same vehicle make, model and year but there has been no effort to fix this safety issue.

Filed Dec 10, 2020 · Suspension · 205,000 miles · MO

On the night of 12/6/2020 I was backing out of a friends driveway to drive home, when I reached the street, I heard a loud clunk and a grinding noise. I got out of my car to investigate what had just happened and the front portion of my passenger side front lower control arm had completely lost all structural integrity. Fortunately my car was at a low speed and I did not lose control (pictures attached). Had this happened while driving down the highway, this would have been a catastrophic failure and I would have lost control of the vehicle the events on 12/6/2020 indicates the remediation steps proposed by subaru are not acceptable as this part failed catastrophically after these steps had been performed. The safety recall remediation steps in question are that of: "type: safety | safety recall: wvx34 | the federal safety agency campaign: 11v464000" according to subaru's website for this vehicle, the safety recall was completed: https://www.subaru.com/vehicle-recalls.html/VIN=[xxx] according to the carfax report, the safety recall was performed on 2/7/2012 only 5 months after the recall was issued. (screenshot attached) the nature of the failure and the description of the original safety recall show that the testing steps and remediation steps are not suitable for a completed safety recall as the part did end up failing after the additional coating of anti-corrosive had been applied to the lower control arm of my vehicle. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jul 18, 2020 · Brakes, Fuel system · 67,404 miles · ID

My cars break lights are not working. My car will lose power on the road to where it will completely die and I have to turn the ignition off and turn it back on to keep going. My emergency brake light is on my tire sensor lights are on even though tire pressure is correct there are times when I cannot get my car into gear. It will make a very loud clunking noise and then a whizzing noise when you turn the air conditioner on and then you get no power at all to the car. I cannot go up a steep hill on the highway because it will only go up to 35 miles an hour. When it loses power on the highway and I have to the restart the car that's very dangerous.

Filed Jul 26, 2017 · Engine · NY

Vechile burning oil at a rate of a quart every 1500 miles,subaru stated that this is normal, mechanics told me this is not normal..I have had old clunkers with high millage that did not burn this much oil.

Filed Feb 21, 2017 · Acceleration · 50,000 miles · IL

Manual transmission 2008 subaru impreza wrx, have trouble switching gears, and specifically putting vehicle in reverse from a cold start. For a while heard a popping noise when pushing the clutch down. But switching gears is very difficult/clunky and placing the vehicle in reverse from a cold start is extremely difficult. After doing research this appears to be related to subaru bulletin 12-184-15 (an issue with welds on the firewall). The brackets/welds on the firewall seem to be breaking/are broken.

Filed Mar 15, 2013 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · CA

My 2009 subaru wrx has a broken clutch pedal bracket, this has LED to extremely hard shifting. I took my car to a clutch shop and they did not want to touch it, they suggested I take it to the dealer. They called the dealer for me and asked if there were any recalls, to which the dealer said no. I believe subaru is being dishonest as I have found many consumers on online forums experiencing the same problem I am.

Filed Oct 20, 2011 · Suspension · 72,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, he noticed a loud clunking noise. He later inspected the vehicle and discovered that the driver side front lower control arm was fractured due to corrosion. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised him that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 11v464000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower arm). The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

Filed Oct 2, 2011 · Steering, Suspension · 51,764 miles · NY

See previous complaint w/same vehicle----failure of right side lower control arm on 1-14-2011 at odo 49093. This current complaint is failure of left side lower control arm on 8-28-11. 2002 subaru impreza 2.5ts wagon with 51764 miles. Always best of preventative maintenance. Driving slowly on city street. Clunking sound from left front, difficulty steering. Recognized problem from previous failure of right side lower control arm. Returned to my driveway (less than a mile) and called wrecker. Repair cost: $458.95. Contacted subaru customer/dealer services----no acknowledgement of responsibility for this or previous failure. "out of warranty, you live in a snow/salt area, etc".

Filed Feb 2, 2011 · Body, Steering · 49,093 miles · NY

2.5 ts with 49,093 miles. Wagon was always given best of preventative maintenance. Driving slowly on city street. Clunking sound from right front wheel area. Some difficulty with braking and steering. Assumed it was ice buildup on brakes/suspension. After about 10 minutes increased speed on country road and became much worse, almost lost control of steering but got off the road safely. Lower control arm had broken and caused rust-riddled front subframe to collapse. Replaced lower control arm, front stabilizer link and front subframe. $1218.02.