2002 Subaru WRX: brake failure

Filed Mar 18, 2007 · Brakes · 44,000 miles · MD

On my 2002 subaru impreza wrx sedan whenever I go over a bump or imperfection in the road (no matter how big or small) the ABS kicks in and if I hit the brakes directly afterwards the pedal goes to the floor and I have severely weak breaks for 2-3 seconds then they come back. Ive replaced the brake rotors, pads, and brake fluid and the issue still happens. Subaru of america claims it is not a problem but have never had this issue with any other car with ABS. Im very familiar with ABS and know how it works the problem is after it engages if you brake again 2-3 seconds after it engaged the pedal goes to the floor as if theres only 20% brakeing force. Ive almost been in several accidents due to this one time I was pulling into a parking spot going 5mph and this happened and I almost drifted into a parked car. Please look into this. Please view this website http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102893 many 2002 and up subaru owners are experienceing this. The ABS isnt the problem again its the loss of brakeing after the ABS was engaged maybe the ABS computer isnt working correctly/fast enough? Thank you

Filed Oct 7, 2004 · Brakes · 39,000 miles · NH · crash

I was driving my 02 subaru wrx on the highway. I need to stop suddenly and the brakes failed. The brake pedal went to the floor, but the car didn't slow down. This cause me to rear end a ford explorer. This cause approximately $3800 in damages.

Filed Jun 23, 2004 · Brakes · 10,057 miles · MI

The ABS activates prematurely during threshold braking on rough or uneven dry paved surfaces (washboards especially), causing extended braking distance, loss of brake pedal pressure. Abs operates as expected on wet smooth surfaces without being noticed.

Filed Jun 15, 2004 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · FL · crash

I experience dbrake failure with my 2002 subaru wrx during a moderate speed (about 35 MPH) emergency panic stop, resulting in my sliding into a truck that cut me off and caused damage to my car and his truck.*ak the date listed below may be incorrect because I don't have the date with me right now, but it is within a few months of the incident. The road surface was fairly dry and slightly bumpy and after stomping on the brakes they went all the way down with no pulsing and very little stopping. I felt like I was on ice with no ABS. I commented to my insurance company during my initial call reporting the accident that I felt I had plenty of time to stop and that the brakes just "slid". I also reported it to my local subaru dealership who checked it out after the accident after the body work was done and found no problems. I have experienced no other incidents like this since I don't drive that hard and avoid hard stops. I would really like this to be addressed to avoid potential future accidents. Thanks, craig hoffman

Filed Jun 14, 2004 · Brakes · 19,640 miles · WA

Complete transient brake failure - subaru 2002 wrx wagon.just experienced this failure, thankfully not "driving" at the time. I was backing the car down off service ramps last night in my driveway. Not sure exactly what happened at the wheels, I may have run over a block of wood with a rear wheel at the same time, but anyhow just as I came down off the ramps under very light braking, the brake pedal literally sank to the floor under my foot, - it felt like it deflated.the pedal just remained limply where it was. Application / variation of pressure had no effect whatsoever, don't recall hearing the ABS mech either after the initial sink.*ak I was left rolling slowly backwards down my driveway with my foot firmly planted on the brake - there was not even enough braking force to stop the car from a walking pace roll. I used the e-brake to stop. Tried the brake pedal again afterwards, and pressure was back, like nothing happened. Very scary. Even though I'd read about this, still took me a few seconds to realize what was happening. This clearly could be fatal "on the road". See http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=487735&perpage=25&pagenumber=1 for more detail and reports.

Filed Apr 30, 2004 · Brakes · 22,344 miles · NV · 2 injuries

Abs failure on multiple occasions. While driving down a steep hill in 6 inches of snow at less than 5 MPH the ABS kicked in and I could not stop the car. I had no brakes. The car was in deep snow and was not sliding. As I was approaching a multi car accident at 5 MPH I had to stop. I turned off the ignition on the car and it stopped instantly. I have found that in deep show going down hill I have zero brakes. I'm forced to use the emergency brakes or to turn off the car. This is at sub 5 MPH speeds. This is an all wheel drive car designed for travel on snowy roads. In another incident I was traveling at 55 MPH on a windy road when the car in front of me stopped quickly for a right turn. I hit my brakes and had nothing. The ABS activated and I was forced to turn into oncoming traffic to avoid a rear end collision. This was on dry pavement. I was following with plenty of room to stop. The dealer refused to look at the car and told me I needed to learn to drive.

Filed Jan 21, 2004 · Brakes · 11,005 miles · IL

When braking over uneven surfaces or bumps on dry pavement, the ABS kicked in and the brake pedal went to the floor leaving me with absolutely no brakes for a second until I lifted my foot off the pedal and reapplied pressure. This caused me to almost crash into the car in front of me which was stopped at the stoplight. I had to change into the right turn lane to avoid an accident.

Filed Dec 18, 2003 · Brakes · CA

Abs activates in unnecessary situations. When approaching a stop sign on my street, on clean dry asphalt, the ABS activated when going over a small pothole. The brake pedal went to the floor and there was no braking power until I released and reapplied the brake. This exact situation has occurred at least 10-15 times at the same location. I have also experienced the unnecessary ABS activation and brake failure in other locations where I have driven over bumps or pavement irregularities. The result is usually the activation of ABS, then the loss of braking power, and the requirement that the brakes be released and reapplied. To the best of my knowledge, this is not the porper operation of an anti-lock braking system. This behavior has not yet caused an accident or any damage, but it is easy to see that if I were in closer proximity to other vehicles or objects, the result could be catastrophic.

Filed Nov 21, 2003 · Brakes · OR

The ABS on my 2002 subaru wrx wagon engages in situations when it seems that it should not engage. It feels like there are no brakes sometimes.

Filed Oct 28, 2003 · Brakes · 32,000 miles · KY

2002 subaru wrx ABS failure. When decellerating on bumpy surfaces, the ABS on my 2002 wrx will engage, significantly increasing stopping distance.n extremely slick surfaces, like slush, the ABS will activate and disengage the brakes completely, resulting in no stopping at all. In january of 2003, my car rolled through a red light at a busy intersection because the brakes failed to work. The wheels were not locked or sliding, the ABS engaged and failed to stop the car. I was able to stop the vehicle with the emergency brake, but I was already well into the intersection.

Filed Oct 28, 2003 · Brakes · 21,500 miles · MD · crash

Antilock brake failure caused accident. A vechicle in front of me stopped quickly so I applied the brakes with moderate to heavy pressure. Although I was going only 30-35 MPH and had several car lengths to stop, the brakes locked and the pedal went soft and I was unable to control the car causing me to rear-end the vechicle in front of me. I have had similar incidents in the past with the wrx where the ABS would trigger when going over a bump with moderate brake pressure and the pedal would go soft (rather than the kickback I expect with ABS), but it was never in a situation that would cause an accident. The accident occured on dry pavement, at the posted speed limit, and I do not recall whether I hit a bump during the incident triggering the brake problem. Given the distance and the speed, I should have been able to stop well before hitting the car in front of me. In my past experience with ABS brakes on other cars, there is strong feedback to the driver during ABS operation, not the soft, ineffective pedal that occurs on the wrx.

Filed Oct 26, 2003 · Brakes · 1 miles · VA

Abs engages when braking on surfaces with good traction if tire(s) goes over a bump for a brief moment. Does not disengage when tire returns to good traction surface. Causes loss of braking power. Brake pedal must be released then reapplied in order to regain braking power. Abs is completely ineffective on loose surfaces, such as gravel.