2002 Subaru WRX transmission problems

Filed Jan 16, 2008 · Transmission · 64,500 miles · NY

Soa gold plus added security 7 year/100,000 mi contract coverage so extensive it's easier to list what is not covered! 2002 wrx 64,500 mi now at metric subaru dix hills, ny blew out trans/man clutch assembly & wants $3,600. Metric replaced manual clutch ass 62,980 mi, costing $1,175 & brought back car less than 400 mi later because of crunching when shifting in first & reverse & wasn't fixed because metric couldn't verify complaint. Few days later gear stuck in reverse & car wouldn't budge while in the middle of street. Subaru towed car to metric, couldn't verify complaint as gear became unstuck. New years day, with dropped clutch pedal couldn't get into gear so subaru towed car back to metric. Upon calling soa received # 1072552 from les handley and after signing $500. Auth tear down chg was then told trans/man clutch assembly blown out/ gears stripped/chipped. Soa refuses to authorize dealer to fix the car asserting abused car and driven aggressively. Metric explained manual trans a problem and we see researching website, numerous complaints nearly same identical story of trans & man clutch assembly blown out/gears stripped/chipped with soa denying repairs asserting abuse. Is it possible every owners tale of woe is a lie? Subaru replaced our trans 29,068 mi after finding gears, synros and sleeves defective. Subaru three months later at 29,740 mi found transmission leaking, seeing transmission case porous & replaced it. 42,546 mi subaru replaced worn reverse trans shift rail and clip. Soa customer care rep, patricia hung up on us while we tried to obtain satisfaction on claim for repairs under service contract, stating dealership service reps informed her we abused the car and drove it aggressively, a fact they out and out denied to our face when confronted on that matter. Service rep informed us they sent pics and a description of the problem and requested authorization for repair & was denied with our service rep feeling soa was looking to avoid this extremely explosive issue.

Filed Oct 13, 2005 · Transmission · NH

I own a 2002 subaru impreza wrx with a manual transmission. Every once in awhile when I come to a complete stop and shift into first there is a grind noise. It was intermittent and I reported it at least 3 or 4 times and the dealer couldn't reproduce it.. Finally after doing in for over a year it has gotten bad enough they could reproduce it.. They tore it down and the first gear syncho is bad and they will not cover it under warranty stating driver abuse.. This is total bs I never abused the car, it has been doing it for a while and other drivers have had the same problem. In fact between my wife and I we have had 6 cars with standards and have never had such a problem.. The abuse claim is just to get out of paying for a failure over time in a faulty transmission and the extended warranty I have is supposed to cover it.

Filed May 23, 2005 · Transmission · 24,000 miles · CT

I have experienced "clutch shudder" on my 2002 wrx. The dealerships I have taken the car to (3) said they could not reproduce the problem so have left it unaddressed. The car shakes violently like it was being jackhammered when first driven. No dealer will repair it under the tsb that was issued by subaru.

Filed Feb 17, 2005 · Transmission · CA

I own a 2002 subaru impreza wrx with a manual transmission. Every once in awhile when I come to a complete stop and place my car in neutral it does not want to go back into first gear. So I have to go ahead and put it into second gear. I have already complain to the dealer and they have done nothing about it. They just say that there is nothing wrong with my transmission.

Filed Feb 7, 2005 · Transmission · 35,640 miles · PA

The car never shifted gears easily from when new. At 13,000 miles the dealer replaced the clutch under warranty with an '03 spec clutch assembly. The shuddering ceased, but the transmission whined excessively and it was still difficult to shift gears, especially when cold. Last week, in very cold temperatures, all power was lost and the transmission could not be shifted and I was in the middle of traffic. The car was towed to the dealer, inspected by rep and deemed to be abused, therefore, no coverage under warranty. When is subaru going to recognize that they have a problem in that this particular transmission is not engineered to handle the increase power of the wrx motor? There was no abuse, no racing or driver error associated with this failure. I am fortunate not to have caused an accident.

Filed Oct 27, 2004 · Transmission · 48,000 miles · CA

On sunday september 12th, 2004 I was travelling with my mother southbound on the 5 freeway. The traffic was stop and go. I was stopped ,and had put the car into first gear and released the clutch and there was a loud pop. First gear was gone. I drove it home. The following day took it to bob baker subaru in carlsbad, ca. An hour later they called me and told me the failure was a result of driver abuse and/or racing. They denied my claim! I wrote letters to subaru and attempted to make phone calls (most were never returned). On oct. 27th I finally went to pick up the vehicle and paid $700 for them looking at the transmission and $205 for storing the car. It now only has second gear.

Filed Jun 18, 2004 · Transmission · 35,750 miles · MD

My husband was driving my 2002 subaru wrx in a normal manner when he stopped at a light at an intersection. He went to pull out and could not get into gear. He gave a little gas and attempted to get car to go in first gear, then the lutch went to floor and he could not get car to move, except by drifting. When it was taken to garage, they stated that the clutch springs blew out, the clutch, 2nd gear was stripped of its teeth. Subaru of america is claiming abuse and will not cover under warranty. This car has 35750 miles on it. This car is engineered incorrectly, and is a safety hazard. You can not get car to move when this happens. This is not only a safety issue but a warrranty issue. Someone needs to stop this, before more companies start negating warranties also.

Filed Dec 22, 2003 · Transmission · 40,000 miles · CT

For about a year now, in the morning when the car is first started, the clutch shudders when it is initially engaged into first gear. The car often shakes violently. The problem usually goes away when the car warms up, but returns the next morning. I cannot imagine that this is good for the clutch, and is due to manufacturer defects. Subaru acknowledges the problem (they have issued a service bulletin) but refuses to replace the clutch if it is not under the warranty period.

Filed Dec 22, 2003 · Transmission · 65,400 miles · CT

Last week as I was driving to work, the clutch pedal started feeling a bit loose (ie soft until it was depressed half-way) and was sticking to the floor when depressed fully. It became incredibly difficult to shift at all and I was quite fortunate to have not caused any accidents as I was not on the highway. Had I been at higher speed and been for example attempting to pass someone and the pedal would have failed in the same way, much more serious consequences would have occurred. It then became impossible to shift into 1st gear on a cold morning until I had pumped the clutch for awhile and let the car warm up. Once I had done this, I could sometimes shift with no problems, but the pedal would still stick to the floor most of the time making me have to pull it back up with my foot. After calling the local dealer, I found that subaru has identified this as an issue with my car and has issued a service bulletin (tsb# 03-52-03) confirming that a hose failure is at fault. Subaru will not replace my hose free of charge because I am out of the warranty period. Considering the quick onset of this problem and the potential hazard to the driver and others, it would seem that subaru should be responsible for replacing the offending hose with one that will not fail free of charge regardless of warranty status.

Filed Oct 10, 2003 · Transmission · 23,000 miles · FL

Was driving the subaru wrx in a normal fashion when the transmission locked up. After having it towed to classic subaru, they opened it up and 2nd gear was stripped of all the teeth. They will not fix it under warranty claiming it was abused. This is not true. There are a large number of these transmissions that are stripping out obviously because they are engineered incorrectly. There is no way they can prove abuse. The car was only traveling 10mph when it happened. The car only has 23,000 miles on it. This is a major safety hazard because of not being able to move the car at all when this happens.