Clutch started making a creaking noise when pressing in and out. Shifting gears has also become more difficult like the clutch isn't fully engaging and disengaging. I also noticed the whole assembly shifts (clutch and brake pedals) when pressing down on the clutch. Turns out the spot welds on the bracket that hold the assembly are completely broken, causing flex to the clutch and brake assembly. If that bracket rips off, could lose braking power. This is unsafe and needs to be recalled.
2008 Subaru WRX transmission complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 48, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The clutch pedal on my 2008 wrx makes a creaking and popping noise when the pedal is depressed/released. I am not entirely sure how long it has been making this noise, and originally I had thought nothing of it. After reading some forums online, I began to suspect that the spot welds on the firewall were broken. From what I understand this is a fairly common issue with this model of car. I called subaru of america to file a complaint and try to get the issue resolved. When I spoke with a representative on the phone, he informed me that he was aware of the issue, and requested that I take the car in to a dealership to confirm that this was indeed the problem. I took the car in and they confirmed that my spot welds were broken. This is a major safety concern as the firewall is flexing every time the clutch pedal is engaged. The brake pedal moves to the left due to the way the firewall flexes when the pedal is engaged. If the clutch pedal bracket assembly separates from the firewall entirely, this could cause the clutch to become inoperable, which could be particularly dangerous if it occurs while the vehicle is in use. Reference links: http://carproblemzoo.com/subaru/impr...s-problems.php http://www.faqs.org/car/subaru-impre...power-train/#b http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-d...on-needed.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/37-c...inkage-45.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-d...ewall-fix.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/37-c...bly-issue.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-d...s-story-2.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-d...l-problem.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-d...olt-style.html http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2128617 http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2184210 http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2305937.
The welds supporting the clutch pedal and brake pedal assembly have broken. The result is a prominent squeaking sound and a noticeable lateral movement of the pedal assembly to the left. This is a reoccurring issue as it had previously been addressed and repaired back in june of 2014. At the time subaru of america agreed to pay for half of the repairs as the vehicle was outside of warranty coverage. The new issue are from broken welds in another area that was not inspected or did not appear to need repair at the time. Mileage at time of repair was 74,839, current mileage is 84,420 (3/16/2015). However, further research on this issue indicate that it is a widespread issue that has affected many other subaru impreza owners with model years 2008 through 20012. This is not the result of owner neglect, misuse, or improper maintenance. My safety concern is that this does appear to have an impact on the functionality of clutch pedal and brakes under all normal conditions of use. Full breakage of the assembly could result in loss of control, injury, and or death. Original claim to soa was #[xxx], represented by rich. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The part of the steel body under the dash that supports the clutch pedal shaft assembly fractures into two pieces due to flex forces over time. This results in the clutch master cylinder flexing at its mounting point on the firewall when clutch pedal is depressed. Severed squeaking and noise is heard every time the clutch is depressed as a result. Welding is not feasible as it is located un the dash (above the accelerator pedal) and would cause fire around flammable materials. This can be seen on youtube videos submitted by subaru wrx owners and affects 2008-2014 wrx impreza vehicles. Should firewall fracture due to this flex over time, ability to disengage the clutch by pressing the pedal would result and present a very high probability of crash or accident as a lack of vehicle control and ability to stop vehicle. For one video of this, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr6umgz5utc.
I own a 2008 subaru impreza wrx with a stock clutch. For approximately 2 years I have been hearing creaking and/or clicking noises when engaging the clutch pedal. Began to look online for a solution and found that there are spot welds that break between the firewall and the mounting bracket the clutch pedal assembly is attached to (https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=wrx+spot+welds). I removed the necessary items to inspect the welds and they did unfortunately fail. List of references regarding ongoing issue: http://www.faqs.org/car/subaru-impreza-2009/power-train/#b http://carproblemzoo.com/subaru/impreza/service-brakes-problems.php http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-drivetrain-transmission-gear-box/21478-firewall-weld-break-information-needed.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/37-car/8781-clutch-pedal-squeak-not-clutch-tob-linkage-45.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-drivetrain-transmission-gear-box/20639-popping-clutch-broken-firewall-fix.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/37-car/13265-help-please-cracked-firewall-noisy-clutch-cracked-pedal-assembly-issue.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-drivetrain-transmission-gear-box/22130-my-clutch-squeak-broken-welds-story-2.html http://www.wrxforums.com/forums/84-drivetrain-transmission-gear-box/11134-another-08-clutch-pedal-firewall-problem.html http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2128617.
Basically the welds on the clutch assembly broke loose and has caused damaged to the clutch and brakes. Subaru did try to fix this but is failing again and believe there is a safety issue. When this failed the clutch and brake move about 1.5" when depressed.I am part of a class action law suite and need your help before someone losses a life. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I have taken my car to a subaru dealership for all maintenance services. They advised me to replace my clutch. I paid for clutch replacement. This did not fix the noise that came from the clutch pedal. The noise is from a cracked firewall. The dealership told me I have to send the car away to be re welded and it will cost 1,900 dollars. I am extremely disappointed with this cracked firewall issue because my clutch has been making noise for a very long time and the dealership had multiple opportunities to tell me this. I am also extremely disappointed that I paid 2,100 dollars for a new clutch which did not fix the issue which was the noise from a cracked firewall. I am also extremely disappointed that their answer is to re weld. If it were to be re welded then it will crack again. If I google firewall issue wrx, the result comes up with numerous complaints. This is a major safety concern and this needs to be a recall notice.
Loud clicking/cracking noise started about a year ago when the clutch is let out. Did not think too much about it. In november of 2014, the clicking stopped and was left with an eerie squeaking sound. This is when I started to investigate what it is. Turns out, the firewall is too thin to handle the pressure from the brake/clutch mechanism. The pins that go through the firewall get worn away from the thin firewall causing the spot welds to fail. The car is currently at a subaru dealership and they have acknowledged that it is the spot welds. I am waiting to hear more from subaru of america to see if they will acknowledge that this is in fact a manufactures defect and not something that is caused by normal wear and tear. If that was the case there would not be this many complaints about this issue. There should be a recall issued on this manufacturing defect. If there are this many complaints here, how many cars are out there with drivers that are oblivious to this defect that are still driving with brakes/clutch that could fail at any time?
Welds holding the clutch and brake pedal assembly to the firewall are breaking. Depressing the clutch causes flexing. If/when it breaks off, the car will be dangerous due to no foot braking and an engaged clutch. Seems like a common problem with this model. Time for a manufacturer paid fix.
2008 wrx, 61k miles driven since september 2007. Second clutch replacement and was told by the dealership service (kirkland, wa) that the spot welds for the clutch need work done by body shop - about $1200. Was told that this was because of the weight of the clutch but the clutch was almost always heavy in the car. It first became heavy 1-3 months after it was purchased and about the same time after the clutch was first replaced. I understand the clutch could get worn in a few years, but body structure letting go is not something I'd expect to happen in a 7 year old car. I see many similar reports at http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2008/subaru/impreza/structure/problem.aspx. Sounds like a possible recall issue to me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 subaru wrx. The contact stated that while depressing the clutch, the brake pedal bracket moved. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the clutch plate was lose and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 94,000.
When driving home I was exiting the highway when my brake pedal when to the floor with no pressure. I used the emergency brake and clutch to get out of gear to slow down. I was able to slow down to a stop and when I stopped my brakes continued to work. I took my car into a subaru dealership and was told that the welds on my firewall were broken that hold on my clutch and brake pedal assembly.
Subaru of america does not want to take responsibility for their defected clutch pedal assemblies on their cars. My car was having trouble shifting gears while I was driving so I went to go get it checked out. Turns out that the spot welds that hold the clutch bracket to the firewall had broken off. Subaru needs to do a recall on their cars because this is a serious problem. There are many videos on youtube with subaru owners having this problem. Once again this problem needs a recall!!!!
Had a clutch pedal squeak noise for a little while, then while driving, went to push in the clutch, heard a pop noise. Then the brake pedal and clutch pedal began to move in erratic directions when depressed. The piece of sheet metal that the pedal assembly bolts to broke away from the firewall. All the welds broke do to flexing in the firewall sheetmetal.
Every time I press it the clutch I hear a crackling noise from the broken welds that hold up the brake and clutch assembly to the firewall. Fear for my safety and other because if the other welds break I may be in or cause an accident due not being able to brake my vehicle .
The clutch pedal on my 2008wrx makes a loud creaking/clicking noise every time it's depressed. When I investigated the noise, I noticed that the entire clutch pedal bracket assembly (attached to the forward firewall) shifts approx 1/4 inch every time the clutch pedal is depressed. I found that the three spot welds securing the clutch pedal bracket to the forward firewall were broken. From the outside of the firewall, just under the windshield wipers, I saw the spot welds pulling away from the firewall every time the clutch pedal was depressed. This allows the entire clutch pedal bracket assembly to move, causing the creaking noise. If the bracket completely separates from the firewall, the clutch may become completely inoperative - especially dangerous while driving. This also has increased wear on my transmission gears and synchros.
I recognized a squeaking sound every time I depressed my clutch to shift the car. Having had an oil change, I wasn't scheduled for car maintenance for 3 months or 3,000 miles. When I took my car to my mechanic for service, I asked them to check the squeaking sound. The technician found a that the structure of the firewall at the clutch and brake pedal assembly was failing - the spot welds were shattered. The technician removed the wiper blade assembly and found that the pedal assembly flexes to the point of moving the firewall out at the clutch master and that the firewall is cracked at the clutch cylinder. After researching the issue, the technician learned the problem is inherent in this particular year and model, as well as in the 2009 model. The technician recommends removing the dashboard, brake booster, master cylinder, and clutch cylinder in order to identify and weld the broken pieces of the bracket that should be holding the clutch pedal assembly in place. This requires only welding and replacing the clutch pedal assembly, as well as flushing the brake and clutch fluid. The overall concern with this structural failure is that the degradation of the firewall and clutch assembly will create an issue where my safety is at risk when I lose the ability to drive the vehicle because shifting will fail. In a low or high speed situation, I would need to down or up shift my car to help avoid collision or lessen the impact of a collision. Without this ability, I put my life, my passenger's life and other drivers' lives in danger. Given that this is a widespread issue with the make, model and year, I believe subaru should issue a recall. I am especially concerned to find that my particular car is on the pull down menu with the ntsb, and until my car started to fail, I heard nothing from the ntsb, subaru or the dealerships regarding this issue. Response expected.
I have been noticing a creaking and popping noise from my clutch/brake pedal assay for some time now and have found it to be the brace that holds the clutch and brake pedal to the firewall of vehicle is spot welded in 2 places at top of bracket and the spot welds have cracked and broken and the brace now moves around and the clutch and brake pedal bind and stick. I have since noticed it getting worse and noticed the 4 spot welds on the bottom of the brace have cracked and broken also. As a auto technician I see problems with vehicle all the time and this is a huge safety concern if the brace as to break off completely the vehicle would loose braking capabilities and the ability for the clutch to disengage the engine from the transmission in an emergency I have noticed on multiple forums that there are a lot of owners with the same problem. I feel as subaru should perform a recall/repair for this issue as to not have vehicles being unsafe to drive. If needed I can supply pictures of my vehicle and the point of failure.
The car has a manual transmission and I noticed significant side way back and forth movement in the clutch pedal and brake pedal while the car was stationary. In the last week it has become very difficult to engage the clutch and get the car in gear. I took the car in to a subaru dealership and they knew right away what the problem was. Spot welds on the pedal mounts to the firewall were failing. They then sent me to a body shop, which has had experience making the necessary repair. Apparently the body shop has repaired several subaru wrxs with the same problem. Of course they want me to pay for the repair.
The clutch plate mounted to the firewall flexes and squeaks when depressed and was told this is from the spot welds that hold the clutch plate to the firewall not a squeaky pedal like I thought. If left in this state I'm told it could lead to the clutch pedal failing by the spot welds breaking and the plate and pedal coming off the firewall. I'm told that this only happens a lot with this specific year and model subaru from a subaru mechanic yet no recall or advisory has been announced
Car is making clicking noise every-time the clutch is being pressed / released. Advised it is the spot welds by the firewall holding on (they are failing).
I was having a problem shifting gears and noticed that when I depressed the clutch that the brake pedal was moving also. I took the vehicle to a local repair shop and they discovered that the pedal mounting bracket that is spotwelded to the firewall had broken at the welds. I was quoted $1200 for the repairs as the dash & steering column have to be removed. I was told that this is an unsafe condition as it could cause an accident. I feel that subaru should be responsible for the cost of the repairs as this is clearly a design defect and a safety issue.
Spot welds on the clutch pedal bracket attached to the firewall have cracked causing a distinct squeaking noise and hard shifting. Mechanic told me that the bracket separation is pushing against the clutch, causing a sideways push into the clutch master cylinder. This does not allow for full engagement of the clutch when shifting gears and is flexing the master cylinder, causing additional stress and damage. Additionally, the brake pedal is being depressed by approximately 1/2" during every clutch engagement. Subaru of america is only offering to cover 50% of the work to correct their design/manufacturing defect. This is ridiculous. No vehicle should experience firewall damage at any mileage, let alone a defect so dangerous that it impacts shifting and breaking.
My clutch started squeaking for a month and half. When the squeaking stopped, it occurred to me that the squeaking stopped only because the whole firewall had broken. The car is supposed to be fixed tomorrow, and I am out of warranty for my 2008 sti. I am writing to you because this is a major safety issue, which includes the clutch and the braking and the transmission. The subaru dealership will not fix it for me and has referred me to a collision shop but I am now being forced to pay for these repairs out-of-pocket.
Clutch pedal started squeaking and thought it was part in need of grease. Subaru dealership did a 60k maintenance and found no problems. Clutch suddenly went out (within a few miles) and pedal became hard to use. Took to a very experienced subaru mechanic who diagnosed broken firewall welds. Repair will constitute removing the entire dash to reweld the spots. Mechanic explained to me that without repair, the pedal could experience a catastrophic failure during driving and come loose, possibly interfering with the brake pedal. Very serious safety concern. Many other owners are reporting similar concerns.
The clutch and brake pedal both move laterally and are making noise when pressed. Research has yielded that this is a common problem with 2008+ wrx. The issue is the clutch bracket separating from the firewall. There are spot welds that have failed, and the part needs to be rewelded to prevent the movement/noise.
The firewall is breaking and/or coming apart. There is a distinct knocking or cracking noise when releasing the clutch.
The clutch pedal on my 2008 wrx would make a loud creaking noise every time it's depressed. Recently, the creaking went away, but it began to become increasingly difficult to get into gear and shift gears. I investigated the noise and noticed that the entire clutch pedal bracket assembly (attached to the forward firewall) shifts approx. One half inch every time the clutch pedal is depressed. I found that the three spot welds securing the clutch pedal bracket to the forward firewall were broken. From the outside of the firewall, just under the windshield wipers, I saw the spot welds pulling away from the firewall every time the clutch pedal was depressed. This allows the entire clutch pedal bracket assembly to move along with the firewall. If the bracket completely separates from the firewall, the clutch will become completely inoperative - especially dangerous while driving. My vehicle is a 2008 with only 70,000 miles.
Metal on metal popping started for apparently no reason. Intermittent, inconsistent and difficult to replicate. Noise stopped after warmer weather started. Noticeable changes in shifting begin to occur. Approximately three months later, shifting begins to become difficult. Synchronization of gears when shifting begins to fault and gear scratching can be heard. Still inconsistent, no immediate indication repairs are needed. Several weeks go by and suddenly shifting is extremely difficult. Gear matching and synchronization is no longer smooth and scratches gears often. Often not possible to shift in to reverse while car is running. It has now been identified that the spot welding that holds the clutch pedal assembly has broken free from the mounting points under the dashboard. The entire pedal assembly now bends and flexes preventing proper clutch play and throw, preventing clutch from completely disengaging transmission.
The clutch pedal and clutch is not operating properly when depressed. The pedals shift when the clutch pedal is depressed and makes a popping sound every time that originates from the fire wall / bulk head. My car has been repaired once before at just under 40,000mi at a subaru dealer as authorized by subaru of america and know it has 100,000mi and the issue has come back. This is a structural flaw that can and will lead to a accident with the 2008 and newer subaru wrx's if it is not addressed and fixed by subaru. If subaru is not willing to repair the bracket weld issue and replace the clutch due to improper engagement I will let the welds fail and allow the clutch pedal and brake pedal fall to the floor board and try to control the crash as best as possible. Then I will proceed to file a law suit on the bases that subaru knows of the issue and meant to cause due harm to the vehicle operator and the population of america.
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