Emergency brake failure. While vehicle was parked emergency brake broke and vehicle rolled onto street causing accident. Have video of incident and can hear brake cable breaking.
Subaru WRX brake failure problems
32 of the 980 owner complaints about the Subaru WRX describe brake failure, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 32
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical mileage
- 19,640
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
The welds where the clutch pedal attaches to the firewall are breaking. The same bracket is attached to the brake pedal. The entire brake & clutch assembly could break off of the firewall. This could result in a loss of braking.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 subaru wrx. The contact stated that while driving in stop and go traffic, the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic, who repaired the vehicle. The contact was unaware of the exact repairs made to the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
I bought my subaru in february of 2013 with approx 75000 miles on the odo. I believe the defect had already been there when I bought it and I hadn't noticed it until it got slightly worse. The brake pedal and the clutch flexes when I press either of them. Pressing the clutch will move the brake pedal in the down position approx. 1/3 of an inch same with the brake pedal. The welds connecting the pedal bracket to the firewall are not welded correctly. It needs to be reinforced by something else to assure me that the clutch and the brake pedal will not move whilst driving. It scares me to drive my vehicle to and from work because of the possibility that these welds will break. Which will make me unable to press either pedal and I could lose my ability to clutch and brake. Which could result in me going 70mph possibly (interstate speeds) into another car or obstacle. Or simply rear ending someone in traffic or rolling back into them being unable to brake. If this bracket breaks off of the bulkhead/firewall I will have no brakes or clutch then my car becomes a public safety issue. Someone or people could get hurt if this happens and it could.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
I own a 2003 subaru wrx 5 speed wagon. I have been experiencing a distressing and repeatable loss of braking under certain circumstances. This problem has occurred more than once so the particular date doesn't seem that relevant, but I was forced to chose one below. The circumstances are as follows: under aggressive braking, a small bump in the road seems to cause the ABS system to activate thereby decreasing brake system pressure and braking moment. I am certain that this is not a normal implementation of the ABS system and am concerned that I may experience this in an emergency situation. I have driven many vehicles with and without ABS and have never experienced this sort of failure or premature activation of the system before. I purchased the vehicle in april of 2003 and have experienced the problem multiple times during the year I have owned the vehicle. I cant be certain, but it may be the case that this only happens when the car is in gear with the clutch engaged and of course no pressure on the accelerator pedal. I have noticed that there is an investigation under way regarding this issue, and I am hopeful that my information will helpful in one way or another. I am available for further input and would welcome any information regarding progress related to this issue. Thank you in advance for your attention to this issue. Sincerely, michael pallotta
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Impreza, 2008-2014 WRX and STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia that were remedied under recall 14V‑311 prior to December 23, 2014. The brake lines may experience brake line corrosion due to salt water splashing on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector.
- Risk
- Brake fluid may leak due to the brake line corrosion and may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will apply an anti-corrosion wax to the four-way joint connector area of the brake line system, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQQ-52. Notes: This recall is specific to affected Forester, Impreza, WRX, and STI customers who had their car remedied under the federal safety agency recall no. 14V‑311 prior to December 23, 2014. Subaru has determined that this remedy was inadequate due to incomplete repair instructions provided to dealers. Affected Forester, Impreza, WRX, and STI vehicles that were not repaired under the federal safety agency recall no. 14V‑311 prior to December 23, 2014 will continue to be processed under the federal safety agency recall no. 14V‑311. Affected vehicles not currently, or formerly, registered in the salt belt states identified in this recall are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Recall number 14V830000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
- Risk
- Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. Owners may contact Subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V‑110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.
Recall number 14V311000 · Recall details
Questions about the Subaru WRX brake failure
Which Subaru WRX years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (22 complaints), 2003 (6 complaints) and 2009 (2 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Subaru WRX?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history