There are 4 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2009 Subaru Imprezain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON AND ACTIVATED. I AM NOT SURE WHICH SPEED IT WAS SET TO (IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETWEEN 65-85). AS I WAS DRIVING, I APPROACHED A CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH MY RIGHT FOOT. I DID NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL FIRST, BECAUSE BRAKING SHOULD DEACTIVATE IT. WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, IT WAS COMPLETED JAMMED AND WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. I THEN LIFTED MY FOOT, AND PUSHED THE BRAKE AGAIN. I THEN SLAMMED BY FOOT DOWN ON THE BRAKE AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. THE WHOLE TIME I COULDN'T DEPRESS THE BRAKE THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS STILL ACTIVE AND I WAS COMING VERY CLOSE TO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I THEN DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS DEACTIVATED, AND THE BRAKE PEDAL THEN WAS NOT STUCK AND IT WORKED AS USUAL. AFTER THIS, EVERYTHING IN THE CAR SEEMED TO WORK NORMALLY. I CAME EXTREMELY CLOSE TO HAVING AN ACCIDENT ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND I COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF OR OTHERS. I HAD TO SWERVE IN ORDER TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT ON THE HIGHWAY AND IT WAS EXTREMELY STRESSFUL.
REAR LEFT BRAKE STARTED MAKING A SCRAPING SOUND AS IF THE BRAKE PADS WERE WORN AND GOUGING THE ROTOR, ALSO THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PULSATING AS IF THE ROTOR WAS WARPED. UPON INSPECTION I NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE PADS WERE NOT WORN BUT IN FACT THE SMOOTH SURFACE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE ROTOR WAS CHIPPING AWAY AND THE ROTOR WAS VERY ROUGH,. THESE ARE THE ORIGINAL ROTORS AND THE REAR LEFT WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM ALTHOUGH THE REAR RIGHT ROTOR WAS WORN BADLY ALSO BUT THE PADS BARELY SHOWED ANY WEAR. THESE REAR BRAKE PADS ARE THE SECOND SET SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW BY ME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, BURNING FUMES WERE EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, BLACK SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT AND PASSENGER IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE VEHICLE AND MOMENTS LATER THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FORENSICS EXAMINER DETERMINED THAT THE ABS FLUID LEAKED ON THE ENGINE CAUSING THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.
THE SPOT WELDS HOLDING THE CLUTCH, BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO THE FIREWALL FAILED ENTIRELY, ALLOWING THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO BECOME DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE AND MOVE TOWARD THE FIREWALL WITH ANY PEDAL ACTION. I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH AND THE BRAKES DELIVERED INCONSISTENT PERFORMANCE. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026