2009 Subaru Impreza Body & Structure Problems

MY CAR JUST BROKE ON ME. THE SHOP SHOWED ME HOW THE FIREWALL WAS BUILT ON THESE MODELS AND HOW IT WAS CHANGED FROM PREVIOUS MODELS. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRRY ABOUT THE FIREWALL BREAKING ON ME WITH ONLY 100K MILES ON MY CAR. THIS IS DANGEROUS THE FIREWALL BROKE ON ME WHILE DRIVING AND RENDERED THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD BEFORE POTENTIALLY CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THIS IS A HAZARD FOR ANYONE WHO BUYS THESE CARS BECAUSE THE FIREWALL CAN BREAK ANYTIME REALLY DEPENDING ON HOW HARD THE CAR IS DRIVEN ALTHOUGH IT SHOULD REALISTICALLY NEVER BREAK.

HAD A CLUTCH REPAIR DONE ON CAR AFTER THE REPAIR WAS FINISHED THE MECHANIC NOTED THAT THE FIREWALL ON CAR WAS CRACKED. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AFTER LOOKING ON THE INTERNET AND NOTED THAT THE SUBARU WRX IMPRIZA FROM 2009-214 HAD A PROBLEM WITH FIRE WALL FATIGUE WHEN THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE WERE BEING USED UNDER NORMAL OPERATION CONDITION.

I CALLED SUBARU ALMOST 5 MONTHS AGO WHEN I CAME ACROSS THERE WAS A RECALL ON BRAKES SINCE WE WERE HAVING THE ISSUE OF THE BRAKES FLASHING AND THE VEHICLE NOT SHIFTING. MANUFACTURER RECALL #: WUE90 ON 2-28-19. NHTSA RECALL #: 19V149000. WHEN I CALLED THEY SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS YET TO FIX. ON 8-29-19 THE CAR WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND BRAKES LIGHT WAS CHIMING AND FLASHING EARLIER AND MAY BE RELATED TO WHY IT DID NOT STOP IN TIME AND WAS INVOLCED IN A REAR END CRASH WHEN DRIVER IN FRONT SLAMMED ON BRAKES. A AUTO SHOP THEN TELLS ME AFTER THE CAR WAS REPORTED IN THE ACCIDENT SOMMERS SUBARU CALLED THEM ON 9-4-19 TO TELL THE CAR HAD A BRAKE SAFETY RECALL. I HAVE MADE A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS VEHICLE ON 4-19-19. COMPLAINT # 11197303

TODAY (JULY 10, 2019) I DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR DOOR OF MY 2009 IMPREZA WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE EVEN WHEN THE CHILD LOCK IS IN THE FREE POSITION. I HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE SAME DOOR ON MY 2014 OUTBACK, IN THAT THE CHILD LOCK IS STUCK IN THE LOCKED POSITION AND THE DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE. I DON'T THINK IT'S A COINCIDENCE THAT BOTH OF MY SUBARUS ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE CHILD SAFETY LOCKS AND I WOULD LIKE THIS INVESTIGATED.

08-14 MANUAL SUBARUS HAVE AN ISSUE WHERE THE FIREWALL WELDS BREAK AND CAUSES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK AS THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY EITHER SAGS OR EVENTUALLY COMPLETELY BREAKS OFF. IT STARTS CREAKING AND POPPING AND THERE IS EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT OF THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER WHEN THE PEDAL IS PUSHED. THE BRAKE PEDAL ALSO NOTICEABLY MOVES TO THE LEFT WHEN PRESSING THE CLUTCH. AFTER THE CREAKING STARTS IT'S ESSENTIALLY A TICKING TIME BOMB AND IS SCARY TO THINK ABOUT HAPPENING MID SHIFT OR IN TRAFFIC.

THE FIREWALL WELDS HAVE FAILED AND BROKEN, RESULTING IN STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDAL MOUNTS. THIS LEADS TO THE CLUTCH NOT BEING ABLE TO BE FULLY AND PROPERLY DEPRESSED, RESULTING IN HARD GEAR SHIFTS, GRINDING, EXCESS TRANSMISSION WEAR, AS WELL AS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND CLUTCH PEDAL MOVING WHEN DEPRESSED, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY HAZARD IF THE PEDALS MOVE WHERE THEY SHOULDN'T WITHOUT BEING PURPOSEFULLY ADJUSTED. WHEN THE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED, THE BRAKE PEDAL MOVES TO THE LEFT, TOWARD THE CLUTCH PEDAL AT LEAST AN INCH. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, IF THE BRAKE NEEDS TO BE APPLIED WHILE THE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT WHERE IT SHOULD BE AND CAN BE MISSED BY MY FOOT WHILE TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKE QUICKLY. THERE IS ALSO AN INCREDIBLY DISTRACTING AND ANNOYING SQUEAKING SOUND EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED. SUBARU IS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS RELATIVELY COMMON. HOWEVER, THEY QUOTED ME $900 TO FIX IT. THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THE MANUFACTURER. MY CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 105,XXX MILES WITH THE PROBLEM STARTING AT 90,XXX MILES.

STRUCTURAL DEFECT OF THE SPOT WELD OF THE CLUTCH BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO THE FIREWALL. ASSEMBLY SHIFT LEFT WHEN CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. NOW IT IS VERY HARD TO PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE.

SUN VISOR DROOP...CAUSES VISIBILITY ISSUES. HAS BEEN PRETTY WELL DOCUMENTED IN VARIOUS SUBARU FORUMS. MINE IS IN THE DRIVER SIDE, BUT I HAVE SEEN BOTH SIDES DROOP BEING AN ISSUE.

EXCESSIVE BODY FLEX WHEN TURNING RIGHT, CAN FEEL AIR COMING IN. I RECENTLY NOTICED THAT MY WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. THE WEIRD THING ABOUT THIS CRACK IS THAT THE CRACKS STARTED AT THE VERY TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD, DEAD CENTER WHERE THE ROOF MEETS THE WINDSHIELD. WHEN I INSPECTED THE CRACK TO SEE IF A ROCK HAD HIT IT, THE CRACK IS ABSOLUTELY SMOOTH WITH NO CHIP IN IT. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF THE EXCESSIVE BODY FLEX AS BEING THE CAUSE. I ALSO HAVE THE SAME CLUTCH ISSUES OF GETTING THE CAR INTO REVERSE. MY CLUTCH ALSO MAKES A POPPING NOISE WHEN SHIFTING AND RELEASING THE CLUTCH. I NOTICED THIS IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING IT AND INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULDN'T ANY ISSUE AND INFERRED THAT I WASN'T DRIVING THE CAR PROPERLY. I AM A FORMER US NAVY SEABEE HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR AND HAVE OPERATED NUMEROUS TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT AND I HAD NEVER HAD A CLUTCH MAKE THIS SOUND. ON THE NEXT SERVICE APPOINTMENT, I AGAIN INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE CLUTCH WAS MAKING A POPPING SOUND WHEN IT RELEASED. THEY AGAIN TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. AFTER READING ALL OF THESE COMPLAINT, I FINALLY FEEL JUSTIFIED AND I WILL BE IMMEDIATELY GETTING RID OF MY CAR BEFORE HAVING THE CLUTCH FIREWALL ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET, WHICH IS A KNOWN COMMON ISSUE WITH SUBARU. THANKFULLY, I HAD BOUGHT A 5 YEAR/100,000 MILE WARRANTY AND THE $1800 REPAIR WAS COVERED AT 98000 MILES.

I AM EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE FIREWALL WHERE EVERYTIME I DEPRESS THE CLUTCH THE FIREWALL FLEXES AND IT IS MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SHIFT GEARS UNDER NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

EXCESSIVE FIREWALL FLEX AND POSSIBLE BROKEN WELDS HAVE LEAD TO PREMATURE CLUTCH FAILURE, MOVEMENT OF BRAKE PEDAL DURING CLUTCH OPERATION, AND LOUD CLICKING SOUND WHENEVER CLUTCH IT RELEASED. SUBARU OF AMERICA HAVE REFUSED TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS KNOWN MANUFACTURING DEFECT, DESPITE MY CAR STILL BEING COVERED BY A SUBARU ADDED SECURITY WARRANTY PLAN. *TR

FIRE WALL WHERE THE CLUTCH MASTER CILINDER SITS MOVES IN AND OUT WHEN CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED MAKING A CRACKING NOICE, AND CAUSING FIRE WALL METAL TOMEXPAND

WHEN THE CLUTCH IS PRESSED, A SQUEAKING SOUND APPEARS AS IF AN OLD WOODEN DOOR IS OPENING. UPON SEARCH WAS FOUND THAT THE WELDS HOLDING THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY ARE BREAKING. THERE ARE ONLY SPOT WELDS HOLDING THE ASSEMBLY DOWN AND IS A SAFETY PROBLEM IF ALL WELDS BREAK. *TR