2012 Subaru Impreza Complaint Log

MY PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, WITH AN ACCOMPANYING LOUD TONE, AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE DRIVING, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE IS NOT A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. SOMETIMES IT SENSES SOMETHING VERY LIGHT LIKE MY PHONE ON THE SEAT, SETS OFF THE WARNING, AND STOPS WHEN I REMOVE THE OBJECT. OTHER TIMES, WHEN THERE ACTUALLY IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT, A DIFFERENT WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON SAYING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. THIS HAPPENS ON ITS OWN, ALSO RANDOMLY. I SELDOM HAVE PASSENGERS, SO IT HAS BEEN A PROBLEM I HAVE IGNORED OVER THE YEARS. BUT WHEN I HAD A CAR SAVVY PASSENGER RECENTLY, HE SUGGESTED I FOLLOW UP ON WHAT COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE FOR MY CAR'S MODEL YEAR. HOWEVER, WHEN I CALLED MICHAEL'S SUBARU IN BELLEVUE, WHERE I HAVE HAD MY CAR SERVICED FOR SEVERAL YEARS, THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. IT SEEMS CLEAR TO ME THAT MY CAR IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM THAT OTHER CARS IN THE RECALL HAD. PLEASE ADVISE.

FOLLOWED TOO CLOSELY THROUGH A DOUBLE INTERSECTION WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHT. POLICE OFFICER DIRECTED TRAFFIC THROUGH THE INTERSECTION BUT APPARENTLY WE HAD TO STOP BEFORE THE SECOND INTERSECTION. APPARENTLY I SLOWED DOWN ENOUGH THAT THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I INDICATED 20 BUT SURELY MY AIRBAG WOULD HAVE DEPLOYED AT THAT SPEED. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR UNDER ITS OWN POWER OFF THE ROAD INTO A SUBWAY PARKING LOT. AS I WAS MANEUVERING INTO A PARKING SPOT THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. IT SEEMS STRANGE TO ME THAT IF I WAS GOING SLOW ENOUGH FOR THE AIRBAG NOT TO DEPLOY BUT FOR SOME COMPONENTS TO CATCH ON FIRE THAT THE CAR IS ROAD WORTHY. WORTH LOOKING INTO? *TR

SINCE OIL CHANGE NUMBER 1, THE ENGINE OIL WAS DOWN A LITTLE OVER A QUART. THIS VEHICLE REQUIRES FULL SYNTHETIC OIL 0/20. AT EVERY OIL CHANGE THE OIL IS A QUART OR MORE LOW. A FEW TIMES THE OIL LIGHT HAS GONE ON WELL BEFORE THE NEXT OIL CHANGE. A NEW CAR SHOULD NOT BE BURNING OIL, ESPECIALLY FULL SYNTHETIC OIL. *TR

MY SUBARU IMPRERA'S LOW ENGINE OIL LIGHT HAS BEEN ON MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE APRIL OF THIS YEAR AND HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF SUBARU DEALER TO NO AVAIL. THOUGH THE OIL CONSUMPTION RATE IS ABNORMAL AND THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE COMMON AMONG CERTAIN SUBARU MODELS, SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS BEEN ASSERTING THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR AN AUTOMOBILE TO CONSUME A QUART OF OIL ABOUT EVERY THOUSAND MILES. *TR

LOW OIL WARNING LIGHT ON DASH. BROUGHT TO DEALER. NO ACTION. OIL WARNING LIGHT ON 3 TIMES SINCE THEN. STILL NO ACTION TAKEN BY DEALER. SUBARU DEALER DOES NOT DENY OIL IS BEING BURNED BUT STATES THAT THIS IS NORMAL FOR A NEW CAR. WE HAVE BEGUN AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST BUT THE CAR CONTINUES TO BURN OIL. WE WILL HAVE TO DRIVE ANOTHER 2400 MILES TO GET THE RESULTS OF THE TEST. THE CAR ONLY HAS 17,000 MILES BUT OIL WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING LOW OIL EVERY 1,200 TO 1,500 MILES. STILL AWAITING RESPONSE FROM SUBARU. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG RANDOMLY TURNS OFF WHEN PASSENGER IS IN THE CAR. TOOK TO A DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T REPEAT. WAS TOLD IT WAS PROBABLY JUST A WEIGHT ISSUE. IF THE AIRBAG DOESN'T GO OFF WITH A PASSENGER THERE IT COULD BE FATAL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND ABNORMALLY TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE UNTIL CONSTANT PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKES. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V562000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); HOWEVER WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

CRACK IN TIRE SIDEWALL. NO EXTERIOR DAMAGE. TIRE GUY SAID PROBLEM IN MANUFACTURE. *TR

THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TWICE, SO I FEEL IT'S NECESSARY TO REPORT IT TO THE NHTSA. THE FIRST TIME THIS ISSUE WAS HAPPENING, I WAS FOLLOWING ANOTHER CAR GOING SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL AT ABOUT 30MPH. THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT WAS 35MPH SO I FELT LIKE I WAS CONSTANTLY SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THROTTLE AND BRAKE, BUT NOT SO QUICKLY AS TO PRESS THEM AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURED, THERE WERE THREE SOLID YELLOW/ORANGE/GOLD (DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT COLORS) LIGHTS LIT UP SOLIDLY IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER: THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, THE ABS LIGHT, AND THE HILL HOLD ASSIST LIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED INTO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT WHICH WAS ABOUT 15 FEET AWAY. I TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET THE LIGHTS TO GO AWAY BEFORE TURNING THE CAR OFF, AND WHEN NOTHING WORKED I FINALLY JUST CYCLED THE IGNITION OFF THEN BACK ON. ALL THREE MAGICALLY WENT AWAY BY DOING THIS. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO AND I WAS LITERALLY JUST SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY ON A LEVEL SURFACE. MY HOUSE IS RECESSED INTO THE GROUND ABOUT 10 FEET FROM THE TOP OF MY DRIVEWAY, WHERE THE TOP IS ACTUALLY LEVEL AND IT IS WHERE I WAS SITTING AT. SITTING THERE, I REVVED MY ENGINE AND SLOWLY ROLLED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY (IN NEUTRAL, SO I DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE). BEFORE THE RPMS WENT BACK TO AN IDLE I STARTED ROLLING DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY (WHICH IS AT LEAST A 30 DEGREE SLOPE DOWNHILL) BUT WHEN ROLLING DOWN I WAS DEFINITELY ON THE BRAKES A LITTLE AS TO NOT GO EVEN PAST 1MPH -- SO VERY SLOW. I NOTICED ALL THREE LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. THIS TIME I DECIDED TO LET IT SIT FOR A WHILE SO I CAN TRY EVEN MORE TROUBLESHOOTING. STILL NO RESULTS UNLESS I CYCLED THE IGNITION. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER TODAY FOR AN ECM UPDATE THEY SENT ME IN THE MAIL, AND THEY SAID THEY DID SEE A "BRAKE SWITCH ERROR" FOR CODE "HISTORY" BUT THERE WERE NO CURRENT CODES. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH SHOWS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WITH A PASSENGER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE 'PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF' LIGHT BECOME ILLUMINATED AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED, INDICATING THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS OFF. AFTER PULLING OVER AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES, THE SENSOR BEHAVES NORMALLY. INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED 3-4 TIMES SINCE, WITH NO APPARENT PATTERN RELATED TO VEHICLE SPEED/DRIVING CONDITIONS. SUBARU DEALERSHIP SERVICE HAS CLAIMED IT MAY BE RELATED TO PASSENGER WEIGHT OR SHIFTING IN THE SEAT, OR CELLULAR PHONE CHARGERS NEARBY. INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED WITH OR WITHOUT SAID CHARGERS PRESENT IN THE CAR, WITH PASSENGERS WEIGHING 130 LBS AND 190 LBS. ALSO, THE RELEVANT SENSOR (OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM, OR ODS) IN THE 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA IS NOT BASED ON WEIGHT AT ALL, BUT ON ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITANCE. SEEMINGLY RANDOM MALFUNCTION OF THE ODS RESULTING IN DEACTIVATION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WITH AN ADULT SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT CONSTITUTES DANGEROUS FAILURE OF THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. *TR

I BACKED UP IN MY DRIVEWAY AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND I NOTICED A LAG TIME OF ABOUT 2 SECONDS SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. I CONTACTED THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THE STAFF ASSURED ME THAT WAS NORMAL FOR THE CVT TRANSMISSION. WHEN I TOOK THE SUBARU IMPREZA FOR THE 2500 MILE CHECK UP AND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP, HE ALSO FELT THAT THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY WHEN BACKING UP INTO TRAFFIC AND WAITING FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND IT'S "SLOW ENGAGEMENT" INTO DRIVE. HE HAS EXPRESSED HIS VIEWS TO SUBARU AND LIKE ME HAS BEEN ASSURED IT'S OK. I STILL FEEL IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

DASHBOARD LIGHT WOULD OCCASIONALLY INDICATE THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS DISABLED WHILE I HAD A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT. ISSUE WOULD RESOLVE UPON TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, BUT IT RECURRED FREQUENTLY. THE ISSUE WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY A FAULTY OCCUPANCY SENSOR, WHICH USED A NEW CAPACITIVE TECHNOLOGY RATHER THAN THE OLDER STYLE WEIGHT SENSORS. OCCUPANCY SENSOR WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY IN SEPTEMBER 2012. FOLLOWING THE REPAIR, THE NEW OCCUPANCY SENSOR DETECTS A PASSENGER AND ACTIVATES THE PASSENGER AIRBAGS IF I PLACE A SMALL ELECTRONIC DEVICE SUCH AS A CELL PHONE ON THE SEAT, OR EVEN JUST REST MY HAND ON IT. I AM NOT SURE IF THIS NEW ISSUE IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN OR NOT.

WHILE DRIVING IN NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, ENGINE POWER WAS LOST, AND COMPLETE LOSS OF THROTTLE CONTROL OCCURRED. CAR WOULD ACCELERATE EXTREMELY SLOWLY, AND NOT PAST 20-25 MPH (PRESUMABLY 'ENGINE FAIL-SAFE MODE'?). THANKFULLY NOT ON A HIGH-SPEED ROAD. OBD CODE WAS P2138, INDICATING A FAULTY ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR, WHICH WAS REPLACED BY DEALER UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG TURNED OFF WITH ADULT SITTING IN THE SEAT. SENSOR REPLACED BY DEALER IN JULY 2012, BROUGHT BACK AUGUST 2012 WITH SAME PROBLEM. WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE MALFUNCTION WAS CAUSED BY EITHER AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE (CELL PHONE) ON THE SEAT OR THE SENSOR MAY HAVE BEEN WET. I CONTACTED SUBARU NORTH AMERICA WITH THIS EXPLANATION AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE NEW SENSORING TECHNOLOGY USED IN THE IMPREZA, WAS SENSITIVE TO ELECTRONIC PULSES AND ALSO MOISTURE AND POSSIBLY SWEAT. THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE AIRBAG MAY TURN-OFF AND WOULD NOT BE ACTIVATED DURING A COLLISION. SUBARU NOW CONSIDERS THIS MATTER CLOSED. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA SPORT PREMIUM ON 12/24/2011. IT HAD LESS THAN 100 MILES WHEN PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER. AT 1200 MILES, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL AND IT WAS VERY LOW. I CALLED BROADWAY SUBARU IN OAKLAND,CA ABOUT THE PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED, HOW CAN A BRAND NEW CAR HAVE LOW OIL? THEY SAID THIS IS COMMON AND TO ADD OIL. ADDED OIL AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF. TODAY, THE LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN AT 5560 MILES. OIL AGAIN IS LOW BUT WITHIN NORMAL LEVELS. I CALLED BROADWAY SUBARU AND TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, THE GUY EXPLAINED THIS IS NORMAL FOR ALL CARS TO BURN OIL, WHETHER IT'S AN AMERICAN CAR, JAPANESE, OR ANYTHING ELSE. IS HE SERIOUS? I HONDAS FOR CLOSE TO 20 YEARS AND NEVER EVER DID AN OIL LIGHT COME ON, LET ALONE ON A NEW ENGINE WHICH IS NOT DUE FOR ITS FIRST OIL CHANGE UNTIL 7500 MILES. I MADE AN APPT FOR 8/24/2012. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS AN OCCUPANT IN THE FRONT SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE OCCUPANCY SEAT SENSOR DETECTED WETNESS FROM THE PASSENGER'S CLOTHING WHICH RESULTED TO THE SENSOR NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,800. UPDATED 08/29/12*LJ

WHEN DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER AND GOING ON A HIGHWAY, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR FOR THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SHOWS "OFF", MEANING IF THERE WAS A COLLISION, THERE WOULD BE NO AIR BAGS. AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALER, THEY FINALLY TEST DROVE WITH A PASSENGER AND GOT IT TO FAIL. THE SENSORS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WERE REPLACED. THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS ON THIS PROBLEM AND SUBARU SHOULD RECALL THE VEHICLES. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE TRADED THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 01/16/15. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BECAME FRACTURED AND WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. AFTER THE SEAT WAS REPLACED, THE PASSENGER SIDE "AIR BAG OFF" WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHENEVER THE SEAT WAS WET OR LIGHTLY DAMP. THE FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR PRIOR TO THE SEAT REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V419000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,700.

THIS SUBARU TAKES SYNTHETIC OIL, WHICH SHOULD LAST A MINIMUM OF 6000 MILES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. EVERY OIL CHANGE I HAVE HAD ON THIS CAR (I CHANGE IT EVERY 7500 MILES), I HAVE HAD TO ADD AN EXTRA QUART OF OIL BY ABOUT 3000 MILES INTO AN OIL CHANGE. THIS HAS DONE THIS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF OWNERSHIP. A BRAND NEW CAR SHOULD NOT BURN UP OIL SO QUICKLY. THIS CAN HAS BEEN SO MANY HEADACHES FROM THE MOMENT I PURCHASED IT. ELECTRICAL FAILURES, PASSENGER AIRBAGS NOT WORKING, GPS SYSTEM FAILURE, BRAKES NOT RESPONDING AS THEY SHOULD...THE LIST GOES ON. *TR

2012 IMPREZA... BOUGHT NEW, NOTHING BUT HEADACHES. ALL PROBLEMS LISTED BELOW OCCURRED BEFORE I HAD EVEN OWNED THE CAR 2 YEARS. 1. AT 8-10K MILES - WHILE DRIVING CAR WOULD RANDOMLY TURN OFF PASSENGER AIRBAGS AND ILLUMINATE NO PASSENGER SEATBELT ON THE DASH. TOOK CAR TO DEALER 3 TIMES. DEALER REFUSED TO FIX AS THE "ERROR WAS NOT STORED IN THE COMPUTER." SUGGESTED CELL PHONE WAS THE PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH CELL PHONES WERE NOT NEAR THE SEAT DURING EACH OF THE MULTIPLE INCIDENTS. I HAD TO COMPLAIN TO CORPORATE WHO TOLD THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE SENSOR IN THE SEAT. NO PROBLEMS SINCE. 2. AT 15K MILES - MULTIPLE TIMES CAR WOULD TURN ON CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT SIMULTANEOUSLY. FIRST INCIDENT DEALER SAID "DIRTY CAMSHAFT SENSOR." SECOND INCIDENT I HAD TO REFUSE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK UNTIL THEY ACTUALLY FIXED A PART. DEALER KEPT CAR A WHOLE WEEK AND MADE CALLS TO CORPORATE ENGINEERS. TESTS REVEALED IT WAS A "FAILED OIL PRESSURE VALVE." REPLACED THE PART AND NO MORE PROBLEMS. 3. AT 25K MILES - BAD BATTERY. HAD TO REPLACE WHEN CAR WAS ONLY 1 YEAR AND 10 MONTHS OLD. *TR

THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING ALONG A SUBURBAN ROAD WITH A PASSENGER. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS ON FOR THE FIRST ~20 MINUTES OF THE TRIP, THEN RANDOMLY TURNED OFF. I PULLED OVER, TURNED OFF THE CAR, THEN TURNED IT BACK ON. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WENT ON AGAIN, BUT THEN WENT BACK OFF AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING. THIS AIRBAG ISSUE HAS HAPPENED SPORADICALLY SINCE THEN, BOTH ON HIGHWAYS AND CITY/SUBURBAN ROADS, AND AFTER 15 MINUTES-2 HOURS OF DRIVING. ALL PASSENGERS HAVE BEEN OVER 130 POUNDS AND HAVE BEEN SITTING UP STRAIGHT.

PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR STATED THAT IT WAS DISABLED RANDOMLY (WHETHER CAR WAS IN MOTION OR NOT), EVEN THOUGH SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON DASHBOARD. TO CORRECT ISSUE, VEHICLE HAD TO BE RESTARTED MULTIPLE TIMES, SO THAT AIRBAG WOULD REACTIVATE. THIS WOULD NEED TO BE REPEATED, AS ISSUE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY. IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT, AIRBAG MOST LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED DUE TO FAULTY PASSENGER SENSOR. SUBARU STATED AIRBAG MODULE REQUIRED REPLACING, AFTER INSPECTION WAS MADE. *TR

MY SUBARU IS EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER AIRBAG MONITOR. WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE LIGHT SHOULD INDICATE THE AIRBAG IS ON. WHEN A PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE FRONT SEAT OF MY IMPREZA, THE AIRBAG CONSISTENTLY TURNS OFF. I CALLED SUBARU THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED. THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS A RECALL. WHEN I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE FIXED, THEY SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I TOOK IT IN A SECOND TIME WITH THE SAME RESPONSE. I AM NOW OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG TURNS OFF ABOUT 75% OF THE TIME SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILED UNEXPECTEDLY, DEALER VERIFIED IT WAS DUE TO A CRACKED WIRING HARNESS. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH A PASSENGER, AIRBAG LIGHT SWITCHES TO OFF AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASH ILLUMINATES. PASSENGER CAN THEN UNBUCKLE SEAT BELT AND NO ALARMS SOUND ALERTING THAT THE SEATBELT IS OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY BLAMED IT ON A PAIR OF JUMPER CABLES UNDER THE SEAT. SERVICE WRITER TOLD ME IT COULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER IN THEIR SYSTEM, WHICH IS BS. IF ITS NOT BS THEN I DON'T FEEL SAFE WITH A PASSENGER. EVEN AFTER JUMPER CABLES WERE REMOVED THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. HAVE SEEN MANY ISSUES ON FORUMS WITH SAME PROBLEM. *JS

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG INDICATOR WAS INDICATING THAT IT WAS OFF WHILE A PASSENGER WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT. THIS IS UNUSUAL BECAUSE IF SOMETHING SUCH AS A PURSE IS PLACED IN THE SEAT, THE INDICATOR WILL CHANGE FROM OFF TO ON DUE TO THE SEAT BEING OCCUPIED. I THINK THIS IS VERY UNSAFE AND I FEAR DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. THIS IS VERY ALARMING TO ME BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY TIMES I HAVE 4 CHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH ME. 3 IN THE BACK OF COURSE AND ONE IN THE FRONT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BIG LIGHT SPORADICALLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000. UPDATED 3/31/15*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHEN A PASSENGER WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT, UPDATED 04/30/15*JB

FINALLY, AFTER 3 YEARS OF SUBARU STONEWALLING TO ADMITTING TO A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG, NHTSA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN RECALL WQT55. I RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE EARLIER THIS WEEK. HOWEVER, NONE OF THE SUBARU DEALERS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THAT I CONTACTED HAD THE NECESSARY REPLACEMENT PART AND SAID IT BACK ORDERED WITH NO ESTIMATED DELIVERY DATE AVAILABLE. I BELIEVE SUBARU HAS CONSISTENTLY ACTED IN BAD FAITH SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTENTION AND IS CONTINUING TO DO SO. I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE NHTSA TO FINE SUBARU THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR DELAYING AND NOW MISLEADING VEHICLE OWNERS ON A RECALL THAT MISREPRESENTS THEIR ABILITY TO FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE THE REPLACEMENT PART IS UNAVAILABLE. SUBARU IS KNOWINGLY ACTING IN BAD FAITH. I HAVE BEEN ENDURING THIS SAFETY ISSUE FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS BY AVOIDING USING THE PASSENGER SEAT WHENEVER FEASIBLE. IT'S NOT RIGHT THAT SUBARU CONTINUES TO GET AWAY WITH THEIR BEHAVIOR. PLEASE TAKE ACTION. THANK YOU. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, HE NOTICED THAT THE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK ON THEIR OWN. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN WITHOUT ENGAGING THE LOCK BUTTON. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED. UPDATED 7/26/12 *CN THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED IF HE LOCKED THE DOORS AND TRIED TO EXIT THE DRIVERS DOOR (OR ANY OF THE DOORS), THE DOOR MUST BE UNLOCKED BEFORE THE DOOR WILL OPEN. UPDATED 08/07/12 THE CONSUMER STATED WITH ALL THE VEHICLES HE HAS DRIVEN/RENTED, HE HAS NEVER SEEN A SITUATION WHERE THIS WAS THE CASE. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH WHERE FUEL IS LEAKING, THE EXTRA SECONDS NEEDED TO RESET THE LOCK COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GETTING OUT THE CAR WITHOUT INJURY OR SUFFERING SIGNIFICANT/FATAL INJURY. UPDATED 03/26/13

THE REAR-END LIGHTING (BRAKE LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS) FOR A NUMBER OF RECENT MODEL YEARS FROM A FEW MANUFACTURERS IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. IF IT HASN'T ALREADY CAUSED ACCIDENTS I WOULD BE COMPLETELY AMAZED. I HAVE SEEN, ON AT LEAST SUBARUS AND VOLKSWAGENS, BRAKE LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS WHICH ARE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH IN REAL-LIFE DRIVING SCENARIOS. I AM AN EXCEPTIONALLY SKILLED AND ATTENTIVE DRIVER SO THIS HASN'T CAUSED ME ANY HARM YET, BUT I KNOW MOST DRIVERS ARE NOT SKILLED OR ATTENTIVE. *TR

ORDERED & PURCHASED CAR 2012 BEGAN SENDING COMPLAINTS TO DEALER & MANUFACTURE ABOUT THE VEHICLE WANDERING OVER THE ROAD, BRAKES GRABBING, TIRES LOSING AIR, POOR TRANSMISSION RESPONSE, BAD BATTERY AND MANY MORE. AFTER MY COMPLAINTS WERE NEGLECTED I HAD TO SAVE THE MONEY TO REPLACE FAULTY FACTORY YOKOHAMA AVID TIRES @ 24K MILES & PURCHASED WARRANTEE DIRECT EXTENDED WARRANTY TO ADDRESS COMPLICATIONS (LIKE STARTER) THIS CAR HAS WELL UNDER 40K MILES NOW BUT HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY & THE CAR WILL NOT STAY ALIGNED. THIS CAR ALWAYS USES COOLANT & BRAKE FLUID, AS WELL AS A STRANGE ENGINE OIL SITUATION (PRESENTLY DIFFERENT THAN THE CLASS ACTION OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM). I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE NON-RESPONSIVE TRANSMISSION & POOR ACCELERATION. I'M ALREADY DISABLED FROM JOB-RELATED SPINAL INJURIES & HAVE DONE MY DARNEDEST TO DRIVE AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID DRIVING DURING RUSH TRAFFIC, CHECK TIRE PRESSURES & OIL USE SO I KEEP MY PERFECT DRIVING RECORD FOR INSURANCE & HEALTH PURPOSE. I THOUGHT THAT BUYING A NEW CAR KEEPS ONE FROM MANY PURCHASES YET, I HAVE SPENT MORE MONEY ON THIS NEW CAR THAN ANY USED CAR. WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO PROTECT MYSELF? WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHICH FILES ARE BEST TO SEND?

PASSENGER AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT WENT ON WHILE DRIVING. I PULLED OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD SHUT ENGINE OFF RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY SINCE THEN IN A RANDOM MANNER WITH THE LIGHT OCCASIONALLY STAYING ON EVEN AFTER SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING SINCE THE WARNING LIGHT AT THAT TIME WAS OFF. IMO THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE SINCE ONE NEVER KNOWS IF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL BE FUNCTIONAL. *TR

THE PASSANGER AIRBAG IS IN OFF POSITION WITH PERSON SITTING IN SEAT. HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT "IT SHOWS NO EROS WHEN THE TEST IT". *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AT 65 MPH AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VEHICLE ACTED AS IF I HAD SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. IT STARTED TO DECELERATE AND WHEN I PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR, IT ONLY REVVED THE RPM'S HIGHER. IT DID NOT SPEED UP TO ALLOW ME TO SAFELY GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. I TRIED MANUALLY SHIFTING THE AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION, BUT THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ON AT THE TIME. I TURNED ON MY FLASHERS AND WAS ABLE TO GO FROM THE LEFT LANE TO THE SHOULDER. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, SHUT OFF THE IGNITION AND LET IT SET FOR A MINUTE. I THEN RESTARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AWAY. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE IT TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THEY TESTED IT FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND WERE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE INCIDENT. THEY SAID THAT THERE WERE NO CODES STORED AND I DID NOT SEE ANY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THEY ALSO SAID THEY FILED A CLAIM WITH SUBARU NORTH AMERICA. THE SERVICE TECH SAID HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING WITH SUBARU. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. *TR

I STARTED NOTICING THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT WASN'T ALWAYS "ON" WHEN THERE WAS A PASSENGER SEATED THERE. IT SEEMED TO MALFUNCTION MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN A HEAVIER PERSON WAS ON THE SEAT. ATTEMPTS TO GET IT TO ACTIVATE (UNBUCKLING AND REBUCKLING SEATBELT, BOUNCING ON THE SEAT, STOPPING THE CAR AND RESTARTING) ALL HAD NO EFFECT. THIS PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

THE AIRBAGS IN THIS VEHICLE TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING (DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD ICONS INDICATE AIRBAGS ARE TURNED OFF). VEHICLE MUST BE STOPPED AND RESTARTED FOR THE AIRBAGS TO TURN BACK ON. THERE SEEMS TO BE A RELATIONSHIP TO ELECTRONIC INTERFERENCE - PASSENGER USE OF IPHONE OR IPAD MAY BE INVOLVED - BUT IT HAS HAPPENED WITH NO PASSENGER AS WELL. THIS HAPPENED 5 TIMES IN ONE DAY RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH ALTITUDE (PIKES PEAK, CO). PROBABLY RELATED: THE SEAT BELT ALARM HAS GONE OFF WHEN IPHONE IS PLACED ON EMPTY PASSENGER SEAT WHILE DRIVING. *TR

OIL KEEPS RUNNING DRY BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE. IT HAS BEEN REQUIRING ABOUT 1 QUART EVERY 3,000 MILES. THIS HAS THE ABILITY FOR THE ENGINE TO RUN WITHOUT OIL AND SEIZE. THIS CAN CAUSE DRASTIC DAMAGE AND INJURY ALONG WITH GREATER WEAR. I HAVE BEEN MITIGATING IT WITH KEEPING OIL IN THE TRUNK BUT NO GUARANTEES THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE IT. THE OIL ALSO RUINED MY TRUNK. *TR

DRIVING DOWN MOUNTAIN AFTER DAY OF SKIING. ROADS WERE TREACHEROUS AND ICY. 20 MINUTES INTO THE DRIVE, DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHTS TURNED ON, INDICATING THAT AIRBAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF A COLLISION. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER I WAS WEARING A DAMP BATHING SUIT WHILE DRIVING AND THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED, INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, I WAS DRIVING ON A HOT DAY WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN. I WAS SWEATING QUITE A BIT AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON MY SUBARU IMPREZA TURNED ON YET AGAIN. THIS ISSUE WAS BROUGHT UP WITH THE DEALERSHIP WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT SIMPLY RESET THE SENSOR, NOT SOLVING THE ISSUE OR COMPREHENDING THE SEVERITY OF THIS ISSUE. THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR IN THE SEAT MUST HAVE FAULTED AND TURNED OFF THE AIRBAGS WHEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF SNOW/WATER/SWEAT ON MY REAR CAUSED A FAULT IN THE ELECROSTATIC SENSOR. THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR IS AN ELECTROSTATIC SENSOR THAT WILL FAULT WHEN IT SENSES AN ARBITRARY AMOUNT OF MOISTURE. AN INTERNAL MEMO IN AUGUST 2012 FROM SUBARU TO IT'S DEALERS IN NORTH AMERICA ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT NOT SOLVED THIS PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAGS NOT ENGAGING WHEN THE SEAT IS WET. FROM SUBARU'S INTERNAL MEMO: "WHEN WATER OR ANYTHING WITH HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT IS SPILLED ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION, THE AIRBAG IS DESIGNED TO REMAIN OFF UNTIL THE SEAT CUSHION IS DRY". *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE APPROACHING A TRAFFIC STOP, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL OF THE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO STATED THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT HIM AT A LATER DATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 500.

I PURCHASED THIS CAR BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN JANUARY 2012 AND HAVE CONSISTENTLY ADDED 1 QUART +/- APPROXIMATELY EVERY 1,200 MILES, MORE OFTEN AND INCREASED ADDED OIL VOLUME DURING EXTENDED DRIVING TIMES. I HAVE SPOKEN DIRECTLY WITH SUBARU DEALERS/SERVICE MANAGERS IN 3 DIFFERENT CALIFORNIA CITIES WHOM HAVE BEEN ALERTED TO THIS OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE AND HAVE CASUALLY EXPLAINED THE CONSUMPTION OF 3-5 QUARTS OF OIL BETWEEN CHANGES AS NORMAL. RESEARCH SEEMS TO SHOW THAT SOME SUBARU DEALERS HAVE BEGUN TO REPLACE THE SHORT BLOCK OF THE ENGINES THAT ARE CONSUMING TOO MUCH OIL, BUT ONLY FOR THOSE WITH DOCUMENTED OIL LOSS. THOSE PEOPLE THAT VISIT THE DEALER EXCLUSIVELY FOR THEIR SERVICE ARE LIKELY THE ONES WHO WILL HAVE THEIR ENGINES REPLACED WITHOUT COST, LEAVING THE REST OF US OUT TO DRY. SUBARU NEEDS TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM, NOT SWEEP THE ISSUE UNDER THE RUG AND FORCE THE SUBARU CUSTOMER BASE TO PAY TOO MUCH FOR AN ENGINE THAT WAS NOT MEANT TO LAST.

TOOK DELIVERY OF VEHICLE THAT HAD RECALL WVY-35 COMPLETED PRE-DELIVERY. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 45 MILES OF DRIVING (65 TOTAL ODOMETER MILES), BRAKING FORCE DROPPED TO NEAR ZERO. INSPECTION REVEALED SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID. PROBLEM FIRST MANIFESTED WITH SLOWLY SINKING BRAKE PEDAL AT STOPS, WITH BRAKING STILL EFFECTIVE, BUT QUICKLY DEVELOPED TO THE POINT THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD GO FULLY TO THE FLOOR WITH SEVERELY REDUCED BRAKE FORCE. *TR