This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive home where he inspected the vehicle and discovered severe corrosion at a connection point on the brake line. The contact stated that the brake line was leaking brake fluid. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had already been serviced previously under the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the brake warning light remained illuminated and the brake pedal extended to the floor while depressed. Upon inspection, the contact discovered brake fluid had leaked from the rear passenger-??s side wheel area. Further inspection revealed rusting and corrosion of the brake lines. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 13V110000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was 150,000.
Brakes are very weak for the first couple of stops after the car has been sitting for a while (about eight hours or more). Brakes work fine after warming up. This is very dangerous when first backing out of driving; would not be able to stop fast enough if a child or person was suddenly in the way and you needed to stop. This is the case with oem brake pads and after-market pads.
The contact owned a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the brakes failed to engage and the vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire. The air bags did not deploy. Four people were injured and police and fire reports were filed. A month prior to the accident, the vehicle was inspected and no failures were found. The vehicle was inspected after the crash and it was discovered that the tumbler system was defective. The VIN was unavailable at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were unknown. Updated 7/16/10 updated 07/27/10
Component: Service brakes, brake pads, details: The brake pads on my 2005 Subaru have warped (all 4) at 18,000 miles producing an uneven sensation as one is braking. It also increases the distance required to stop. After taking my Subaru in for a brake inspection (at 20,000 miles) I was told that all 4 wheels needed new brake pads, (even though my front brakes have 60% braking efficiency & 70% on the rear brakes). My partner, who is a professional driver, is the sole driver of our Subaru and is very rarely in stop-and-go traffic. On the few occasions when she is in heavy traffic she maintains extra distance between her vehicle and the vehicle in front of her to avoid having to use her brakes more then is absolutely necessary. Neither one of us have ever had to replace the brake pads on a vehicle with mileage as low as 20,000 miles and both of us have lived in large cities all of our lives. I had a similar problem on a 2000 Subaru forester. This is a definite safety issue. Subaru, overall, makes reliable, responsive and safe vehicles but this issue needs to be dealt with before someone is seriously injured or killed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Beverly Hills, MI, USA