NHTSA Complaint #10138435 — 2003 SUBARU WRX

IN MY 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX, ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, WHEN I HIT A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD (COULD BE AN EXPANSION JOINT IN A BRIDGE OR A CRACK IN THE ROAD SURFACE THAT HAS BEEN PATCHED) WHILE BRAKING, THE ABS KICKS IN AND DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO BRAKE. AFTER ABOUT ONE SECOND HAS PASSED, THE ABS TURNS OFF AND I GRIND TO A HALT. I HAVE LARGER-THAN-STOCK, HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES, AND ON DRY PAVEMENT, THE STOCK BRAKES ARE NOT CAPABLE OF APPLYING ENOUGH PRESSURE TO LOCK UP THE BRAKES. BUT IF I HIT A SMALL HICCUP IN THE ROAD, THE ABS TURNS ON AND DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO APPLY ANY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF BRAKING POWER. AS SOON AS IT DISENGAGES, THE INCREASE IN BRAKING POWER IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT. I HAVE YET TO BE IN AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT, BUT I HAVE LEARNED TO LEAVE EXTRA DISTANCE BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. SUBARU IS DOING A "VOLUNTARY RECALL" TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AFTER AN INVESTIGATION BY YOUR ORGANIZATION. I FIND IT ASTOUNDING THAT YOU WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THIS PROBLEM. IF THIS IS THE CASE, THEN I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO REVISE THE METHODS YOU USE TO DEVELOP AN EXPERIMENT. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM. IT IS RELATIVELY EASY TO REPLICATE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO REPLICATE IT, THEN YOU HAVE NOT DEVELOPED AN EXPERIMENT TO EFFECTIVELY TEST FOR THIS DEFECT. *JB