NHTSA Complaint #10449990 — 2012 SUBARU FORESTER

OUR FORESTER HAS AN INCONSISTENT BRAKE PEDAL. SOMETIMES THE PEDAL IS FIRM AND RESPONSIVE. SOMETIMES THE PEDAL GOES TOWARDS THE FLOOR BEFORE IT RESPONDS. WE NEVER KNOW HOW FAR IN THE PEDAL WILL GO. THUS FAR THE BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS WORKED BUT EXTRA TIME AND DISTANCE ARE NEEDED TO STOP. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND HAS BEEN THERE EVER SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THE FOLLOWING FROM SUBARU'S RECALL OF OTHER 2012 MODELS EXPLAINS ALMOST EXACTLY HOW THIS MANIFESTS FOR US. PRESSING THE PEDAL LIGHTLY AND SUBSEQUENTLY HAVING TO HIT THE PEDAL HARDER WITHOUT LETTING UP SEEMS TO BE A TRIGGER. THE PEDAL HAS ALSO GONE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR ON 2 OCCASIONS WHICH OCCURRED AT VERY LOW SPEEDS IN PARKING LOTS. MANIFESTATIONS PER THE PARAGRAPH BELOW ARE MOST COMMON AND CAN HAPPEN AT ANY SPEED INCLUDING ON THE HIGHWAY. IN THE RECALL LETTER SENT TO SUBARU OWNERS IT NOTED THAT "IN VEHICLES EXPERIENCING THIS CONDITION, THE DRIVER WILL INITIALLY ENCOUNTER A SOFT PEDAL FEEL AND MAY MOMENTARILY PERCEIVE A SENSE OF LOSS IN BRAKING POWER WHILE THE PEDAL IS BEING PRESSED LIGHTLY. THIS WILL ONLY CONTINUE UNTIL THE PEDAL IS PRESSED DOWNWARD APPROXIMATELY 2 MORE INCHES. EFFECTIVE BRAKING FUNCTION WILL BE ACHIEVED AT THAT POINT, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO SLOW OR STOP THE VEHICLE." WE HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO 2 DEALERSHIPS AND THEY BOTH TOLD US THERE IS NO PROBLEM. WE RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO ONE OF THE DEALERSHIPS AND THEY ROAD TESTED IT FOR 3 DAYS AND TOLD US NOTHING IS WRONG. WE APPEAR TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM THAT TRIGGERED A RECALL OF MILLIONS OF OTHER 2012 MODELS AND WE DO NOT APPEAR TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. THIS PROBLEM IS POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING, AND IT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT MANIFESTS FOR SUBARU TECHNICIANS OR NOT. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC AND HE BELIEVES THE MASTER CYLINDER IS BAD BUT HE HAS DONE NO WORK ON THE VEHICLE. *TR