NHTSA Complaint #10546770 — 2008 SUBARU WRX

THE CLUTCH PEDAL ON MY 2008 WRX WOULD MAKE A LOUD CREAKING NOISE EVERY TIME IT'S DEPRESSED. RECENTLY, THE CREAKING WENT AWAY, BUT IT BEGAN TO BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO GET INTO GEAR AND SHIFT GEARS. I INVESTIGATED THE NOISE AND NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY (ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL) SHIFTS APPROX. ONE HALF INCH EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. I FOUND THAT THE THREE SPOT WELDS SECURING THE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET TO THE FORWARD FIREWALL WERE BROKEN. FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE FIREWALL, JUST UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, I SAW THE SPOT WELDS PULLING AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL EVERY TIME THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THIS ALLOWS THE ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET ASSEMBLY TO MOVE ALONG WITH THE FIREWALL. IF THE BRACKET COMPLETELY SEPARATES FROM THE FIREWALL, THE CLUTCH WILL BECOME COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE - ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING. MY VEHICLE IS A 2008 WITH ONLY 70,000 MILES. *TR