NHTSA Complaint #10564998 — 2008 SUBARU IMPREZA

THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED BY MYSELF BRAND NEW WITH A FEW MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS ALWAYS STIFF AND SQUEAKY AND TWO LOCAL DEALERSHIPS REASSURED ME THIS IS NORMAL AND NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. SINCE ABOUT 50K MILES MY CLUTCH PEDAL HAS BEEN UNRESPONSIVE AND REQUIRES CONSTANT LUBRICATION AND BLEEDING OF CLUTCH MASTER AND SLAVE CYLINDER. WHEN PRESSING EITHER CLUTCH OR BRAKE PEDAL, THE OTHER WOULD ALSO MOVE WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF ROD TRAVEL THUS REDUCED FLUID VOLUME TO NECESSARY HYDRAULICS. WITH CLUTCH PEDAL FULLY DEPRESSED AND IN GEAR, THE CAR WILL ROLL AS IF CLUTCH IS DRAGGING. WITH CLUTCH DEPRESSED AND IN GEAR, THE CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD WHEN TURNED ON. WHILE SHIFTING NORMALLY THE GEARS WOULD GRIND AND I'M CERTAIN THIS HAS WORN MY SYNCHROMESH GEARS. DEALER CONTINUED BLAMING ONE PART, ANOTHER PART, AND MY DRIVING HABITS. THEY CHARGED ME OUT OF POCKET FOR REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENT WITH NO ACTUAL PROGRESS FIXING THE ISSUES. TODAY I STOPPED BY THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP REQUESTING MORE INFORMATION ON THIS COMMON CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO FIREWALL PROBLEMS. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS IS AN ISSUE AND GAVE ME A VERBAL ESTIMATE OF AT LEAST $900 TO FIX THE BROKEN WELDS. IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD I AM LEAVING A STOP SIGN AS USUAL AND GO TO SHIFT INTO SECOND GEAR. THE CLUTCH PEDAL LINKAGE BROKE COMPLETELY WITH PEDAL STUCK ON THE FLOOR. CLUTCH IS NOW 100% INOPERABLE, LUCKILY I WAS ON A QUIET STREET AND THIS DID NOT BREAK WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A VERY REAL SAFETY ISSUE AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD FIX THIS WITHOUT CHARGING WE THE CUSTOMERS. THERE WERE NUMEROUS SYMPTOMS FOR YEARS ON THIS EXACT PROBLEM, EACH GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE UNTIL THIS FINAL BREAKAGE. *TR