NHTSA Complaint #10726850 — 2015 SUBARU IMPREZA

SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 21, 2015. RAINED OVERNIGHT AND WAS STILL RAINING MODERATELY HARD WHEN WE LEFT FOR OUR FIRST OVERNIGHT TRIP IN OUR NEW (1300 MILES) 2015 IMPREZA. ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM OUR HOME, ON A PAVED, WELL TRAVELED STREET, TRAVELING SLIGHTLY UNDER THE POSTED 30 MPH SPEED LIMIT, WE RAN THRU SOME STANDING WATER ON THE ROAD. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF INCHES DEEP. AFTER THE INITIAL WHOOSH, THERE WAS A CONTINUING ROAR, AS IF WATER WAS SPLASHING UP ON THE CAR UNDERSIDE. ALTHOUGH THE ROAD WAS WET THERE WAS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THIS WAS HAPPENING. AFTER ABOUT 300 YARDS OF THIS NOISE WE MADE A LEFT TURN INTO A SIDE STREET. THE NOISE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND WE CIRCLED AROUND AND PROCEEDED ON OUR TRIP. AFTER ABOUT 50 MILES OF INTERSTATE 65 MPH TRAVEL, WE BEGAN TO NOTICE THUMPING NOISES LIKE WE WERE RIDING ON AN OLD CONCRETE ROAD WITH TARRED JOINTS (WE WERE NOT). WE PULLED INTO THE BREAK DOWN LANE AND I GOT OUT AND LOOKED UNDER CAR AND UNDER THE HOOD. NOISE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM FRONT DRIVERS SIDE AT THAT POINT. FINDING NO ISSUES, WE CONTINUED ANOTHER 80 MILES TO OUR DESTINATION ON WET AND DRY ROADS. UPON ARRIVING, MADE A SIDE TRIP OF 20 MORE MILES OF INTERSTATE DRIVING. WE HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE ROARING NOISES FROM TIME TO TIME AND WHICH REDUCED WHEN WE SLOWED TO AROUND 50 MPH. NEXT DAY, ON THE RETURN TRIP HOME WE HEARD MORE ROARING NOISES, WHICH GOT SUBSTANTIALLY WORSE AFTER A FEW MILES. IT WAS WARM AND DRY AT THAT TIME. FINALLY, IT GOT TO MAKING LOUD POPPING AND SLAPPING NOISES. THIS TIME IT WAS CLEARLY COMING FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE MORE TO THE REAR. WE SLOWED TO 50 MPH AND TOOK THE FIRST EXIT WITH SERVICES, I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, LAID ON THE HOT TARMAC AND LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE CAR. I FOUND A FLIMSY PLASTIC SHIELD HAD SPLIT LENGTHWISE ABOUT 3 FEET AND WAS BEAT UP FROM ROAD CONTACT ON THE FRONT END.