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AP
The 2012 Subaru Impreza.
Customer complaints of faulty brakes have forced Subaru of America to postpone the sales of three of its 2012 models: Impreza, Legacy and the popular Outback.
So far, 3,000 cars have been sold and have been recalled. All dealerships stopped selling the vehicles on Nov. 25, Autoweek reported today.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had received about 130 complaints about the problem.
"Some customers said the brakes didn't feel right," Subaru of America spokesman Michael McHale said. "The pedal travels farther than it should. There were no failure issues, no accidents."
All dealerships will receive new master cylinders to fix the braking issues, according to McHale. The stop-sale is expected to be resolved in a matter of days, possibly early next week, Autoweek reported.
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Wow! Way to go Subaru for nippin it in the bud!
When GM has an issue it's terrible and here you say way to go..amazing!
There are several differences: GM has typically been very sluggish to announce recalls, often being forced by mounting evidence and political pressure. Subaru wasted no time, meeting it head on before it became an issue (ala Toyota).
Good on Subaru. Ford is having issues with it's new Focus and Fiesta's automatic transmission and is totally in denial. Their 'solution' seems to be issuing a technical service bulletin that basically says nothing is wrong and giving their customers a pat on the head and sending them on their way. Watch for a different transmission in the 2013s though. That seems to be typical of most car makers. If they'd just be up-front and deal with things like Subaru is, they'd get a lot more respect.
Wow, Cap't...your second post EVER timed perfectly seconds after this article came out. Do you work for Subaru?
Your ONLY other post was so racist I dare not mention.
good Lord, where the hell have you been?
I have a 2005 Outback with the same brake issues. Two separate dealers said there was nothing wrong, but after going back three times, one dealer replaced the master cylinder and pronounced the problem solved. It is not, I have learned to live with very long pedal stroke and mushy feel. Sometimes the power assist doesn't work and it takes a heavy boot to slow the thing down. When the anti-lock brakes engage they actually increase the stopping distance. Two independant auto service places have said the issue is a dealer issue and refused to even try to fix it.
Subaru makes a good car, but this brake issue is not new.
I have an 08 no issues the Anti lock brakes are supposed to extend the stopping distance.
Defects are defects. Should be found prior to marketing the vehicles. Obviously lax in field trials. Too much testing done by computer simulation these days. Take them out and beat the he!! out of them first.
I doubt testing was the issue. Unlike most other brands, Subaru tends to use the EXACT SAME parts forever. Many parts under the hood of that car are absolutely identical to the 1998 and 1999 models. Kudos to them for dealing with it head on.
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Speaking of Toyota - How many of you are aware that they have recalled nearly EVERY Tundra and Tacoma for frames that rust in half? And I am actually a fan of Their trucks - so don't think I'm bashin.
Subaru has an uncanny ability to make repulsive looking autos. Now, they make ugly cars with malfunctioning brakes.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Scrabs. I love the look of my Outback!
Love my WRX!
Love the WRX, but it's uglier than Rosie O'Donnell.
I LOVE my 2003 Forester and wouldn't trade it for anything!
My last 4 cars have been Subarus. I wouldn't have anything else. They are the best for driving in snow. ( I live in Hawaii now, so no snow, but I used to live in Colorado and Wyoming. They're good for off road too.) Ann is right. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love the way my Outback looks. I also like the way the new Foresters look.
ever floored an STi at about 3K rpm on third gear. no. no you havent. hint: you wont care what it looks like =P
@fallout - that was a good one. Mine's an 04, best looking of the WRX's, IMO. But no, looks-wise it can't hold a candle to, say, a Ferrari.
& I LOVE my Subaru Baja! (post-Brat)
Our 2002 Subaru Outback (175,000 miles and still going strong) is fantastic to look at AND to drive.
In my opinion, the best looking WRX was the 1st generation one from the 1990's. The one with the square head lamps. Too bad the closest we ever got to having a 1st generation WRX in America was the 2.5RS.
Plus, the 1st generation WRX was available as a two door coupe, which is a big advantage in my book.
They must have had an accident at the manufacturing plant for this to be sent out. Its good they caught this cause it might have been another Toyota incident.
Whatever you think about their cars they have good ads.
hilarious ads. the driving dog campaign was the best ever.
also, i have owned subarus all my life. i have 2 in my driveway right now. know that 2.5 well. also, fuji heavy industries grew out of nakajima aircraft. probably used korean slave labor to build airplanes to kill americans (and chinese and vietnamese and indonesians and burmese and british, etc) during WW2.
Why would someone buy a car if the brakes didn't "feel right"? I'm assuming these people took test drives before buying. The first thing I do on a test drive is find a straight stretch of back road, gun it up to 40 mph, and then slam the brakes to see how well the car handles.
40 mph? Well ok (I like to get to at least freeway speed). And you didn't finish the sentence it should read: ". . . how well the car handles on the brakes". Your test won't tell you much about how well the car handles mid corner or about how well the car handles during hard acceleration etc. But you are right, brakes should be tested thoroughly before purchase. I'm also assuming that the problem may have appeared after purchase.
Subaru has been in damage control ever since Martina Navratilova became their spokesperson. Homosexuals rushed to buy Subarus as a gesture of solidarity. Overnight, Subaru quickly got the image of a homosexual car. Gay bar parking lots looked like Subaru dealerships. With the Subaru recalls, GM better accelerate their plan to produce a pink model of the Camaro to fill the void. GM was talking about it right after the bailout.
WARRIOR: Uh, you sure you're right in the head???
Do you have to ask?
Where I come from, Subarus are mountain cars. Everyone has them for the AWD. I thought about getting one, but the gas mileage turned me off. Or perhaps it's just that I'm not gay.
I want some of whatever Road Warrior smokes.
Where I live in upstate NY it is ABSOLUTELY the car of choice for lesbians. Hands down!
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I don't see what the big deal is though, I still drive one. I tell people I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body!
Americans need to buy Ameican cars . Not cars made by our old enemies . Look at us now we don't make much here and don't have any jobs . We do have some but they are filled with illigals
Get off it. The Japanese are just as much our friends as the British and Canadians. Maybe we should consider the Italians our old enemies and the Germans too. Come to think of it the British are our old enemies. Remember the war of 1812 just ended a few years ago.
BTW both of our vehicles are American.
There are many Foreign Car Manufacturers that assemble there cars here but they are assembled in Right to work states by Non Union workers. Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Etc. Also GM and Ford assemble most of theirs in Canada and Mexico
Do you remember the crap Detroit built in the eighties? The Germans make some of the best cars in the world. The Japanese build American style of cars that hold up unlike the American cars that start to fall apart after seventies thousand miles. Volvo cars are fantastic. Only a fool would buy a Saab or a Korean made vehicle.
d man-3146244
"Americans need to buy Ameican cars"
Guess what D man-3146244, a good number of your "American" cars are not made in this country. Even if they are made here many of their parts are international. Also as others have said there are many "Foriegn" car makers that build them here. So wake up and welcome to the 21st century.
I have owned many vehicles, my second car was a Subaru 1986 XT-GL, I loved it. I have owned two Subarus since, one (my second subaru and still own) was/is 1991 XT 6 Fulltime 4x4. The third was a 1998 Subaru Impreza wagon, which was my Dad's, that I got to drive home the day he bought it because at the time I could not drive his Honda Manual transmission. I gave that one to my brother as I did not like it. Subarus are nice cars, expensive to fix, and I hope Toyota doesn't mess them up.
Good for Subie fixing this before it become and Issue.
Oh BTW D-Man, I presently own: 2 Ford Trucks (1996 F-350, 2008 F-150), 1 Subaru (1991 XT6), 2 Kia vehicles (2008 Spectra, 2010 Sportage). So I have been making sure Americans get paid by 1. buying American Trucks, 2. Having American workers fix my cars, 3. By purchasing Kias and Fords from dealerships in America and having Amerian workers to sell me the car and 4. By purchasing my Subaru from an American auctioneer.
So to think that money isn't being spent here in the US when someone buys a non-US originating brand of vehicle is ludicris.
Subaru has manufacturing facilities in Indiana. Their plant is practically Net Zero, and has been recently profiled for its energy efficiency and conservation protocols.
What exactly is an American car in today's market? You have Fords comming out of Canada, GM products manufactured in Mexico and Toyota,s BMW's, Mercedes, Nissans and Honda's being built from the ground up in the United States.
and subaru in indiana
It's not an issue, it's a problem. Why do most people substitute the word problem with the word issue? I've never heard of issue solving but I've certainly heard of problem solving.
Same reason they call used cars "pre-owned," like that makes it sound better.
Nice tartis,where'd you get yours? Pre-owned or are you the new,new,new doctor?
You can't get a new Type 40 these days.
I am on my 4th BMW, great automobiles, and 2 Subarus. Next car, Subaru again the 2 brands I can service myself.
I admire Subaru for stopping sales if there is a problem. I sold my 2nd to my brother, they are that good. Good used Subarus do not hit the open market, they are sold to family and friends.
couldn't agree more.
Subaru was originaly American owned but produced for them in Japan. They then sold the company to the company that produced the car for them.
Subaru after the first couple years has a reputation for quality and value.
They took on the problem and swiftly resolved it, that is quality and responsibility.
Unfortunately GM, Ford and Chrysler tried to ignore their problems for years, recently they finaly woke up to the fact that quality and truthfullness attracts customers and are now facing up to producing quality and being responsible. Today we can buy American vehicles that we can be proud of, built by Americans and Canadians.
Far too late for those of us who bought Ford and Chevy for years - and kept getting pieces of junk and failure to repair defects. I have a trouble free Subaru approaching 200,000 miles - still runs good - starts good - very little rust as compared to other cars. Almost all my Fords and Chevys had leaky transmissions, oil pans, engines that blew up with less than 50 thousand miles. Was once in a Ford Repair Shop - they were half blocking and full blocking dozens of Fords with blown engines.
Had a Ford Bronco II - the brakes would take hold - fade - take hold fade. Was told by the local Ford Dealer that some were shipped with warped disks - still - refused to replace them. Finally had to pay for repair myself.
Explains why many don't buy American.
How many years do you have to build cars in order to know how to design a breaking system?? What the hell is with these companies? Half of these recalls make no sense to me at all.
The only Subaru owners I have come up on doing the actual speed limit or just over are the WRX owners. Rarely have I ever seen other models pass me. It is as if all Subaru owners think these cars are going to save them, and if they drive even slower they will not be as afraid to drive and they will be even more safe. Prob is, most strange accidents I see in the news involve Subarus. I avoid all of them and pass them the first chance available because they are always dogging a long line a traffic behind them. Why in the hell is this?
Funny, I haven't noticed that with Subaru drivers, but definitely with Volvo drivers.
Your experience is commonly called "anecdotal evidence" in science, and as such, has no meaning. Personal perceptions are not considered research or proof of anything. I have never, ever noticed the phenomenon you apparently consider epidemic, but my personal experience with slow drivers has been that they are all members of the Blue Hair Brigade, regardless of what make/model they drive. Them, and drunken idiots are the two types I find most annoying.
That's funny... cuz I pass by all car makers on the highway... and I don't even drive a WRX. You're probably one of those crazy minivan drivers who speed in 35mph zones and signal 3 seconds AFTER changing lanes.
The volvos I do see occasionally as well, you are right.
Not a minivan driver, and I use my head on the road. I stick to the 5mph over or so only on roads of 40mph or higher. Trust me, it is not anecdotal evidence. You and I come across them more times than you can count. Just pay attention specifically from now on, and when you are behind 8 cars on a one lane road or freeway check the pace car up front. I was traveling in a parking lot one evening towards the street. There were cars perpidicular lined up for the traffic light blocking the path. As I approached the exit of the lot, I heard this constant horn. I didn't notice where it was coming from unitl I traveled another 75 feet to the sidewalk. In front of me waiting for the light was this lady staring at me, holding her stop hand out towards me while laying on her horn. She for whatever reason was paranoid and focused on me coming toward her to warrant this reaction. My co-worker behind me was baffled as to why she was doing what she was doing as we aproached slow in company vehicles. I reluctanly fell in behind her and when we made our left hand turn in the right lane she crossed lanes into the left hand hand nearly striking the car beside her and they began honking at her. Before she could think about getting back over I passed this nut job. My co-worker said over the radio, "Its a Subaru". Another new co-worker who started I mentioned Subarus in humours chatter. He called me months later to say I was right as he noticed they were the most common drivers holding up traffic and in accidents. Funny they all have awd yet they are the first ones to put on studed tires and the last to take them off, just another clue most Subaru driver cannot drive worth crap. Somehow these cars make them feel safer in that regard.
My question, is if this is a design flaw, why did people buy these cars? Didn't people feel the "long" brake pedal during their test drive?
As we speak my 2003 WRX is getting new lower control arms because of a recall and they gave us a 2011 Legecy as a loaner to drive.
My oldest has an Outback and he loves it. I'd love to buy another American car but the service after the sale sucks. It's all about "profit" and scew the consumer!
I have two Subies - an Impreza hatchback and a Forester. I love both of them, and have had no problems, including braking, as long as I have owned them. If I live long enough to need to buy another, I definitely will.
My 06 Outback has no issues. I only wish there was more room in the wheel wells for the snow, the snow seems to collect there and you have to clean it out. We live in SW Colorado.
I recently bought a new 2011 GMC pickup. It has a serious clunking or banging when it upshifts/downshifts between second and third gear. Two dealers won't acknowledge the problem. Same old deny/delay/obfuscate with GM. Some things haven't changed with the new GM. Compare my situation with GM to the way Subaru is dealing with their problem. The Japs will continue to kick our butts. We should let GM go down the tubes next time.
First of all I would like to say that Subaru's are a fun car to drive and extremely stable on snow and ice. I would also like to commend the company on their quick reflex's on handling this problem. These are probably some the reasons they have such an extremely loyal following. However, they lost our family as our local dealer was never able to resolve an issue regarding a distinct odor of raw fuel on my mothers Subaru.