Problems with 2002 Subaru Impreza SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

It was raining. i was turning left at a light, saw another car coming towards me. i applied brakes and there was a hesitation of braking power due to the abs system. this also happens when driving in low traction conditions or over bumps. i went to the dealer and they said that the same year similar model had problems with the abs computer and that they replace the abs computers for that one but they said they wouldn't for my car. *tr

2002 subaru impreza sport - abs "fires" during routine braking leading to increase stopping distance. returned car to dealer and advised that "rear wheel bearing was bad" ... refused repair because there was no other indication of bad bearing (noise, heat, smell, vibration, resistance during free spin). took car to second independent repair center. no bad bearing found. turned rotors but this did not completely solve problem. abs continues to fire during routine braking. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 subaru impreza. while driving 35 mph the vehicle would not stop when the brake was depressed, this caused him to crash into the rear of the vehicle in front of him. the contact was injured. the police report was filed. as of august 2, 2007, the dealer was inspecting the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 60,000.

Tl*- the contact owns a 2002 subaru impreza wr,x and stated that the vehicle was leaking fuel, and there was a raw fuel smell coming from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. the fuel smell was stronger when the vehicle was running and the temperature was below 32 degrees. the contact currently has the vehicle at the dealership. the failure and current mileage were 119330.*ak the vehicle also had a coolant lead. the drivers side door regulator was inopertive, the clutch had a judder, there was problem with the abs. updated

Raw fuel smell in cold weather. had to replace cd player. seals on windows fell off. brakes pump when hitting the brake when debris on road. (rocks,etc.). *nm

The brakes worked intermittently. it was hard to stop the vehicle. the dealer and the other mechanics can find no defects. *jb instead of stopping the consumer stated that the vehicle picked up speed. *tc

Was coming to a stop sign and there was a man hole cover recessed into the road. had foot on brake, light pressure to come to the stop sign. when the wheel hit the manhole cover, i could feel abs kick in (vibration in pedal) and the car lost all braking power momentarily. if there had been someone in front of me, i probably would have hit them. *ak

Abs intermittently kicks in on dry, smooth road at low speeds, with light pedal pressure. dealer checked and said all is normal. problem is not readily reproducible, but very disconcerting when it happens, causing prolonged stopping distances. none of my other vehicles with abs ever acts this way. *ak

Abs premature engagement. happened 11/18/03 and about 10 times since 6/02. under light to moderate braking, around 35 mph, the abs will engage and drastically reduce braking deceleration over minor pavement irregularities. today it happened when going over botts dots, but it also happens on bumps, washboard pavement, etc. the pedal becomes light and the car basically stops braking for 0.5 to 1.0 seconds. very scary and dangerous. i am a mechanical engineer, master's degree, with experience in vehicle dynamics, hydraulics, and electronic feedback control. there is something drastically wrong with the abs tuning on this car. i am going to disable the abs system until subaru fixes this. ps i have never used the spare tire. *la

My car's abs engages when going over bumpy/uneven surfaces resulting in nearly complete braking loss. the pedal goes almost all the way to the floor and doesn't want to stop at all. this can be very scary, especially if you aren't aware that the road is uneven. i've had to get used to this happening and adjust my driving techniques as a result!!! i am very disappointed is this! this has happened many times since i have owned the car. *la

I have an 02 subaru impreza wrx. the abs system activates prematurely and overly-agressively in a variety of conditions. most often it happens when attempting to stop and driving over bumpy roads. something as minor as a 1/2 inch dip in the pavement can set off the abs. once the system activates the pedal goes to the floor and there is momentarily a complete loss of braking ability. it can extend the braking distance by 1 or 2 full car lengths as compared to without abs and has caused me to nearly crash into other cars several times.*ak

Consumer applied the brake and the pedal went to the floor. the vehicle went through the intersection before consumer could apply the brake again to stop. the road was dry and even when this occurred. *ph *nlm

Going over a big expansion joint exiting from the outer loop of i-495 near washington, dc to i-95 south, i saw that i needed to brake because of suddenly stopping traffic. i did not get any braking help in my 2002 subaru impreza wrx wagon as my brakes suddenly seemed gone, only to grip a moment later. very scary for a short time.*ak

Problems with abs activation - right conditions ( brake activation followed by bump on smooth surface) results in significantly reduced braking effort - abs acts like it is confused and brake pedal drops to floor. reproducible at a particular intersection with both our wrx's. multiple events with different tires on vehicle. *la

Problems with abs activation - right conditions (brake activation followed by bump on smooth surface) results in significantly reduced braking effort - abs acts like it is confused and brake pedal drops to floor. reproducible at a particular intersection with both our wrx's. multiple events with different tires on vehicle. *la

Travelling at a low speed (under25) and braking while driving over small bumps in the road: pedal drops nearly to the floor, no typical abs pulsing, car feels as if it's just rolling straight ahead with no brake control, and no matter how much pressure is applied, it doesn't feel as if it is stopping any faster.*ak

While coming to a stop at about 30-35 mph, the brakes stopped working for about 1-2 seconds. at the same time, the feel of the brake pedal seemed to indicate that the abs system had been activated. can't recall if this was over a bumpy road as mentioned in earlier complaints. has occurred at least twice - very scary and dangerous.

Abs activating for no reason on rough surface (gravel covered roadway) causing braking distance to increase significantly...not the first time either. not hard braking, just one on an uneven surface.*ak

Abs failed resulting in car crash. ts

No description given. nlm

Randomly while moderately braking on dry normal textured pavement abs system will engage, this causes a major and dangerous loss of braking power and pedal pressure. in order to restore some braking power the brake pedal must be disengaged completely and then have pressure reapplied. this will result in about 3/4 of the normal braking power. if the abs engages again the process must be repeated. this entire process causes braking distance to substantially increase from the expected amount.*ak

Traveling along a straight, dry, paved road. speed approx 50mph. encountered a situation requiring aggressive braking (approx 75-80%). while braking, car crossed a small bump, abs engaged for an extended time and braking power was almost completely lost. several car lengths later (road free from imperfections now), abs was still modulating and there was still virtually no braking power. distance required to stop was *much* longer than it should have been. problem has also occured x2 at low speed, nearing a stop sign, hit a pothole....lost braking until absolute last second, barely stopped in time. seems as though abs unit is confused, as if the wheels with traction are being modulated while the tire that hit the bump and has poor traction (possibly airborne momentarily?) is getting braking power, thus rendering the car with little stopping ability at all. very dangerous, i was lucky it was not an animal/child/car that i was trying to avoid. definitely dangerous, and not normal abs operation.

Nhtsa action number : pe03029, component : service brakes, hydraulic:antilock i have had this happen to me several times. the date included is not accurate, but i had to give one. i noticed on these 8 (or more) occassions that if i brake hard (abs not on) that the car is fine. but, if i hit a surface were the front tire(s) lose traction or hit a bump the brake release and then the abs will kick in for a very short distance. the surfaces include, potholes, uneven surface manhole covers, painted traffic lines, road cracks. i did notice that on one ocassion when the brakes release the brake pedal went to the floor. this was while braking going down hill my front right tire went over a recessed manhole cover. i came within 3 feet of hitting a car in front of me. i can name the city and street where this happened. and, i can repeat the occurrence with almost 90% accurancy at this spot if need be. *ak

I was going to olympus gym in springfield, va, pulling into the far end of the parking lot (the lot is empty). the lot was clean, dry asphalt with a couple of rocks scattered on it (clue?). i pull in quick to the lot (a right turn from the street 90 degrees) don't know how fast but not worrisome. then pull a 180 degree left turn to come into the parking space braking fairly hard as i go. keeping on the brakes i think i'll come to a stop, but, the abs activates with 7 feet left in the spot. stays released all the way to the end where i bump into the pole at the end of the spot marking my bumper badly. i did not even try to come off the brakes and back on to reset (i should have). i just held the brake praying they would come back. when the abs activated, my head jerked back into the head rest and stayed there (at least half a second) until i hit the pole. the abs released the brakes (all four) and left them released. *ak

I pulled into a driveway to make a u-turn. there was a slight bump (about half the height of a speed bump) at the start of the driveway. i guess the bump activated the abs because after i came to a full stop the pedal went half way to the floor. this has happened twice before, driving at 20 mph and about 40 mph and moderately braking on bumpy surfaces. the abs kick in and it feel like the car isn't slowing at all. i have to release the brake and apply it again to stop. all incidents were on dry roads.*ak

Vehicle's abs controller went bad, abs was getting activated ever in a dry non slip condition, contacted dealer, and they replaced the abs controller. reported problem about engine vibration at idle speed, dealer refuses to accept it, compared with a new vehicle at dealer's stock and the vibration in my vehicle was distinguishable. still dealer refuses to accept it. contacted 1-800-subaru3 and they said that they woul dget in touch with the dealership and see whats going on.*ak

The abs engages prematurely on rough pavent, expansion joints, etc. once it engages, the brake pedal drops to the floor and the car loses all braking power for several seconds.*ak

When braking hard, if a small bump is encountered abs will often activate and fail causing loss of stopping power. releasing the brake and re-applying will restore stopping power but not before giving the driver a good scare. i have not hit anything yet but i have had several close calls, even taking to the grass to avoid a collision. dealer could not replicate. *ts *jb ****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis****761464

When applying the brakes on bumpy roads, the abs gets triggered and the brake system loses all hydraulic pressure and brake power is completely lost. *nlm

When applying brakes lost all brake compression and pedal went to the floor.*akvehicle was braking fine until consumer lost compression after hitting a rough surface on the road. *jg

Abs fails after going over minor bumps and all pressure in the brake system is lost soon after. driver must completely disengage brake and then reapply to begin slowing down again.*ak

When braking over bumps or potholes, abs system "fails" causing near-zero braking ability and much longer stopping distances. repeatable and dangerous!*ak

While approaching a stop light that was turning yellow, road was slightly bumpy, consumer felt abs pulsating. as this happened, brake pedal went to floor and pulsating stopped, however vehicle did not slow down. this has happened about 4 times. consumer was concerned because dealer could not duplicate problem. *ak *slc

When applying brakes while going over a bump at 25 mph or less consumer can tell abs system kicks in, but brake pedal goes to the floor, no braking ability for a few sconds. this happens intermittently. dealer stated there was nothing he could do.*ak

Abs failure - upon depressing the brake pedal on uneven pavement, the brake pedal drops to the flow with no apparent brake pressure but occasional abs pulsation. contacted subaru to see if it was a known issue and was told by soa that there were no previous reports of this issue and no factory issue. see also ... http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102893&perpage=40&pagenumber=1. *ak

Approaching a toll-booth i began braking moderately from roughly 45mph. at about 15mph i went over some broken pavement with small pock marks. the pedal immediately went to the floor, or thereabouts, and a significant loss of braking power occurred. upon releasing the brake and reengaging the vehicle's brakes, the brakes operately properly and stopped the car. by the time i stopped, however, i was already 20 feet beyond the tollbooth. thank god there was not a car in front of me. i have also been able to repeat this scenario numerous times over rough, dry pavement with light to moderate braking. the bumps seem to confuse the abs.(?) i brought the car into marin subaru, who confirmed a brake hydraulic failure and replace the offending parts.*ak

On 2/4/02 i was coming up to a stop light behind traffic. when i applied my brakes nothing happened. i had brake pedal but the car did not slow down at all. i immediately i geared down going about 20mph and applied the brakes again but no reaction. i hit the car in front at the rate of about 10mph and did considerable damage to my car. this was not the first time i had a problem with the brakes. in oct. 2001 i applied the brakes at about 55mph, the abs system kicked in, but the vehicle didn't even slow down. i continued trying the brakes for at least 1 mile down the road with no slowing of the vehicle. finally the brakes started to work and i continued on my way. in dec. when i took the car in for servicing, i stated this incident and was told that the abs braking system isn't supposed to stop or slow down the car. from that point i decided to brake the car by gearing down so the abs brakes would never kick in. in jan. i applied the brakes one day to turn into my driveway and nothing not even the abs. a little further down the hill, the brakes worked and i stopped. it was a little slippery that day so i thought the failure to slow down or stop was related to the road conditions. then on 2/4/02 the brakes failed to have any reaction once again and this time there was an accident. i do not intend to drive the car again until this problem is solved.

I have experienced multiple occurrences of abs problems. if a wheels hits a bump when the brakes are applied the brakes let go completely for 2-3 seconds. it's as if the system is sensing a loss of grip at whatever wheel has hit the bump and instead of releasing pressure on that wheel for a fraction of a second it releases pressure on all four brakes for 2-3 seconds. this can occur not only under hard braking but also when slowing down gradually from a low speed. this is at best discomforting and at worst dangerous. i know that nhtsa is aware of the thread in the brake forum of www.i-club.com. additionally the problem has been documented in the april 2002 issue of sport compact car magazine page 16. article is titled picking nits. section of the article is ambitious abs. here's a quote: "it takes only the slightest bump, pavement irregularity or suggestion of lost traction to send the wrx's abs into convulsions." another one: "what makes most subarus uncommonly safe and stable in severe conditions makes the usually confidence inspiring wrx feel frighteningly unpredictable charging into bumpy corners. our long-term wrx is getting an off switch for the abs." this situation is unacceptable. an aftermarket off switch should not be required for the safe operation of an abs system. i have had my car to the dealer and they called the subaru tech hotline. they were told that there are no abs issues. i and others have called and e-mailed subaru's customer service and have been told there is no record of concerns with the abs. subaru is refusing to acknowledge this problem. it needs to be investigated and corrected. thanks. *ak

Brakes did not respond to full pressure applied to the brake pedal after getting in the exit lane of northbound interstate 75 and the i-675 south exchange. brakes did not slow the car and the car proceeded to swerve off the road, resulting in a rollover of multiple revolutions. exact number of turns is not known. it was noticed that the brakes had been grinding the day before. also, the brake pedal had started to feel soft the day of the accident. air bags, neither front nor side impact bags, did not deploy.

While in motion insured approached stop sign. vehicle 2 stopped and proceeded as insured was already accelerating and was unable to stop, therefore hitting the rear of vehicle 2. may be a possible problem with the abs system. *jg

Vehicle stopping distance in snow increases by a factor of 10 when abs system is enabled (tested by removing abs fuse - disables abs). *ak

When the wrx with an automatic transmission is at high idle, the car does not generate enough vacuum to energize the power brake booster. according to subaru, this is "normal". durning high idle, braking performance is severely reduced. from 10mph you can floor the brakes and it won't lock up the tires. apparently this problem is only with the automatic, not 5 speed.. nlm

Anti lock brake system failure. under normal braking conditions on a bumpy road vehicle will not decelerate for several seconds.*ak

The abs system does not adaquately brake over a bumpy road surface. i have almost crashed into other cars as a result of the abs system not allowing the car to brake anything like as fast as it should. *ak

I was slowing to make a right turn, the brake pedal went almost to the floor and the car was not stopping. i pulled abs fuse shortly thereafter.*ak

The braking system often fails when the brakes are applied while travelling over a rough or bumpy surface, regardless of speed (i have had it occur several times, from 5 to 35 mph). in these cases the abs is wrongfully triggered under mild braking, then the vast majority of braking power is lost and the car barely stops at all. this braking is completely different in feel and performance from the abs functioning properly ( i.e. very hard braking on a smooth surface. the brakes work fine in these cases.). this is a common problem that i am hearing about from other 2002 impreza/wrx owners.*ak

Failure was an extreme increase in stopping distance for no apparent reason on dry pavement. brake pedal went nearly to floor , no pedal pulsing, but only about 30% of normal brake force available inspite of extreme pressure on pedal. narrowly avoided head on with cars in oncoming lanes while attempting left turn. lack of brake effort resulted in excessive speed for safe left turn.*ak

The brakes that come standard on this vehicle are nowhere near sufficient for a vehicle with this level of performance. my brakes are scored, have grooves, and have chips and burrs. during my hour commute to work i experience brake fade and brake shudder in the steering wheel. the dealer tells me these problems are "normal." well, if you're going to sell me a car that accellerates and handles like a race car, it should be able to stop like one as well. or at least stop at all! this vehicle requires larger, more performance oriented brakes right from the factory. i hope subaru handles this quickly.*ak

Abs in the 2002 impreza is dangerous over bumps. brakes can fail when braking over bumps at moderate speeds when in neutral. i have had several near misses, as have many others. the problem is largely reproduceable, and not uncommon. please follow this. *ak

Rotors have been scored since new. *ak