Brake Electric Antilock problems of the 2002 Subaru Impreza Wrx - part 1

Driving during very light rain in left lane about 30 mph, car in front (about 2-3 car-lengths ahead) starts braking. I pressed the brakes and abs came on without any reason, the car did not slow down almost at all, forcing me to switch the lane quickly to the right. While switching lanes, car started skidding and diving the nose to the right/tail to the left, I tried to correct the nose to the left, but that caused a more dangerous skid to the left, toward oncoming traffic. I turned the wheel right again, trying to regain control, but the car spun out and hit a tree on right side of road with the driver's door. I was taken to a hospital and stayed there overnight for observation, released next day. Nobody was injured, the tree had a few very small scratches. I am still waiting to find out if the car will be repairable or totaled.

Traveling on a damp, bumpy asphalt road in seattle (tempurature was in the mid-40's). Light ahead turns red - I apply the brakes as usual, but the peddle suddenly sinks about an inch and I feel abs come on. It feels as if the brakes have no stopping power and are only working at about 10%. I let up on the brakes and tried again, and was able to stop before hitting the car in front of me. This has also happened once before, on some metal drawbridge grating. It seems as if the abs comes on in times when it should not, which causes the brakes to practically not work. If a car had been closer in front of me, I would have hit it.

Today I sent the following email to Subaru of America concerning the investigation of abs defect in wrx vehicles. I have experienced the problem on numerous occasions, and on no occasion was I driving in an "aggressive" manner or "hard' braking. Nor was my previous complaint to NHTSA a "parroting" of someone else's problem from the impreza website, as Subaru has accused. The abs is overly sensitive to bumpy surfaces and is a safety risk, period. My email to Subaru of America: I have just reviewed soa's letter dated 9/10/04 to NHTSA re your investigation of alleged abs problems in wrx's. I am dismayed by soa's inability to document, and refusal to acknowledge, the abs problem. I am insulted that Subaru blames the problem on "aggressive driving patterns. " the problem regularly occurs at one point in my daily urban commute when I brake for a traffic light over a bumpy surface. I am using only 15% of the braking capability at 20 mph when the abs fault occurs-- hardly "aggressive" or "hard" braking, and hardly a situation that only aggressive performance drivers would encounter. When it occurs, there is a sudden, dramatic reduction in deceleration whichis no longer proportional to pedal pressure, and increased pressure is ineffective while the abs is "confused" by the bumpy surface. Several times I have had scary moments when the drop in deceleration has resulted in nearly rear-ending the vehicle in front of me. I am very puzzled why an event, that for me is so predictable and repeatable, has escaped your analysis. I further take offense to the claim in your letter that many of the complaints to the NHTSA were dishonest repetitions of problems a few had described on an owners website. Nice try, but I can attest to the validity of the problem in my car, having experienced it dozens of times. Discussion on the website has informed owners of the problem and may have prevented some accidents, something I cannot say for Subaru! charles f. Visser.

This complaint is in regards to a continuing problem with my 2002 Subaru Impreza Wrx wagon. While braking on uneven roads, especially when encountering potholes or other conditions where one or more tires momentarily lose traction, the abs will engage and remain engaged for a significant amount of time (after the momentary or instantaneous loss of traction). This causes the car to brake ineffectively or sometimes not at all. This has put me in uncomfortable and/or dangerous situations on numerous occasions when the car does not brake as expected. It is my understanding that this issue is currently under investigation by the NHTSA and Subaru, so I am awaiting the outcome of this investigation.

Abs goes off for no reason on slightly rough roads.

I was pulling in to a gas stations parking lot at about 15 mph and hit a pot hole with my passanger side front tire at the same time I applyed the brake heavly to slow down for the late seen hole when the brakes go completely hard. It felt as if I wasn't applying the brakes at all, it took a good 10 to 15 ft to come to a complete stop luckly I had enough room to stop. This isn't the first time I have had this happen I also try to slow down to fast once and ran over a parking cirb. The anti lock brakes don't feel like all other cars I have drove (pontiac Saturn Ford), they never pulse on like the other cars they are just hard.

The abs activates prematurely during threshold braking on rough or uneven dry paved surfaces (washboards especially), causing extended braking distance, loss of brake pedal pressure. Abs operates as expected on wet smooth surfaces without being noticed.

I was traveling on a street with some construction activities approaching an intersection. There was a small road irregularity on the road. This road irregularity spans across both of the front wheels. When I applied the brake (before I can feel the road irregularity), the car continued to leap forward for a moment and the braking distance was much greater then I anticipated and not the normal behavior of the car. Have there been a car I strongly believe that my car's abs braking system has a problem.

Over rough surfaces (including potholes, railroad tracks, and ripples in the road ) my abs seems to kick in when it is not needed and causes the break pedal to go to the floor on occasions.

Complete failure of the braking system. During snowy conditions at approximately 15mph, I pressed the brake pedal very softly. The pedal was very stiff and didn't depress at all (no travel at all). The abs didn't activate and no braking occured, I pressed harder and still nothing. The car didn't slide at all, didn't slow and no braking occured at all. I let all pressure off the pedal and again gently pressed the pedal again. The car slowed to a stop like normal. It was -5 deg f. Outside at the time of the incident. It has never happened before or since this incident but in 17 years of driving I've never had a car do this. I would have gone right into the intersection if I hadn't been breaking very early due to the conditions. I stress that the initial application of the brake pedal was very gentle and no matter how hard I subsequently pushed the pedal didn't depress at all at any time untill I let up pressure and tried again.

I have had instances where my abs would not work when I hit a irregularity in the road surface, or when I go over a speedbump.

The vehicle failed to slow down and subsequent hard braking led to loss of control. The rear end swayed to the right and hit the right barrier, then turned around, front right hit the left barrier. The vehicle had history of not being able to stop on surfaces with the slightest bumps, as found on exit ramps and intersections. The vehicle was checked prior to the accident for the brakes by the dealer and had found no problem. Subaru declined to look at the vehicle after the accident for possible manufacturing defect regarding the abs. It is still in my garage for possible inspection.

I drive a 2002 Subaru Impreza Wrx sedan. The abs system is terrible on this vehicle and has numerous times failed to apply pressure to the brake system, regardless of pedal position. One time specifically this caused me to not be able to avoid hitting a deer, and doing 4000 dollars of damage to my vehicle. The dealership denies any problems, but I way more than enough stopping distance where any vehicle should have been able to stop. The surface was rough asphalt. I was going approximated 55 mph (speed limit), and was 200 ft away from the deer when I first applied pressure to the brake pedal.

The abs on my 2002 Subaru wrx wagon engages in situations when it seems that it should not engage. It feels like there are no brakes sometimes.

I own a 2002 Subaru Impreza Wrx wagon, which comes standard with abs brakes. I'd heard through a variety of channels that there was an abs issue with the car, in that under specific circumstances the driver could momentarily lose all braking ability. I had my doubts, having owned the car for 2 years before my incident occurred, but it did finally happen to me. I was coming to a stop at a light that had turned red. There were no cars in front of me. I was traveling about 35-40 mph and began braking with a light-moderate pedal pressure. About 200 feet before the intersection, there is a seam in the pavement and the latter piece of roadway is about 1-2 inches below the part before it. In other words, it's a very small drop off. Upon hitting this drop off and maintaining pedal pressure, the abs briefly cycled (felt as a vibration in the brake pedal) and then the car stopped decelerating for about 2 seconds. It was as if I'd lifted completely off the brake pedal, yet I had not. Once I realized I wasn't going to stop, I released the pedal and reapplied it very quickly. Braking force was returned, as if there were no problem. This is the only time I've experienced the incident. I've driven many abs-equipped cars in the past, and am very familiar with what abs braking feels like. I'm ase certified in braking systems, and have raced both abs and non-abs equipped cars at an amateur level. What I felt was not normal abs operation, and had there been a car stopped at the intersection ahead of me I may well have run into it. I enjoy my car quite thoroughly, and like everything else about it. I'm not 'out to get' Subaru. But there is decidedly a flaw in the abs system that many others and now myself have experienced. I just don't want to be caught off guard again.

Abs system will engage over rough roads, bumps, railroad tracks, manhole covers or any uneven road situation even when abs is not needed. The system then takes several seconds to recover and allow normal braking. This results in greatly increased stopping distances and driver uneasiness. Generally, happens at low speeds (less than 40 mph) when approaching a stop sign, traffic signal, or stopped traffic.

Lack of braking force when abs cycles on. Occurs on bumpy or slippery surfaces.

My 2002 Subaru wrx sedan has displayed unreliable abs behavior. This has resulted in my first accident in 10 years of driving. The car appears to loose virtually all breaking power when encountering any road imperfections. While the abs system should engage in such an even, it should disengage as soon as it clears the problem. However, while driving, I have noticed the wrx continues to loose breaking power. While driving down a 35-mph road, I encountered a minor collision caused by a car being obstructed or cut off. Normally at this speed I would assume 5-6 car lengths to be sufficient to stop the car, but while breaking I encountered a small dip in the road surface. When the car passed over the dip, the abs engaged, after that point the car continued to loose breaking power until I collided with the car ahead of me. During the year I have owned the car, I have encountered this problem a number of times  non of which caused an accident. I initially attributed it to the brake and rotor wear, but after replacing the whole breaking system about a month before this accident, the problem re-occurred. It appears to be systemic to the abs design/programming.

Abs over sensitive - will often cause failure of braking power when going over bumps/potholes/road seams during normal braking. Will cause extended braking distances despite good road conditions and slow travel speed. Brake pedal goes to floor and car fails to stop.

Many incidents. I was driving at a low rate of speed, around 25, coming up to a stop sign and there was a car ahead of me. A second or so after I applied the brakes I went over some small bumps on dry pavement and it felt like abs was coming on, the pedal dropped, but then it went way down and it wasn't pulsing. Basically the car felt like it lost the majority of its braking power and did not return until I lifted up and pushed down again briefly. I've had this happen many times where a small amount of bumps in the road will cause the abs "overreact" for lack of a better term.

The brakes on my 2002 Subaru wrx faded, and my foot went to the floor, and then the brakes after 3 to 5 seconds kicked in.

Abs brakes malfunctioned going over rail road tracks and/or the occasional metal expansion joint.

When I am braking on an uneven surface, such as a pothole, or sometimes on gravel, the abs will be triggered, causing a loss of braking pressure which causes the braking distance to be extended considerably. I have not gotten into an accident as a result of this, yet, but I am worried as I can't be monitoring pavement conditions everytime I apply my brakes.

When driving in pavement irregularities the car seems like it doesn't want to stop. (almost rear ended another car) so far I haven't had any accident, just trying to prevent one. I own a 2002 Subaru wrx. This has happen in several occasions but I can't remember a specific date.

I would like to add to your review of the abs issues with these cars. It is a known problem among all wrx owners that the abs system is faulty. I have been in several instances where I was trying to stop and would hit a pothole and the abs became overactive and I actually went partly through the light. It only takes a small bump to drastically hamper the braking performance. The most recent occurance was just last month.

When braking on uneven surfaces, brakes will momentarily stop working.

Whenever I brake over uneven (jiggly) terrain, the abs on my 2002 wrx "kicks in" and braking is reduced and braking distance is lengthened. No other car that I have owned with abs over the past 15 years has had this problem. No accidents or injuries, but numerous scary moments when braking was diminished while going over bumps.

Subaru wrx antilock braking system periodically and unprdictably inhibits stopping power.

During a rather low speed stop on a high friction surface, I applied the brakes coming to a stop sign. There was a small amount of sand and some potholes at the intersection. I felt the abs brakes engage and begin pulsing. . . And all braking power went away, I did not continue to slow down and literally coasted out into the intersection. My foot was fully depressed and dropped to the floor. The car is a 2002 Subaru wrx with less than 13k miles on it. The brakes are in excellent. Shape. I have heard this is a common problem, the abs removing all braking action under conditions where full lockup is not occurring.

This has happened several times over the last two years (date is the first incident I recall). On surfaces that are wet, snowy or icy, I cannot brake into a turn. The car does not turn or stop, but merely slides in a straight line and eventually stops after it goes 3 feet or more, depending on my speed when I attempted to take the turn. This happens at all speeds, even when I am going very slowly (less than 5 mph, for example, as to make a 90-degree turn into a parking lot). In order to take two turns on my daily commute, I must come to a complete stop, turn the wheel, and then accelerate into the turn. Amazingly, I have not had an accident due to this problem, though I have had some very close calls. One thing Ive found that helps is turning the steering wheel sharply so the front tires are perpendicular to the cars path. I couldnt think of anything else to try, and this seems to make the car stop more quickly while in a slide. The mechanics at my local dealership ran diagnostics and pronounced my brakes fine. I tried to suggest something else to check during a 20-minute phone call with the mechanic, but his only suggestion was that it could be my tires (which are standard and just 2 years old). I have driven other makes of cars with anti-lock brakes and have not had this problem, even on icy, snowy, rain-drenched roads.

Abs brake performance - the abs over reacts to uneven or slick surfaces and fully engages reducing braking effectiveness. This can be caused by rippled or uneven pavement or a manhole cover and can happen under any braking condition from moderate to heavy braking. The only way to regain braking is to let off and then reapply the brakes, the exact opposite of what I've been taught about abs. This condition eventually resulted in a crash and $7000 damage to my vehicle in a braking situation where I don't feel abs action was warranted.

I was driving along in my 2002 Subaru wrx wagon on some local roads and I was coming up to a stop on some rough pavement , giving myself plenty of room to stop when the abs kicked in and then my pedal dropped to the floor and the car wasn't stopping. It finally bounced a few times and the car came to a stop- far beyond where it was supposed to have. I have encountered this issue many times and I feel, as others do, the abs on this model vehicle is simply an accident waiting to happen- and many have been involved in such as a result.

Abs engages when braking on surfaces with good traction if tire(s) goes over a bump for a brief moment. Does not disengage when tire returns to good traction surface. Causes loss of braking power. Brake pedal must be released then reapplied in order to regain braking power. Abs is completely ineffective on loose surfaces, such as gravel.

The abs on this car has activated 3 times on 100% dry roads at low to moderate speed. The activation seems to be caused by bumps or expansion joints in the pavement. This results in loss of most or all braking power. 2 of these occasions would have caused accidents had there been anyone in front of us. *** dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis***758325.

When braking on bumps (wet or dry), car does not stop safely.