Clutch problems of the 2002 Subaru Impreza Wrx

Soa gold plus added security 7 year/100,000 mi contract coverage so extensive it's easier to list what is not covered! 2002 wrx 64,500 mi now at metric Subaru dix hills, NY blew out trans/man clutch assembly & wants $3,600. Metric replaced manual clutch ass 62,980 mi, costing $1,175 & brought back car less than 400 mi later because of crunching when shifting in first & reverse & wasn't fixed because metric couldn't verify complaint. Few days later gear stuck in reverse & car wouldn't budge while in the middle of street. Subaru towed car to metric, couldn't verify complaint as gear became unstuck. New years day, with dropped clutch pedal couldn't get into gear so Subaru towed car back to metric. Upon calling soa received # 1072552 from les handley and after signing $500. Auth tear down chg was then told trans/man clutch assembly blown out/ gears stripped/chipped. Soa refuses to authorize dealer to fix the car asserting abused car and driven aggressively. Metric explained manual trans a problem and we see researching website, numerous complaints nearly same identical story of trans & man clutch assembly blown out/gears stripped/chipped with soa denying repairs asserting abuse. Is it possible every owners tale of woe is a lie? Subaru replaced our trans 29,068 mi after finding gears, synros and sleeves defective. Subaru three months later at 29,740 mi found transmission leaking, seeing transmission case porous & replaced it. 42,546 mi Subaru replaced worn reverse trans shift rail and clip. Soa customer care rep, patricia hung up on us while we tried to obtain satisfaction on claim for repairs under service contract, stating dealership service reps informed her we abused the car and drove it aggressively, a fact they out and out denied to our face when confronted on that matter. Service rep informed us they sent pics and a description of the problem and requested authorization for repair & was denied with our service rep feeling soa was looking to avoid this extremely explosive issue.

Last week as I was driving to work, the clutch pedal started feeling a bit loose (ie soft until it was depressed half-way) and was sticking to the floor when depressed fully. It became incredibly difficult to shift at all and I was quite fortunate to have not caused any accidents as I was not on the highway. Had I been at higher speed and been for example attempting to pass someone and the pedal would have failed in the same way, much more serious consequences would have occurred. It then became impossible to shift into 1st gear on a cold morning until I had pumped the clutch for awhile and let the car warm up. Once I had done this, I could sometimes shift with no problems, but the pedal would still stick to the floor most of the time making me have to pull it back up with my foot. After calling the local dealer, I found that Subaru has identified this as an issue with my car and has issued a service bulletin (TSB# 03-52-03) confirming that a hose failure is at fault. Subaru will not replace my hose free of charge because I am out of the warranty period. Considering the quick onset of this problem and the potential hazard to the driver and others, it would seem that Subaru should be responsible for replacing the offending hose with one that will not fail free of charge regardless of warranty status.

Car: 02 Subaru wrx manual transmission the car suffers from the clutch judder described by many, and detailed in TSB 03-51-02. My car has 44000 miles. The basic warranty on the car is 3yr/36000. Powrtrain is 6 yr/60000. My dealer acknowledges my problem as being exactly as in the TSB. However, he informs me the repair is not to be fixed at no charge to me- since the basic warranty has expired. Given that the car is so difficult to drive, and there is an acknowledged manufacturing defect, in a powertrain component, I don't see the problem. Except Subaru of America wanting to avoid paying for it by labeling it a 'wear' item, and therefore covered under 3yr/36k. Please advise.

2002 wrx wagon. Manual shift. Clutch problems on daily basis, no matter if the car is properly warmed up or cold. Car shudders. Also, it's hard to shift from 1st to 2nd and from 3rd to 2nd. Even when the clutch pedal is fully pressed, grinding sound appears. There's no specific pattern in this behaviour. It happens randomly during driving or moving from a full stop.

While returning to las vegas from a camping trip on ventura freeway near the tarzana exit our 2003 wrx experienced a loss of braking at approximately 25 mph in stop and go traffic on clear, dry, rain grooved highway. My wife was driving the wrx at the time and she reported that the abs kicked in and then "let go" causing her car to roll into mine (pulling our camp trailer), she struck the trailer doing about 5 to 7 mph. Damage to her wrx was in excess of $5k, damage to trailer and my car was cosmetic only. A similar incident occurred while I was driving the wrx on the way to camping site, same symptoms but no traffic to avoid. . . I assumed that road condition was probable fault. My wife noticed that the abs seemed too sensitive shortly after purchase of vehicle. After about a month it went away. Problem returned after warranty work was performed to replace clutch system components last month. Vehicle is presently being repaired and then will be sent to dealer service (in van nuys) to inspect brakes and abs prior to our taking possession after repair. Insurance and dealership has been informed that we believe that this accident was caused by abs failure.

For about a year now, in the morning when the car is first started, the clutch shudders when it is initially engaged into first gear. The car often shakes violently. The problem usually goes away when the car warms up, but returns the next morning. I cannot imagine that this is good for the clutch, and is due to manufacturer defects. Subaru acknowledges the problem (they have issued a service bulletin) but refuses to replace the clutch if it is not under the warranty period.

Clutch slippage: strong vibration and rumbling sound when clutch is engaged (pedal released) in first gear when engine is cold. Problem started around 14,000 miles. No obd code reported from dealer. Dealer was unable to reproduce during test drive. However, several automotive magazines have reported same problem on their long term tests.