Brake Electric Antilock problems of the 2000 Subaru Outback

Brake pedal goes 1/2 way down before brakes engage at all. Pedal can be pushed to floor without much effort by my 120lb wife. Abs did not engage. Neither airbag deployed - impact speed was 30 to 35 mph. Dealer insists brakes are ok. 2001 model has 13 inch discs and it stops great! (our rental is a 2001 Outback wagon). We love the car, it just worries us that it doesn't stopproperly and the airbags don't go off - apparently the 'computer' deemed it "unecessary" although it was a head-on, smack in the middle of the front, collision!.

When driving and applying brakes pedal is soft, and there is excessive free play.

When the brake pedal is depressed on this vehicle, the pedal travel is so long and spongy that when the pedal is fully depressed it is below the level of the gas pedal. The incident I am reporting occurred when I had to make an emergancy stop. My foot (being a wide shoe size) ended up not only in contact with the brake pedal but also the accelerator pedal. Consequently, I was unable to stop the vehicle and struck a road sign. I contacted Subaru and my dealer and their response was that all of the cars they manufacture have the same brake feel and pedal travel. Just because all of the vehicles are like this dosen't make it right. The car is fine under normal driving conditions because you have time to think about where your feet are, but in an emergency situation it can be deadly.

Experenicing brake problem when applying brakes. Too much force is needed to get vehicle to stop properly. Dealer /manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that nothing can be done.