2008 Subaru Wrx

LOUD CLICKING/CRACKING NOISE STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN THE CLUTCH IS LET OUT. DID NOT THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT. IN NOVEMBER OF 2014, THE CLICKING STOPPED AND WAS LEFT WITH AN EERIE SQUEAKING SOUND. THIS IS WHEN I STARTED TO INVESTIGATE WHAT IT IS. TURNS OUT, THE FIREWALL IS TOO THIN TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE FROM THE BRAKE/CLUTCH MECHANISM. THE PINS THAT GO THROUGH THE FIREWALL GET WORN AWAY FROM THE THIN FIREWALL CAUSING THE SPOT WELDS TO FAIL. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT A SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT IS THE SPOT WELDS. I AM WAITING TO HEAR MORE FROM SUBARU OF AMERICA TO SEE IF THEY WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS IN FACT A MANUFACTURES DEFECT AND NOT SOMETHING THAT IS CAUSED BY NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. IF THAT WAS THE CASE THERE WOULD NOT BE THIS MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUED ON THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. IF THERE ARE THIS MANY COMPLAINTS HERE, HOW MANY CARS ARE OUT THERE WITH DRIVERS THAT ARE OBLIVIOUS TO THIS DEFECT THAT ARE STILL DRIVING WITH BRAKES/CLUTCH THAT COULD FAIL AT ANY TIME? *TR

WHEN DRIVING HOME I WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY BRAKE PEDAL WHEN TO THE FLOOR WITH NO PRESSURE. I USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND CLUTCH TO GET OUT OF GEAR TO SLOW DOWN. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN TO A STOP AND WHEN I STOPPED MY BRAKES CONTINUED TO WORK. I TOOK MY CAR INTO A SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WELDS ON MY FIREWALL WERE BROKEN THAT HOLD ON MY CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY. *TR

HAD A CLUTCH PEDAL SQUEAK NOISE FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THEN WHILE DRIVING, WENT TO PUSH IN THE CLUTCH, HEARD A POP NOISE. THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND CLUTCH PEDAL BEGAN TO MOVE IN ERRATIC DIRECTIONS WHEN DEPRESSED. THE PIECE OF SHEET METAL THAT THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY BOLTS TO BROKE AWAY FROM THE FIREWALL. ALL THE WELDS BROKE DO TO FLEXING IN THE FIREWALL SHEETMETAL. *TR

I RECOGNIZED A SQUEAKING SOUND EVERY TIME I DEPRESSED MY CLUTCH TO SHIFT THE CAR. HAVING HAD AN OIL CHANGE, I WASN'T SCHEDULED FOR CAR MAINTENANCE FOR 3 MONTHS OR 3,000 MILES. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC FOR SERVICE, I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE SQUEAKING SOUND. THE TECHNICIAN FOUND A THAT THE STRUCTURE OF THE FIREWALL AT THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY WAS FAILING - THE SPOT WELDS WERE SHATTERED. THE TECHNICIAN REMOVED THE WIPER BLADE ASSEMBLY AND FOUND THAT THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY FLEXES TO THE POINT OF MOVING THE FIREWALL OUT AT THE CLUTCH MASTER AND THAT THE FIREWALL IS CRACKED AT THE CLUTCH CYLINDER. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, THE TECHNICIAN LEARNED THE PROBLEM IS INHERENT IN THIS PARTICULAR YEAR AND MODEL, AS WELL AS IN THE 2009 MODEL. THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDS REMOVING THE DASHBOARD, BRAKE BOOSTER, MASTER CYLINDER, AND CLUTCH CYLINDER IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY AND WELD THE BROKEN PIECES OF THE BRACKET THAT SHOULD BE HOLDING THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY IN PLACE. THIS REQUIRES ONLY WELDING AND REPLACING THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY, AS WELL AS FLUSHING THE BRAKE AND CLUTCH FLUID. THE OVERALL CONCERN WITH THIS STRUCTURAL FAILURE IS THAT THE DEGRADATION OF THE FIREWALL AND CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WILL CREATE AN ISSUE WHERE MY SAFETY IS AT RISK WHEN I LOSE THE ABILITY TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE SHIFTING WILL FAIL. IN A LOW OR HIGH SPEED SITUATION, I WOULD NEED TO DOWN OR UP SHIFT MY CAR TO HELP AVOID COLLISION OR LESSEN THE IMPACT OF A COLLISION. WITHOUT THIS ABILITY, I PUT MY LIFE, MY PASSENGER'S LIFE AND OTHER DRIVERS' LIVES IN DANGER. GIVEN THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE WITH THE MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR, I BELIEVE SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL. I AM ESPECIALLY CONCERNED TO FIND THAT MY PARTICULAR CAR IS ON THE PULL DOWN MENU WITH THE NTSB, AND UNTIL MY CAR STARTED TO FAIL, I HEARD NOTHING FROM THE NTSB, SUBARU OR THE DEALERSHIPS REGARDING THIS ISSUE. RESPONSE EXPECTED. *TR

I HAVE BEEN NOTICING A CREAKING AND POPPING NOISE FROM MY CLUTCH/BRAKE PEDAL ASSAY FOR SOME TIME NOW AND HAVE FOUND IT TO BE THE BRACE THAT HOLDS THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FIREWALL OF VEHICLE IS SPOT WELDED IN 2 PLACES AT TOP OF BRACKET AND THE SPOT WELDS HAVE CRACKED AND BROKEN AND THE BRACE NOW MOVES AROUND AND THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDAL BIND AND STICK. I HAVE SINCE NOTICED IT GETTING WORSE AND NOTICED THE 4 SPOT WELDS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BRACE HAVE CRACKED AND BROKEN ALSO. AS A AUTO TECHNICIAN I SEE PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE ALL THE TIME AND THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN IF THE BRACE AS TO BREAK OFF COMPLETELY THE VEHICLE WOULD LOOSE BRAKING CAPABILITIES AND THE ABILITY FOR THE CLUTCH TO DISENGAGE THE ENGINE FROM THE TRANSMISSION IN AN EMERGENCY I HAVE NOTICED ON MULTIPLE FORUMS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I FEEL AS SUBARU SHOULD PERFORM A RECALL/REPAIR FOR THIS ISSUE AS TO NOT HAVE VEHICLES BEING UNSAFE TO DRIVE. IF NEEDED I CAN SUPPLY PICTURES OF MY VEHICLE AND THE POINT OF FAILURE. *TR

I WAS HAVING A PROBLEM SHIFTING GEARS AND NOTICED THAT WHEN I DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS MOVING ALSO. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE PEDAL MOUNTING BRACKET THAT IS SPOTWELDED TO THE FIREWALL HAD BROKEN AT THE WELDS. I WAS QUOTED $1200 FOR THE REPAIRS AS THE DASH & STEERING COLUMN HAVE TO BE REMOVED. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION AS IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I FEEL THAT SUBARU SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE REPAIRS AS THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN DEFECT AND A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

MY CLUTCH STARTED SQUEAKING FOR A MONTH AND HALF. WHEN THE SQUEAKING STOPPED, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE SQUEAKING STOPPED ONLY BECAUSE THE WHOLE FIREWALL HAD BROKEN. THE CAR IS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED TOMORROW, AND I AM OUT OF WARRANTY FOR MY 2008 STI. I AM WRITING TO YOU BECAUSE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, WHICH INCLUDES THE CLUTCH AND THE BRAKING AND THE TRANSMISSION. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP WILL NOT FIX IT FOR ME AND HAS REFERRED ME TO A COLLISION SHOP BUT I AM NOW BEING FORCED TO PAY FOR THESE REPAIRS OUT-OF-POCKET. *TR