Brakes And Braking System Name: Lee K. Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 3,500, 7000, 8,000, 11,800 Time Out Of Use: 1 hour Problem And Likely Cause: Scored rotor leading to warped rotor (poor PDI and preping) Modifications: Boost Gauge Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: Abusive driving. Your Story: Like everyone else it had nothing to do with my driving habits. Cost me 320 dollars to fix the problem. I'm far from happy and really displeased with them. Name: Sherman J. Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: Approx. 21,000 and 29,000 Time Out Of Use: N/A at this time Problem And Likely Cause: ABS seems to be over-sensitive. It activates on smooth dry pavement and the brake pedal goes to the floor. Braking force is dramatically reduced. The cause is a mystery to me. Modifications: Firestone SZ-50 tires (stock size). Hawk HP Plus pads with stock rotors. First instance was with Bridgestone RE 730's and stock brakes. Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: No TSB from SOA. Problem hard to duplicate. Your Story: I have driven cars with ABS since 1993. The first chance I got I began to test it's operation and limitations. I have activated it numerous times on wet/sandy/snow covered and icy roads. I am very familiar with how it should work. In my experience, the pedal stays firm, at about the usual distance off the floor but there is the vibrating sensation. With the WRX, I have felt the typical vibration, but the pedal sinks almost all the way to the floor. In addition, in both instances I mentioned, I was on DRY pavement--no sand, leaves, etc. I hit the brakes hard in both instances, lifted, and then hit them hard again. The ABS activated both times upon the second application of the brakes. Normally it is next to impossible to activate the ABS (in my experience) with high performance tires on a smooth dry road. IF a driver were able to do so (and I have a couple times) the deceleration rate should stay about the same. At least that has been my experience with my previous vehicles, in particular a '93 NX 2000 with stock ABS brakes and Dunlop SP 8000 tires. Bottom line: Based on fairly extensive experience (relative to the average driver) this layman's opinion is that there is something seriously wrong with the ABS on my WRX sedan. At this point I'm considering pulling the ABS fuse, at least until our first winter storm. I honestly believe the brakes would be safer with the ABS disabled. Name: Richard B. Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: from mile 1 to today (18,000+) Time Out Of Use: many visits to dealership Problem And Likely Cause: ABS over-sensitivity Modifications: None that affect ABS/brakes, also happened when stock Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: ABS tested and working as designed Your Story: Bumpy road = no brakes. I have pulled the ABS fuse about 3000 miles ago, I can't live with it anymore. I had a regional rep test drive my car, he felt it but never followed up with SOA. Happens with stock tires or my 17" S-02s. Never had this problem with my 2000 RS. Name: Scott C. Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Sedan Mileage: from mile 1 to today (16,000+) Time Out Of Use: None as of yet Problem And Likely Cause: ABS over-sensitivity Modifications: None that affect ABS/brakes - up-pipe, pulleys, air filter, body cosmetics Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): NO Reason Given For Denial: Waiting to be scheduled in Your Story: Exact same as sajohnson and bug; bumpy road - no brakes. I will pull my ABS fuse. Everyone- check with the NHTSA - three or four other sube owners have already registered a safety complaint with the website. Enough registered saftey complaints to the NHTSA is what triggers a recall. This is a safety problem, and we who have had the problem owe it to the sube community to compain and protect everyone else. Name: B. Reed Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Sedan Mileage: from ~20000 til 34500 (current) Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: Sinking brake pedal/fluttering brake pedal Modifications: none Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: 1st, brakes operating as designed, 2nd, brakes still working as designed, cause = brake booster loosing pressure under deceleration Your Story: My problem sounds almost identical to sajohnson's problem. Under normal braking conditions (not hard braking) the pedal falls about .5 to 1.0 inches towards the floor. Brake pressure seems fairly constant. Under hard braking its solid until the car slows significantly. This started at about 20,000 miles right after I had a flat and used the spare donut to get to a tire place to patch the tire. I took it to Big Valley Dodge/Subaru in Van Nuys. Had them check it during an oil change and they said it was working fine. Went back a second time 2000 miles later and went for a drive with a service technician. They charged me about $50 for a full brake inspection and said it was fine. Recently, I took the car to an independent service place (Suby Specialties in Monrovia). Without even saying a word about the brakes they took it for a road test and said something was very wrong with the brakes. Today I took it to Mazda/Subaru of Thousand Oaks. Within about 20 minutes they reported that the ABS module was probably bad. They mentioned there was a bulletin on this problem for owners who drove more than 3 miles on the spare tire. Apparently, it has the ability to "burn the ABS module". This doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but they are ordering a new ABS module for replacement under warranty.