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Clutch And Transmission
This is where it all started folks... my warranty denial at 53,000 miles. This is a copy/paste of the webpage that spawned this website, and was orginally hosted on one of the other sites in the Ravensblade family, Ravensblade-Impreza.com so the format will be quite a bit different that the usual format of this site. unless you are interested in doing business with a company who will not stand behind their product or their warranties on said product, will brush off a loyal, long-term customer with four Subarus in the family at present (16 all told in the past), that will overturn previously paid-out warranty claims, and they will do this all based upon a technicality. Let me present the facts that lead me to this supplication to you now.
I therefore submit to you the reader, that despite a family history of Subarus spanning back to 1984, I cannot in good conscience recommend one to anyone from now on, based upon the runaround you will get trying to have legitimate warranty claims attended to. I have thus far lost 3 days productivity with my vehicle, and one day of work, soon to be many more unless I pay myself what should be a warranty claim. SOA *clearly* is more concerned with bottom-line dollar earnings than customer satisfaction. I cannot explain why this is the case to you the reader, however- if you are still considering a course of action that leads you to buying a Subaru, I strongly suggest you call 1.800.SUBARU3 and ask for Dan. With any luck, perhaps he can brusquely explain to you all the reasons why SOA will deny legitimate warranty claims you may have in the future based upon any technicality that suits them best, for I certainly cannot see the reasoning behind it. Am I angry? Yes. Did I let it show? Certainly, I am only human. was I unreasonable or irrational with SOA? Certainly not. In closing, I wish you much better luck and treatment should you experience a problem than I have received today at the hands of SOA. Let the buyer beware! Interesting footnote: I recently (October 2003) had some work done on my car at the dealership, checking for a phantom exhaust leak I could not find. On the repair order, just below the mileage field is a field for the serial number of the AC system. In said field is once again the notation "CS 43101" for "Cluster Swapped 43,101 miles." Odd that it began showing up again long after my warranty expired. Name: Shane Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 12k Time Out Of Use: 2 weeks the first time and second time (now) still waiting Problem And Likely Cause: 2nd and 5th gear blown (first time) 1st gear blown (current) Reason Given For Denial: My bad driving habits Modifications: None Your Story: The first time I was exiting the freeway after helping my friend fix a flat. I was exiting the freeway approaching a stop sign at about 35 mph and I tried to shift into 2nd gear and heard a loud grinding pop. Diagnosis was that all the teeth wre stripped from the gear. They denied warrenty coverage to my car because of indications of abuse to the vehicle, those being side wall wear of the tires and that for the teeth to be chipped off, the car would have to be jammed into gear. After contesting it with SOA they told us they would cover half of the new tranny and the rest would have to come out of our pocket. Now, on the second occurrence, I have told the dealership while taking my car in for its routine inspection that first gear was hard to shift into and that fourth gear was grinding when put into gear. They had the car back out to me in 45 minutes- a little too quick in my opinion to actually check out the tranny while changing the oil and rotating the tires as well. However, they said everything seems fine so I left. About 3k miles later my first gear broke right outside of my driveway. They are denying warranty coverage of this tranny because a section of teeth were stripped from my first gear, which they from high rpm clutch dumps. They did say it was a gradual problem that just decided to break one morning. I have not dumped the clutch on this tranny have not done high rpm launches because I was already too scared to break another tranny, because I cannot afford shelling out $4500. Now since they are going to deny it, I'm going to fix it, sell it, and eat my $12,000 down payment and extended warranty. I'll probably go back to Acura. Name: Scott P Make: 2002 WRX Mileage: ~14000 at time of problem Time Out Of Use: n/a Case Number/Repair Order: SOA Case Number 374 524 Problem And Likely Cause: Vibration and noise under deceleration caused by a defective clutch Reason Given For Denial: "It's normal" Modifications: Removed Air Silencer, K&N Air Filter, Alarm, Turbo Timer, Rear Swaybar Your Story: Dealer 1: Lithia Reno Subaru 2270 Kietzke Lane Reno, NV 89502 Phone: (775) 825-8474 Toll Free: 1-800-495-6060 Fax: (775) 825-8230 Email: leads_renosubaru@lithia.com Dealer 2: Michael Hohl Subaru 4500 N. Carson St. Carson City, NV 89706 Phone: (775) 885-0400 Fax: (775) 885-8572 Thursday, Mar 21, 2002 I went by Lithia Reno Subaru Service Dept. and talked to John. Explained my clutch was making a buzzing noise under deceleration between 2500-3500 rpms. Said I had noticed it since the day I got the car, but assumed it was normal. Explained that I've recently heard other people have had this problem, and that it was a known problem with a known solution available via the SOA tech line. Brought a printout that summarized the tech line information: - Rattle under de-cel usually in 3rd gear, 4000-2000 Rpm usually. - Increase rear tire pressure 4 psi, decrease front 4 psi, should get louder. Do the opposite, should get quieter. - If the last six digits of you VIN are lower than 515611, you have the old type clutch from the factory. If your motor number is less than 331738 (white tag, hard to find), you have the old clutch from the factory. - The official subaru tech line fix (as of today), is IF your car HAS the OLD clutch parts as indicated by the VIN and Motor numbers, IT IS TO BE REPLACED BY THE FOLLOWING PARTS: 30100AA790 - Disc 30210AA530 - Cover (pressure plate) 12342AA050 - Flywheel 800610740 - Bolts Service Rep (John) told me that he can't do warranty work on my car just because I bring him a printout of a problem. I told him that I just want to schedule a time to get a tech ride-a-long so a tech could diagnose the problem. John scheduled me for Wed, Mar 27, 2002 for an 8am ride-a-long. Wednesday, Mar 27, 2002 Arrived for ride-along at 8:30. John's technician Mike rode with me. After demonstrating the noise, Mike told me he knows what noise I'm talking about. He tells me he has a WRX and his car makes the same noise and he thinks that it's normal. I show Mike the above-mentioned printout, and a copy of an invoice from another dealer who has fixed a similar problem: A CUSTOMER STATES CHECK FOR ENGINE NOISE, SEE HISTORY ENG ENGINE REPAIR / DIAGNOSTICS 343 WS (N/C) 1 30100AA790 DISC CP CLUTCH (N/C) 1 30210AA530 COVER CP CLUTCH (N/C) 1 12342AA050 FLY WHL AY FLEX (N/C) 8 800610740 BOLT (N/C) 4315 ENGINE NOISE WARRENTY TEST DROVE WITH CUSTOMER, HEARD ON DECEL A GROWLING NOISE FROM FRANS, OR TURBO AREA. CHECKED READINGS WITH NSM ALL READINGS APPEAR NORMAL, CHECKED TRANS FLUID OK. CALLED TECH LINE AND TALKED TO MIKE. AFTER CHANGING TIRE PSI AND SEVERAL TEST DRIVES WE DETERMINED NOISE RO BE COMING FROM THE CLUTCH. ORDERED PARTS WITH #S GIVEN TO ME FROM THE TECH LINE. REMOVED TRANS, REPLACED FLYWHEEL, PILOT BEARING, PRESSURE PLATE AND DISC. REASSEMBLED AND TEST DROVE.HEARD NO OTHER ABNORMAL NOISES. 2.0 TURBO MANUAL TRANS AWD. **************************************************** B WARRENTY PAIN RENTAL WARRRENT WARRENTY PAID RENTAL 343 WS (N/C) 4315 **************************************************** I explained to mike that I’ve heard the clutch problem is common on early WRXs. Mike was interested to call the tech line. We went back to John. Mike tells John he heard the noise, but thought it was normal. John immediately agrees the noise was normal. Mike shows him the second printout, John tells me he’ll have to do some research on the topic, and that he’ll call me as soon as he has more information. I left Subaru at 8:50am. Did not receive a call. Called Subaru at 4:30pm talked to John. John tells me that he has a called placed with the tech line and is waiting for them to call him back. 5:15pm, John calls my work number, but I am away from my desk. Leaves a message for me to call him. 5:20pm, I return John’s phone call. He tells me his tech Mike called the tech line and spoke with the Mike listed on the Carr Subaru Invoice. John tells me his tech has determined the noise to be normal, and he can’t replace anything if there’s no problem. I ask John what the tech line said. John tells me again that his tech says the noise is normal because his tech has a WRX and he knows what they sound like. John tells me if I have a problem with any of this to call the Subaru of America customer service number. John never tells me what the tech line said, and has determined my car is normal without following the testing procedure the tech line should have given him. Thursday, March 28, 2002 Called Subaru, talked to John. Asked John to fax me my service record. John says he’s not allowed to fax it, only the office manager Bill Metgart can fax it to me, and he’s out till Monday. I ask John to reiterate what the tech line said about my car. John says he already told me. I ask again, so John forwards my call to Mike the technician that did the ride-along and called the tech line. I ask Mike what the tech line says. Mike tells me the tech line says the noise is normal gear noise. I asked I ask him if the tech line gave him a testing procedure to determine if the sound was from the clutch or not. He says yes they did. I ask how can he determine the noise is normal when the test was not performed on my car. He tells me the sound is from the transmission. I ask again, how can he know that without performing the test. He says I should call the Service Dept. back, and they will schedule a District Service Operations Manager to check out my car. Called John back. Explain that I’d like to make sure all the discussions we’ve had are noted on my service record. John tells me there’s no way for him to edit my service record. I tell him Mike was given a testing procedure that was not performed on my car before determining everything was normal, and that I must have that noted on my service record. John tells me if I bring my car by, he can have a tech look at it and generate a service record. I tell him that I’d just like the non-test of my car noted. He told me Bill Metgart will be in the office at 1pm today, and that he’d talk with Bill about fixing my service record. I asked him to make sure Bill Metgart calls me when he gets in, John agrees. Called Subaru of America, talked to Eric. Received case number: 374 524. Eric suggested two possible courses of action: 1) Schedule a meeting at Lithia Subaru with a District Service Operations Manager to have the car inspected by SOA, or 2) go to another dealer, and start over. I decided to call Michael Hohl Subaru in Carson City. I scheduled an appointment for Monday at 9am to have the clutch evaluated. Never heard from Bill Metgart. Monday, April 01, 2002 Went to Michael Hohl Subaru in Carson City for my 9am appointment. Not only was the service staff friendly and helpful, their technician already knew of the problem, and the solution. It took me all of 2 minutes from walking in the door, to having my parts on order. Hopefully in a week the installation will go just as smoothly. This leaves me very disappointed with the staff at Lithia Reno Subaru. I had assumed that they were perhaps under stiff constraints regarding warranty work, and had to make sure there was a definitive problem with the car. Now I believe they simply wished to avoid servicing my car… for whatever reasons I cannot understand. Lithia Reno Subaru will never get my business again, and I will recommend to everyone that may consider going there to make the 20 minutes drive to Carson City to visit Michael Hohl Subaru instead. Name: Dennis C. Make: 2000 Impreza 2.5 RS Mileage: 38k Time Out Of Use: almost 3 months Case Number/Repair Order: 353867 Problem And Likely Cause: Tranny Failure Reason Given For Denial: First they said mud on the car, then said I was shifting into reverse while moving, then said I used an Exedy clutch and it voided the warranty. Modifications: Exedy Clutch and Flywheel Your Story: On Sunday, March 10, 2002, my 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS transmission broke for the fourth time. I immediately brought the vehicle to Valley Motors, an authorized Subaru dealer. The following day I contacted Subaru of America as this was not the first time for transmission failure. At 9,313 (nine thousand, three hundred and thirteen) miles, the car was taken to Bel Air Subaru, also known as Jones Subaru, for the first time. At that time the transmission was found to be defective and replaced the parts under warranty. This repair solved the transmission problem until the car reached approximately 32,000 miles. At that time I spoke to Bel Air Subaru and informed them that the transmission was “grinding” intermittently. The advice provided by Darryl at Bel Air Subaru was that they did not find the “grinding” but were aware of a “notchiness” in the shifting. He further advised that if the problem continued, he would be more than happy to bring the car in for warranty replacement. So heading his advice I took the car back and continued to drive it until about 36,000 miles. At this time, the grinding was not disputed and I was instructed to leave the vehicle. This time the service writer, Jay, took the car in and promised to contact me after the mechanics had the opportunity to inspect the vehicle. During this inspection, Bel Air Subaru consulted with Subaru outside representative, Ron DeYoung. I was told that the “grinding” was a result of not using synthetic transmission fluid. This is important to notice because the vehicle does not come from the factory with synthetic transmission fluid. In addition I have not received any service bulletins stating that Subaru has decided to change transmission fluid to that of the synthetic type. I was verbally informed by Jay at Bel Air Subaru, that the cost of replacing the fluid would be approximately $175. Upon hearing that I would have to pay for this type of service I immediately declined to render payment stating that I felt if Subaru wanted synthetic fluid used in the vehicle, they would have used it when initially assembling the vehicle. I escalated the service to speak with Jeff Blakely, Bel Air Subaru’s service manager. He looked into the case and informed me that the car would have the transmission fluid replaced with synthetic transmission fluid at no charge. The work was performed and I took delivery of my vehicle. The very next day after picking the vehicle up, the transmission was still grinding. From my cellular phone I immediately telephoned Jeff Blakely and he instructed me to drop the vehicle off with Bel Air Subaru for inspection. I was immediately given a loaner vehicle and they took my vehicle in. Two weeks later, I received word that the car was finished and they once again had to replace the same parts as initially replaced at 9,313 miles. The “grinding” was gone when I picked up my vehicle. Within a few days I noticed an odd sound in regards to using the reversed gear in the vehicle. I proceeded to stop by the dealership, and I was told that the gears were new and they would “break-in”. Wholeheartedly trusting the advice given to me by Darryl at the dealership, I continued to drive the car without any “grinding” or performance limitations. This was until I reached about 38,000 miles. It was at that time; on Sunday March 10, 2002 at 8:00 in the morning I tried to put the car into reverse. The car gave a very loud popping sound and whined loudly, and did not move an inch. I put the car into first gear, and it moved right away. Knowing that this was most likely a transmission problem, I drove the car across the street to Valley Motors as I was in Cockeysville MD. Since Valley is an authorized Subaru dealer, I felt confident I would be able to leave the vehicle with them. The next morning I arrived at 9:00 am to give Kim, the service writer, my keys. Also, knowing that this was the fourth time with a transmission failure, I called 1-800-SUBARU3 and informed Deloria of my situation. They assured me that Valley motors would be authorized to take the car in. I later called back after meeting with Kim, and service manager, Joe. At that time I asked for a loaner car. They told me they could not issue a loaner car until they were sure if it was a warranty situation. Though puzzled, I left my keys behind and proceeded to work. I later on received a phone call stating that the car was not under warranty from Deloria, this of course I thought was absurd. The power train warranty states: 5 years or 60,000 miles covers defects on the internally lubricated engine, seals, gaskets, transmission, All-Wheel Drive system, etc. As I was aware of the power train warranty, knowing they have already worked on the car 3 times for transmission, and since it was only 38,000 miles, well within the 60,000 miles criteria, I was more than disappointed to hear there was no warranty coverage. I told Deloria that I was not satisfied with the response she gave me and requested to speak to a supervisor. She informed me that someone would get back to me. Not hearing from anyone, I called Subaru Headquarters back at 5:30pm only to find that the office was closed. The very next day, I called Subaru again and was able to speak to Susan Hoff, the claims manager. She informed me that the presence of decals and aftermarket tires were not grounds to terminate any warranty. I was informed that I needed to give Valley Motors authorization to perform a disassembly of the transmission in order for a Subaru Representative to inspect the transmission. The next day, I called Valley Motors and asked for Ron DeYoung, the Subaru representative assigned to my case. I finally was able to speak to Ron but unfortunately he seemed anything other than pleased to be dealing with my car. It was at this time I was also informed that the vehicle had not been disassembled so that he could not complete an inspection. He also continued to state that he found mud on the undercarriage, and was aware that the car had had the clutch replaced by Bel Air Subaru (which was not covered under warranty and I was charged for). In addition, he stated that there were larger wheels on the car, which was not true at this time because the stock wheels, while a different color remained on the vehicle. Stock 16” wheels with 205/55/16” tires remained on the vehicle as it was picked up at the conclusion of the last repair at Bel Air Subaru. With all this mentioned, he informed me that there was an improbability that the car would be warranted without even seeing the transmission disassembled. In speaking to Susan Hoff, I was assured that proper warranty conclusion consisted of full transmission inspection with the possibility of photos and/ or parts submission to Subaru of America. While all of the information about a dirty car, or some discolored wheels, the fact remains that transmission problems began well before any clutch replacements, mud on the car, or any painting of the wheels. Feeling that Subaru has done everything to make me feel as if my car will not be warranted this time around, I feel genuinely dissatisfied, and that the warranty offered by Subaru of America is indeed a sales pitch and nothing more. Once again I am without a car which has cost me time and money in regards to operating my business. I do not feel that the Subaru I own is reliable and dependable. Would I have bought the car knowing that such aggravation would result when I needed to take advantage of the factory warranty? Most certainly not. Subaru has long preached about its customer service and dependability. Certainly this is not reinforced by my experience with Subaru. Finally, at the conclusion of 5 full business days, no inspection has been performed. Also the warranty has not been accommodated. To top it all off, I paid almost $4000 for a new tranny, and in about 100 miles that one blew, now no one knows why and I can not get it fixed as the dealership doesn't know what is wrong- the car is stuck in Pennsylvania. Name: Dennis C Make: 2000 Impreza 2.5RS Mileage: 40,000 Time Out Of Use: 5 months Problem And Likely Cause: bad engineering most likely according to mechanics and transmission experts Reason Given For Denial: Final Reason: Driver Error Your Story: Well, I spent $1500 on having a new tranny installed, it blew after 100 miles. So I had it rebuilt, costing me a total of $1800 including another flywheel. Everyone mechanical that I have shown the blown transmission to has said that the design is weak, and in no way could it have been driver error. What is pointed out is that the edges of the gears are shaved off and is due to improper alignment of the gears. They said had it been forced into gear, you would have seen missing teeth, but not just simply the edges ground down. Keep in mind my biggest regret was ever buying a Subaru, and I am enjoying talking people out of buying Subarus. The count is up to 18 people talked out of buying. Keep up the great work Subaru, soon you won't have any customers left. So far that is a total of $540,000.00 worth of sales that have been lost due to knowledge of how I have been treated. Name: Joshua Make: 2002 WRX, 5-speed Mileage: 26,000 Time Out Of Use: So far 2 weeks, expected 5 months Problem And Likely Cause: Teeth chipped/stripped between input and main shaft for 1st gear Reason Given For Denial: Abuse, nonspecific Modifications: 18" Centerline RPM wheels, 225/40zr FZ4 Proxes, King Sport Springs, Blitz Nurspec Exhaust, Injen Race Division CAI, TurboXS BOV, STI ShortShift, Blitz Full Bodykit, Morette Headlights, Custom Grill Your Story: The day I purchased my 2002 WRX in Nov 2001, a very upset gentleman was arguing with Thompson Sales and Service in Bend, OR about his WRX transmission. The salesperson joked about how he was a jerk and probably abused his car. The man was angry because TS and S were stating that 2nd gear in his transmission failed from abuse not defect. This was an omen I should have listened to. Four months later my WRX had 9,800 miles under it's belt and I was giving a friend a spirited ride in my new toy. After all, the WRX commercials show the car sideways more than straightline, right? As I pulled onto a deserted street, I attempted to downshift 2nd to 1st at about 17 mph and I hear a loud bang. From that day my clutch started making noise whether in gear or not when depressing the pedal. I brought the car to Romania Subaru of Eugene, OR for inspection. They stated that there was no problem with the car and a little noise should be expected with performance cars. They also said that they would replace the clutch for $700.00, but would not warranty the work. They recommended ignoring the noise until the clutch gave out. At 26,000 miles I was doing a hard launch under full throttle and first gear failed. I have a brochure from Subaru stated that in order to get the best 0-60 times you should launch the car at 4,800 rpms. Well, I released the clutch at 4,600 rpm and the tires spun a little then grabbed traction and after about 15 ft the tranny blew. I towed the car to Wentworth Subaru of Portland, OR and they stated that the teeth from the main shaft were completely stripped and some of the teeth from the input shaft in 1st are chipped. They kept the car for 10 days and had a service mechanic, regional rep, and an SOA tech all inspect the car. They determined the tranny failed because of "abuse-nonspecific". The repair is $3,300, or replace for $3,900. I would unload my WRX, but I'll have too much invested by the time the tranny is replaced. I am the victim of an SOA advertising scam- WRX's are self-destructing- wait and buy an EVO VII. Name: Les C. Make: 2002 WRX Mileage: 39,000 Time Out Of Use: 2.5 weeks Case Number/Repair Order: 139088 Maita Subaru of Sacramento Problem And Likely Cause: Transmission failure: 1st and 2nd gear. Cause: inherant weak design Reason Given For Denial: Vehichle is "modified" (Boost Controller and exhaust) Modifications: Apexi AVC-R HKS Carbon fiber/titanium exhaust Your Story: Your Story: Well, It all started when I was backing out of my parking spot at work. I backed out ok, and shifted into first and let the clutch out and heard a popping sound. I slowly proceeded to drive out of the parking lot and noticed a thumping sound in first and second gears, then it quieted down. I went to the dealer for warranty coverage (stupid me even bought the "extended warranty") and left my car there and proceeded to get a rental, which "should" be covered by the Subaru of America warranty. Well, about 5 days later I get a call that they are denying my warranty because the vehichle is modified. I call SOA and ask what modifications voided the warranty on case # 442357. They said "It was voided on the grounds that the vehichle was modified with a boost controller, and NOS." NOS? Oh, you mean the SAS Bazooka tube bottle look alike I have. So, needless to say, I am still fighting them over the fact that a boost controller is still limited in functuality by the ECU. The ECU keeps the boost within acceptable limits, and the non-existant NOS system. The funniest thing is, per the associate I spoke to, the denial was based on the "feelings" of the person who inspected my vehichle at the dealership. I guess you can't put stickers on your car without voiding your warranty. Name: Mark Tomlinson Make: 2002 Subaru WRX sedan Mileage: 21000 Time Out Of Use: none I haven't submitted my car to SOA Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder when first start or when its cold out Modifications: exhuast, coilovers Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): no Reason Given For Denial: I haven't taken the car in yet. I dont really want to deal with that hassle- I have heard to many stories about SOA Name: Scott Carter Make: '02 WRX sedan Mileage: 16K Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: Howl, mainly in 1st gear when decelerating, but can be heard in others Cause? Most likely bad synchros from SOA Modifications: Up-pipe, under-drives, K&N Panel filter, factory short-throw, minor cosmetics Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Went to dealer, could not be looked at that day; was given card and asked to schedule an appointment when able to leave for a coulpe of hours. Very courteous at Bachman in L-ville KY (where car purchased) Reason Given For Denial: None yet Your Story: Drive mainly on weekends and trips. I drive it like I own it - just as I did my AWD Talon and My E30 M3. No problems with M3 - clutch finally gave out at 117K. Talon had Centerforce clutch installed at 42K and tranny still in it when I parked it at 93K. I just want to make my issue know before I have problems. Name: Joe Minock Make: '02 WRX Sedan Mileage: 1st warranty issue- 30,000 2nd issue -43,000 Time Out Of Use: 1) 3 weeks 2) 3 days and counting Problem And Likely Cause: 1) 3rd - 4th shift grind (warranteed) 2) weak 2nd gear, previous owner wailed on car? Modifications: None Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): 1) yes 2) yes Reason Given For Denial:none as of yet Your Story: 1) at anywhere from 45 mph and up, shifting into 4th would grind badly, cause- worn synchro- SOA replaced 2) Driving to hardware store, shifted from 1st to 2nd in no hurry, cruised in second momentarily before it detonated and spread its self through out the transmission, no longer had any gears at all! :-( was told by dealership that SOA has been turning down a lot of warranty work on transmissions as of late. Again I have no mods other than the previous owner putting a GFB blow off on it. The car is my daily driver and gets me to work, School, and around town. I do from time to time go fast but by NO way do I abuse the car! I cant afford to, shoot I could barely afford the car. I was my dream car and well, it's not quite been the dream that I had anticipated. I am very happy to say that SOA was very helpful and has warranteed my transmission, they did ask the usual questions about modding and what not, but since my car is stock, they made the decision to cover the Trans under warranty and send out a completely new unit due to the mess that the other one was. Thank you SOA! Name: Brian Liu Make: 02 WRX sedan Mileage: 26K Time Out Of Use: 5 days and counting Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder when cold, a funny decel noise when backing off (sounds like something is rubbing that shouldn't be). Backing off is not under hard acceleration! Modifications: BOV, ALK Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes, currently still there Reason Given For Denial: N/A Your Story: I've had P0457 CEL 4 times prior to this (never been 'fixed' - always reset ECU). I went in for repair work with the 5th CEL on - dealer says that it was a bad O2 sensor, but didn't know if P0457 was still on, too. (Dealer mentioned how sometimes P0457 is thrown when there is a loose vacuum line behind the fans . which is funny because the first CEL I got came on the day I picked up my car after they had fixed my power steering pump.) They say that my clutch shudder is possibly caused by the bad O2 sensor, which causes a 'bog', which feels like shudder. We'll see about that. They also asked if the decel noises I was hearing was my BOV. If it takes sending the car in 2 more times for the same problem(s), I'll just have to look into the whole lemon law thing. Edit: The car did have 2 CELs - one for the faulty O2 sensor, one for evap (P0457). Some solenoid had a broken wire, which was the cause of the P0457. The O2 sensor that they ordered came in today and it was the wrong one! The clutch shudder is being called 'normal' by everyone including the district service manager (whom I have not spoken with). No word on the decel noises still . and I don't expect them to fix it, since it's probably 'normal', too . -shrug-. Name: Tndb Make: 2002 WRX wagon Time Out Of Use: repair Problem And Likely Cause: 1) Occasionally grinds going into first and reverse from neutral while stopped 2) occasionaly binds into first and second while moving Modifications: 17" rims in summer- otherwise stock Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Your Story: I have had ongoing issues with binding and grinding in my tranny. Subaru has tried solve the problems by replacing bits three times prior. This time around they replaced the whole tranny. The shifting is much better. Name: Wheeler BeMent Make: 2002 WRX Wagon Mileage: 17500 Time Out Of Use: 3 days Problem And Likely Cause: hard to go into 1st, reverse, grinding in 2nd, 3rd, 4th Modifications: none Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): yes Reason Given For Denial: no denial Your Story: normal daily driver. I used to drive a mazda protege and I could always go into 1st around 10 mph, so I would try with the WRX out of habit, but that is not possible. It is annoying when I am almost to a complete stop at a light and then the light turns green and not beaing able to shift into 1st. 2nd lugs the motor too much at 5-10mph, so I naturally try to hit first. I guess I did to much of that. as for the rest of the gears, I don't know. I do know that the car is in the shop for grinding in 4th now again though. Name: Wheeler BeMent Make: 2002 WRX Wagon Mileage: 24400 Time Out Of Use: 5 days Problem And Likely Cause: grinding in 4th Modifications: Intake Resinator removed, rear muffler section (behind seat) replaced with straight pipe Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): yes Reason Given For Denial: no denial Your Story: after seeing how much it cost the first time, I decided to be conservative and consistently shift between 2k and 3k rpm in all gears. After 5k miles on the new transmission I decide to shift from 3rd to 4th at 5000rpm. I used my middle finger to gently put it in and it grinded. sometimes at highway speeds of 70mph, clutch in and engine at idle speed, it still won't go into 4th. UPDATE:: Turns out the first time my car was in for grinding in 3rd and 4th, they only replaced the syncros and not the whole slider assembly. This time they replaced everything related to 3rd and 4th gear shifting and things have been smooth and great. I went easy for 1000 miles and then opened it up. it was still good. Name: Ryan Smith Make: 2002 WRX Seadan Mileage: 15400 Time Out Of Use: 0 days Problem And Likely Cause: clutch shudder on start up, 1st and reverse hard to engage; synchros? Moisture build up on inside of window after 10 minutes of shutdown; possible heater core? Driver's window squeeks when moved up or down. Modifications: Intake resonator removed, K/N panel filter, grounding mod, factory short throw shifter Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No Reason Given For Denial: N/A Your Story: As stated by numerous before me, clutch shudders on start up, cold or warm. been doing this for about 10k, moisture inside windshield started about a month ago, and window has been squeeking for quite awhile now. gonna schedule an appointment to have dealer look at the car next week. hopefully, I will not get jacked around like a bunch of you have already. Name: Brad Humbert Make: 99 Impreza L Sedan Mileage: 49,000 Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: clutch shudder Modifications: none Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): no Reason Given For Denial: N.A. Your Story: clutch shudders especially when cold and has done so since I bought the car at around 40,000 miles. When it is below freezing out side I can hit the gas in 4th gear and the rpm's will go up and the car will not accelerate (this is even well after the car is warm). Name: Matthew P Richards Make: Impreza WRX Mileage: 16,000 Time Out Of Use: 1 week Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder/slipping Modifications: Intake, BOV, Profec-B boost controller Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): NO Reason Given For Denial: Does not cover "spirited" driving Your Story: I bought the car from the dealer with 500 test drive miles on it, which are some of the hardest miles a car ever sees, not to mention during the break-in period. I was denied due to the way it looked. They also tried to charge me $250 for a part they said I needed, so I went there that night out of my own curiosity, and said I needed to get something from the car. When I went to the car, the clutch was still inside, and hadn't been looked at yet. How can you charge somebody for a $250 part when you can't even see if it's damaged yet? Name: Matthew P Richards Make: Impreza WRX Mileage: 43,000 Time Out Of Use: yet to be fixed Problem And Likely Cause: First gear making grinding noise when in gear Modifications: Intake, Exhaust, Chip, MRT Clutch, BOV Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): NO Reason Given For Denial: I refuse to take to dealer that I went to before, and next closest dealer is a couple of hours away. I'm taking to FIS to have fixed by Huffines Subaru. Your Story: My car has started to make a horrible grinding noise when in first gear. It is getting progressively worse, and I have been told this is the first sign of a complete tranny failure. Due to poor service before(post above), I will NEVER take my car to the same dealership again. I am getting it towed to Dallas to have more trustworthy subaru reps work on it. Name: Bryan Mundy Make: 2002 WRX Mileage: 48000 Time Out Of Use: 1 1/2 yrs Problem And Likely Cause: Shredded 2nd gear. Cause, junk transmission Modifications: HKS Cat back Exhaust. Injen cold air intake Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: Abuse Your Story: Subaru is a company that does not stand behind their product. My tranny made a terrible noise during a roll on in 2nd gear. I could not take it out of gear. Took it to the dealership and they tried to put it in gear proabably doing WAY more damage. I filled out a warranty sheet and they took my tanny off and inspected it. They found that 2nd gear was tore up. They called me and said it was $4500 to fix. I laughed, why do they even have a powertrain warranty if they don't fix it!!! Then they proceeded to charge me $550 for the inspection. I talked to SOA and the field tech, they said this is perfectly normal for me to be ripped off and my problem ignored. If they had no warranty it would be better, at least I wouldn't have had to pay the $550 for the BS inspection. I also know that I am not the only one that has had 2nd gear go. My car has more miles on it than most people, so I bet that your car will be next. Name: Nathan Cameron Make: 2002 Subaru WRX Mileage: 27749 Time Out Of Use: 3 days Problem And Likely Cause: faulty gear box/low fluid from factory Modifications: VF22, BPM turboback exhaust, MBC Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: Aftermarket exhaust and turbo Your Story: Lost my tranny 14th of January 2003, SOA is not paying, I am. This is a well documented failure, even in the RS- it has nothing to do with knowing how to drive. My 1st and 2nd gears were sheared and I was driving fairly normally at the time of failure. SOA refused to pay because of my exhaust and turbo, that is all I have done, maybe 50hp over stock..they are just looking hard on how to skip out on paying on something they know is faulty. When I spoke with the technician he said that SOA paid a suprise visit or my car would have been repaired, he has even spoken to an engineer at Fuji who apologized profusly about the 5 speeds inferior design. So they do know they are to blame, but they will not fess up. My mods were used as a scapegoat; my mods did not help the situation but this is happening to 2.5RS, Outbacks, Foresters, and WRXs with no mods!! Name: Jono Zavitz Make: WRX 02 Mileage: 10k at time of issue Time Out Of Use: 1 day Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder Modifications: none Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): yes Reason Given For Denial: n/a Your Story: Had the shudder and it got progressively worse. Took to dealer and they replaced it no questions asked. Update-mileage now at @17k and shudder seems to be coming back. Not happy Subaru are you hearing me! Name: Scott Perry Make: 2002 WRX Mileage: ~14000 at time of problem Time Out Of Use: n/a Case Number/Repair Order: SOA Case Number 374 524 Problem And Likely Cause: Vibration and noise under deceleration caused by a defective clutch Reason Given For Denial: "It's normal" Modifications: Removed Air Silencer, K&N Air Filter, Alarm, Turbo Timer, Rear Swaybar Your Story: Dealer 1: Lithia Reno Subaru 2270 Kietzke Lane Reno, NV 89502 Phone: (775) 825-8474 Toll Free: 1-800-495-6060 Fax: (775) 825-8230 Email: leads_renosubaru@lithia.com Dealer 2: Michael Hohl Subaru 4500 N. Carson St. Carson City, NV 89706 Phone: (775) 885-0400 Fax: (775) 885-8572 Thursday, Mar 21, 2002 I went by Lithia Reno Subaru Service Dept. and talked to John. Explained my clutch was making a buzzing noise under deceleration between 2500-3500 rpms. Said I had noticed it since the day I got the car, but assumed it was normal. Explained that I've recently heard other people have had this problem, and that it was a known problem with a known solution available via the SOA tech line. Brought a printout that summarized the tech line information: - Rattle under de-cel usually in 3rd gear, 4000-2000 Rpm usually. - Increase rear tire pressure 4 psi, decrease front 4 psi, should get louder. Do the opposite, should get quieter. - If the last six digits of you VIN are lower than 515611, you have the old type clutch from the factory. If your motor number is less than 331738 (white tag, hard to find), you have the old clutch from the factory. - The official subaru tech line fix (as of today), is IF your car HAS the OLD clutch parts as indicated by the VIN and Motor numbers, IT IS TO BE REPLACED BY THE FOLLOWING PARTS: 30100AA790 - Disc 30210AA530 - Cover (pressure plate) 12342AA050 - Flywheel 800610740 - Bolts Service Rep (John) told me that he can't do warranty work on my car just because I bring him a printout of a problem. I told him that I just want to schedule a time to get a tech ride-a-long so a tech could diagnose the problem. John scheduled me for Wed, Mar 27, 2002 for an 8am ride-a-long. Wednesday, Mar 27, 2002 Arrived for ride-along at 8:30. John's technician Mike rode with me. After demonstrating the noise, Mike told me he knows what noise I'm talking about. He tells me he has a WRX and his car makes the same noise and he thinks that it's normal. I show Mike the above-mentioned printout, and a copy of an invoice from another dealer who has fixed a similar problem: A CUSTOMER STATES CHECK FOR ENGINE NOISE, SEE HISTORY ENG ENGINE REPAIR / DIAGNOSTICS 343 WS (N/C) 1 30100AA790 DISC CP CLUTCH (N/C) 1 30210AA530 COVER CP CLUTCH (N/C) 1 12342AA050 FLY WHL AY FLEX (N/C) 8 800610740 BOLT (N/C) 4315 ENGINE NOISE WARRENTY TEST DROVE WITH CUSTOMER, HEARD ON DECEL A GROWLING NOISE FROM FRANS, OR TURBO AREA. CHECKED READINGS WITH NSM ALL READINGS APPEAR NORMAL, CHECKED TRANS FLUID OK. CALLED TECH LINE AND TALKED TO MIKE. AFTER CHANGING TIRE PSI AND SEVERAL TEST DRIVES WE DETERMINED NOISE RO BE COMING FROM THE CLUTCH. ORDERED PARTS WITH #S GIVEN TO ME FROM THE TECH LINE. REMOVED TRANS, REPLACED FLYWHEEL, PILOT BEARING, PRESSURE PLATE AND DISC. REASSEMBLED AND TEST DROVE.HEARD NO OTHER ABNORMAL NOISES. 2.0 TURBO MANUAL TRANS AWD. ************************************************** B WARRENTY PAIN RENTAL WARRRENT WARRENTY PAID RENTAL 343 WS (N/C) 4315 ************************************************** I explained to mike that I’ve heard the clutch problem is common on early WRXs. Mike was interested to call the tech line. We went back to John. Mike tells John he heard the noise, but thought it was normal. John immediately agrees the noise was normal. Mike shows him the second printout, John tells me he’ll have to do some research on the topic, and that he’ll call me as soon as he has more information. I left Subaru at 8:50am. Did not receive a call. Called Subaru at 4:30pm talked to John. John tells me that he has a called placed with the tech line and is waiting for them to call him back. 5:15pm, John calls my work number, but I am away from my desk. Leaves a message for me to call him. 5:20pm, I return John’s phone call. He tells me his tech Mike called the tech line and spoke with the Mike listed on the Carr Subaru Invoice. John tells me his tech has determined the noise to be normal, and he can’t replace anything if there’s no problem. I ask John what the tech line said. John tells me again that his tech says the noise is normal because his tech has a WRX and he knows what they sound like. John tells me if I have a problem with any of this to call the Subaru of America customer service number. John never tells me what the tech line said, and has determined my car is normal without following the testing procedure the tech line should have given him. Thursday, March 28, 2002 Called Subaru, talked to John. Asked John to fax me my service record. John says he’s not allowed to fax it, only the office manager Bill Metgart can fax it to me, and he’s out till Monday. I ask John to reiterate what the tech line said about my car. John says he already told me. I ask again, so John forwards my call to Mike the technician that did the ride-along and called the tech line. I ask Mike what the tech line says. Mike tells me the tech line says the noise is normal gear noise. I asked I ask him if the tech line gave him a testing procedure to determine if the sound was from the clutch or not. He says yes they did. I ask how can he determine the noise is normal when the test was not performed on my car. He tells me the sound is from the transmission. I ask again, how can he know that without performing the test. He says I should call the Service Dept. back, and they will schedule a District Service Operations Manager to check out my car. Called John back. Explain that I’d like to make sure all the discussions we’ve had are noted on my service record. John tells me there’s no way for him to edit my service record. I tell him Mike was given a testing procedure that was not performed on my car before determining everything was normal, and that I must have that noted on my service record. John tells me if I bring my car by, he can have a tech look at it and generate a service record. I tell him that I’d just like the non-test of my car noted. He told me Bill Metgart will be in the office at 1pm today, and that he’d talk with Bill about fixing my service record. I asked him to make sure Bill Metgart calls me when he gets in, John agrees. Called Subaru of America, talked to Eric. Received case number: 374 524. Eric suggested two possible courses of action: 1) Schedule a meeting at Lithia Subaru with a District Service Operations Manager to have the car inspected by SOA, or 2) go to another dealer, and start over. I decided to call Michael Hohl Subaru in Carson City. I scheduled an appointment for Monday at 9am to have the clutch evaluated. Never heard from Bill Metgart. Monday, April 01, 2002 Went to Michael Hohl Subaru in Carson City for my 9am appointment. Not only was the service staff friendly and helpful, their technician already knew of the problem, and the solution. It took me all of 2 minutes from walking in the door, to having my parts on order. Hopefully in a week the installation will go just as smoothly. This leaves me very disappointed with the staff at Lithia Reno Subaru. I had assumed that they were perhaps under stiff constraints regarding warranty work, and had to make sure there was a definitive problem with the car. Now I believe they simply wished to avoid servicing my car… for whatever reasons I cannot understand. Lithia Reno Subaru will never get my business again, and I will recommend to everyone that may consider going there to make the 20 minutes drive to Carson City to visit Michael Hohl Subaru instead. Name: Danny Lawrence Make: 1999 Outback Sport Mileage: 23,800 Time Out Of Use: 1 day Problem And Likely Cause: Slipping Clutch Modifications: None Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Your Story: After 4 years, but only 23K miles my clutch started slipping badly. I took ot to the Dealer (Cityside Subaru, Arlington, MA) and they said that the clutch needed a rebuild. I remarked that a clutch should go after 23K miles, and that I had been driving sticks for almost 20 years and never burned one out, including the Ford I had for 9 years and the Dodge Charger I had for 6. This is my "driving around town, and hauling stuff" car. The service manager at Cityside said he would check, and when I called back the next day, they said the car was done and that it was covered under warranty (Which is 5yrs/60K miles on the power train, BTW). I think Subaru knows that there are a bunch of bad clutches out there, I don't know how forthcoming they are with this information, though. So, props to Cityside Subaru- admittedly they tried to get me to pay for it, but when I stood my ground they fixed my clutch. Name: Paul Make: MY02 Impreza Wrx Sedan 5MT Mileage: 38.5k Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: Grinding into first when slowly rolling, or will not shift into first unless stopped. Hard time downshifting into 2nd gear, I feel that sometimes I am forcing it in, and that the sychros are not working properly. Grinding during 4-5 upshift occurs, likely caused by non-functional synchros. Modifications: These are my mods associated with the driveline, all installed at 28.5k miles, with problems occuring before install. STI engine/tranny mounts, STI organic/kevlar clutch disc w/STI typeRA pressure plate. JUN flywheel. Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): NO Reason Given For Denial: n/a Your Story: My dealer would without an doubt deny my warranty claim with all the mods I have on my car especially the STI clutch etc so I have not even bothered to take my car in.. I would have ti agree with them however, they really should not I since they do not know how my mods can affect the transmission and shouldn't be held responsible for an problems even if it was occuring beforehand. I posted this because I think the tranmission is designed poorly, and it is not up to the standards of other cars I have driven, ranging from Volvos, to Hondas, and Porsches. IMO Subaru makes a poor 5MT transmission for the WRX. I'm planning on upgrading my transmission synchros or gears whenever that time comes. Name: Jeremy R Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 27000 Time Out Of Use: 1 month Problem And Likely Cause: Blown Tranny/Defective Modifications: Exhaust, BOV, Gauges Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No Reason Given For Denial: Enthusiastic Driving and Modifications Your Story: I was originally have problems with my synchros then my tranny went, I didn't abuse it. Subaru told me they were going to send someone to look at it, they took pictures of the car, jerked me around for a while. Then just decided then my warranty was denied. Then they the dealership told me I could go ahead and pay to have them tear the tranny apart and then they told me they would have someone sent down to look at it to see if it would be covered or not, they ended up not sending someone down and screwed me over. Then just decided then my warranty was denied because of my modifications and what they called "enthusiastic driving" because there was some wear on the side of my tires. I had a used tranny installed from a junkyard at 7000 miles. Later I will attach the letter if I still have it, it is quite funny. Name: Ben M Make: 2002 Impreza 2.5 TS Mileage: 11,800 miles Time Out Of Use: Never actually out of use Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch Shudder Modifications: No driveline modifications Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Not submitted for warranty work (yet) Your Story: Clutch shudders just like everybody else's, about every cold start, trying to pull out of the garage and over the speed bumps to get out of my apartment complex... What a fly in the ointment. Name: Lee Kay Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 3000,7000,11,000 Time Out Of Use: 3 days and 4 dealerships Problem And Likely Cause: Rattle sound when engine braking down a slope (bad springs on clutch plate) Modifications: Boost Gauge Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: First denied for car mods, Later SOA advised me to look for another dealership. 4 later and 6 trips it finaly got repaired. Your Story: SOA policy sucks. Never have I been allowed to speak to the rep but at least it was finaly fixed. Name: Michael Wong Make: 2002 WRX wagon Mileage: approximately 41,000 Time Out Of Use: never Problem And Likely Cause: clutch shudder (sound familiar) Modifications: driveline related, none. I do have aftermarket wheels and tires. Edit: I did put Redline Oil in the both the tranny and rear dif. I used 75W90NS for the tranny and 75W90 in the rear dif. I don't see why using Redline Oil would cause Subaru to deny my warrantee if this ever got fixed. We'll see... Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Not yet, I wanted to get my name in the list in case Subaru realizes they screwed up and decide to replace the clutches Reason Given For Denial: None, yet Your Story: Same as everyone else. My clutch shudders when I first start out. Once it's warm, it's fine. Doesn't matter if the weather is hot or cold. This only USED to do it when it was cold out. Now, it does it all the time. Hey Subaru, just admit it. You specced a less than ideal clutch. Replace it under warrantee and keep your customers. This is my first Subaru and maybe my last if this attitude keeps up. EDIT: forgot I used Redline Oil Name: Matthew Gassner Make: 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX (1st allocation) Mileage: 1.12k (rear diff) 2. 18k (tranny) 3. 29k (centre diff) 4. 14k and 27k Turbo oil line Time Out Of Use: Approxamately 2.5 months total between causes 1-4 Problem And Likely Cause: 1.Rear diff- Car was doglegged, hit, in the rear wheel causing problems to ensue. 2. All teeth shaved from second gear, likely cause was a weak gear. 3. Center diff died, it had slipped (?) months before (march) while in New Orleans, diagnosed as clutch problem, but I still believe it to be the diff which is in the process of being replaced. No idea as to the cause, car is not powerslid(ed?) nor does it undergo any car dif abuse. 4. Oil squirting wildly out of area near turbo, diagnosed as crack in turbo oil line, both times. Could be lack of heat sheilding, as that was removed during up-pipe mod. Modifications: Up to 1... bpm up-pipe, mbc at 15psi, intake. up to 2....above plus turbo back exhaust, changed mbc to blitz ebc, and vishnu UD pulley up to 3 and current...addition of unichip as well as the Chalak synchro gearset. Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): All submitted 1. Accepted 2. Denied 3. 1/2 accepted, made me pay for clutch labor (origional thought to be the cause of the issue), then accepted on replacement of diff. 4. Accepted Reason Given For Denial: Driver abuse. Your Story: Yes the car has been launched on the stock box, maybe 7 times realistically. Though it was 2nd not first that went. I never banged gears, and had one mis-shift about 5k miles before the tranny died. So I think that the 2k in parts, and 1k in labor was unjust, and I think it to be SOA's responsibility. That said, I've mostly learned to live with it, though I do think there is a serious problem with 2nd gear. Appended: At about 6 thousand miles my powersteering pump died, that was accepted in the warrenty, no problems. I'm quite sure that was my fault, I was waiting to turn for about 5 minutes with my steering cocked full to one side, I was not aware I needed to back it off a bit. Name: Nick Sciarrillo Make: 2002 WRX (Baught March 2001) Mileage: 16000 Time Out Of Use: 1 month Problem And Likely Cause: (1) Window regulators broken. The cause of that was because I wanted some fresh air. They fixed it now the windows squeak all the time. (2) Seats lost lumbar support and ripped. The cause of that is because I drive the car. (3) stearing wheel cocked to the right when driving straight. They told me not to worry about it. Maybe thats why my tires are bald already. (4) POS clutch and trans., shutter, no reverse, deceleration and acceleration noise while clutch engaged, continuous "crunch" going into first at all speeds. (5) 2 signed contracts, 1 fired sales person, 7 dealers who cant fix any problems, president of distribution for the northeast doesnt like to return phone calls nor does service rep....and a partridge in a pear tree Modifications: NONE Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Monday Reason Given For Denial: Your Story: Enacting the Lemon Law Name: Erik Frechette Make: MY02 WRX Mileage: ~7100 miles Time Out Of Use: Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder, grind when shifting from third to fourth. Defective clutch and bad synchros Modifications: None Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No Reason Given For Denial: Your Story: Had the car since November and have never launched it aggressively. Never been to the drag strip and never street raced. Running the factory short shifter. Will likely end up replacing with aftermarket parts, but would like Subaru to own up to a seemingly obvious problem in build quality. Name: Ruralmed Make: 2002 WRX, 5-speed Mileage: 26,000 Time Out Of Use: So far 12 days, looks like 5 months Problem And Likely Cause: Weak gears on input and main shaft for 1st/2nd gear. Modifications: 18" Centerline RPM wheels, 225/40 FZ4 Proxes, King sport springs, Blitz Nurspec exhaust, Injen Race Division CAI, TurboXS bov, Morette headlights, Blitz body kit, Z-sports wing risers, STI short-shifter with titanium knob, factory boost guage, custom grill, limo-tint windows. Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes, 473.00 just to inspect for cause of failure. Reason Given For Denial: Abuse, nonspecific. Your Story: Transmission failure while accelerating in 1st gear. Car slipped out of 1st, and began making horrible grinding noises. I pressed in clutch and upshifted to 2nd and received more grinding noises. Coasted to stop and car became stuck in 2nd. Able to release from 2nd by rocking back, but 1st gear was destroyed. I drive the car like a sports car but am not abusive. I have had several other performance vehicles before including a Honda Accord, Pontiac TransAm, and Kawasaki Ninja. This is my first catastrophic drivetrain failure. I am very dissapointed with my WRX. I would sell it and go back to the big H, but I already have to much into the car. It's a shame Subaru gets the free advertising when I take my rex to shows, when it's aggresive exterior hides a glass jaw. I would like to seek legal action against SOA. Name: Scott Taylor Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 18k Time Out Of Use: 1 day Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch slipping/going out - cause? me slipping clutch? crappy clutch? Modifications: prodrive springs... very unrelated Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Your Story: clutch started slipping ~13-14k miles... wasn't quite sure until about 16k miles when i drove a friends fairly new WRX. Yeah i drive a little fast, but never race. Less than a handful of fast launches (no clutch drops), once or twice smelled the clutch. They covered it under warranty. Name: Scott Taylor Mileage: 38k Time Out Of Use: none yet Problem And Likely Cause: Need tranny overhaul - can't get into 1st gear unless completely stopped. I blame faulty parts. i don't drive like a complete idiot. Never have had any tranny problems before on any previous cars (civic, mirage) Modifications: prodrive springs Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Your Story: Can't shift into 1st gear unless stopped. If i'm rolling at all it'll grind so i don't attempt. I never grind gears. Got the clutch adjusted at my 30k service, and started to notice some grinding into 1st occasionally soon thereafter. Took it in for an oil change today and told the dealer my problem. They said i'll need a tranny overhaul, but to take it to the dealer i purchased it from. We'll see what they say. Edit/Update (10/16/02): Had it checked out by another dealer today, they said 1st and 2nd need to be replaced (I think just the synchros or sleeves(?)) They are ordering parts and I'm taking it in next Wed. for replacement. They said it would be covered under warranty. This makes me feel good... as long as a rebuild tranny isn't going to be crappier than the first one... we'll see. Name: Chris King Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 15,000 Time Out Of Use: None Yet (wanted to state my case first) Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch Shudder Modifications: TIEN HA Coilovers Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No Your Story: My clutch started to shutter not too long ago. After I start my car and let it warm up for a few minutes I get a constant shudder from the clutch for awhile. It used to be during warm up only now on occassion it happens to me while warm as well, yet not as often as initial start up driving. Being a huge car nut, my friends poke fun at me saying I can't drive when in fact they now that is not true. After putting up with it for awhile I noticed others have the same problem as well so now I don't feel like an outcast. I will be taking my car to Livermore Subaru to have it looked over and hopefully fixed, if not I will be contacting my purchasing location in Sacramento to complain and get this resolved. Like others out there we are only trying to get what we deserve and what is far as written in our warranty. we are all not conspiring to pull the wool over the companies eyes, we only want what is just and well deserved to due to a clutch not properly matched for our vehicles. Name: Dylan Petersen Make: 2002 WRX Wagon Mileage: 21,000 Time Out Of Use: 1 week Problem And Likely Cause: Trans locked up due to broken 2nd gear and 4th and 5th gear grind at speed (65mph) Modifications: TurboXS Stealth back, Injen CAI, HKS BOV, Samco Inlet hose, Top Secret crank pulley, Exedy flywheel/ ACT Clutch (fixed clutch shudder!), Turbo XS TMIC Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: Modification (clutch and flywheel) Your Story: About two months ago the shifter got stuck in neautral at a light, rolled the car bacwards and it was fine, a month after that I went to get on the highway and when I shifted into 4th it was grinding and when I shifted into 5th it did it again. Talked to a Subaru tech and said he thought he remembered a TSB for the nut backing off one of the shafts that caused this. Trans finally died, I was diriving at speed when it started to make a lot of noise, pulled over and at about 5 mph it locked all 4 wheels and slid to a stop. Update: SOA offered to split the cost of the repair (I pay labor, they pay parts) as an act of generosity. They wanted 10 hours to pull the trans and split the case to inspect the internals (Warranty time is 8 hours for a R and R !) at $90 an hour. I towed the car from the dealer to my shop and pulled the trans and split the case in about 1/2 an hour. 2nd gear is gone completely but no other damage noted. I have ordered a Phitzner gear set to replace the mis-engineered Subaru parts. Name: Allen Rohner Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: At the time, about 12k Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder, difficult to shift into 1st from a stop. Modifications: None. Stock everything. Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No Your Story: Dealer recommended not to do replacement. The dealer claimed they can only do a clutch replacement once under warranty, and the Subaru "fix" doesn't usually work, sometimes making it worse. Name: Shawn Makinson Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 17k Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder, hesitation on acceleration (until like 4500 rpm- very annoying ) Modifications: Volk wheels, Prodrive muffler, K&N filter and Amsoil engine oil Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No Your Story: I am considering submitting under warranty. This is my 2nd Subaru in 2 years and I'd like to get the STi if SOA handles things properly! Name: Doug Darrell Make: 2002 WRX Sedan Mileage: 40k Time Out Of Use: 3 days Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder, starting around 11k, reported around 17k, reported again (different shop) at 30k. Modifications: None, with possible exception of factory-supplied, dealer-installed short shifter. Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: Either unable to replicate or (upon replication) not being inconsistent with behavior of Subaru clutches in general. Your Story: Although I put plenty of mileage on this car, I drive it in a manner consistent with my three previous 5 speeds: as a daily driver. The clutch shudders just as most have already described, after a few hours of non-use. I haven't gone any further, because a) I have no stomach for leaving it overnight and incurring rental costs so that the dealer can tell me there is nothing wrong and b) it doesn't appear that there is anything that they can do about it right now. Incredible. Help me, Road and Track Kenobi, you are my only hope!! Name: Mel Dommer Make: 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Mileage: 10k Time Out Of Use: None Problem And Likely Cause: Wierd noise when letting off the accelerator when in any gear. Sounds like a rattling noise. Not sure if it's "clutch shudder." Modifications: HKS SSQV BOV, HKS Type-1 TT, Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No Reason Given For Denial: Haven't taken it in yet. Your Story: Started hearing the noise after about 1,500 miles and it's continued ever since. The noise occurs when i let off the gas after accelerating. IE. in first i accelerate till about 3,500 rpms and let off the gas and push in the clutch. I get a rattle from the time i let off the gas and untill i shift and release the clutch. If i leave it in neurtal the rattle lasts for about 2 seconds. But if i'm in neutral and just rev the enginee up to any rpm and let off i don't get the rattle. Name: Tndb Make: 2002 WRX wagon (manufactured 02/01) Mileage: 48k Time Out Of Use: 1 day so far Problem And Likely Cause: 1) Occasionally grinds going into first and reverse - ongoing since 36k 2) decel rattle and clutch shudder Modifications: 17" rims in summer- otherwise stock Submitted For Warranty work (Yes/No): Yes Your Story: My wagon is one of the early one to the states. Since I had the clutch shudder issue the dealer's tech decided to replace the clutch to solve issue 2 and see if it helped issue 1. After replacement 2 is solved. 1 became worse to the extent that the dealer was finally able to reproduce the issue. The next attempt to fix issue 1 is to replace 1st, reverse, and some other bits. -update 11/05/02 - did not work. Reverse still grinds on occasion and 5th now binds from neutral. Going back to dealer soon. Name: David Alfonso Make: 2002 Impreza WRX sedan Mileage: 23597 Time Out Of Use: 31 days in the shop. Problem And Likley Cause: 1st gear grinds. 3-4 and 4-5 shift occasionally grinds. Clutch shudder. Speakers blown. Was told that the clutch and flywheel were almost completely gone. Synchro's gone. Speakers wil be replaced. Modifications: BPM GT exhaust. Vishnu Uppipe, Forge BOV, HKS Type 0 TT, K and N drop in, Intake silencers removed, Grounding Mod, debageded Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: found a "mod" friendly dealer in chicagoland that will cover it Your Story: Went to 1 drag race-had 4 runs. 1 autoxcross recently (all problems existing at this time) I suffer from a disease-lead foot. Call it spirited driving or enthusiastic driving. either way, a clutch/flywheel/synchro's should not go after 23XXX miles). Name: Jeff L. Make: 2002 Impreza WRX Mileage: 12,000 Time Out Of Use: None Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder Modifications: Injen intake, Cat-back exhaust Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Not yet - concerned the dealer would just make it worse. Reason Given For Denial: N/A Your Story: Just wanted to chime in and say I've got the clutch shudder problem as well. Only happens when the car first warms up, doesn't seem to be dependant on the weather. Clutch is fine after 10 min of driving. No drag strip or autocrossing use, mainly highway commute miles. I hope SOA will start a process to upgrade these clutches and/or do a recall! Name: imdarngood@aol.com Make: 2002 WRX Wagon Mileage: 12,000 miles (problem started around 10k) Time Out Of Use: Only 2 days out of use while at dealership Problem And Likely Cause: Intermittent cold shudder and faint when warm, some difficulty getting into 1st gear at stop Modifications: Unrelated- minor suspension work only (sway bars) Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: Given somewhat of a deferral, rather that denial. Your Story: I was first told that it is a character trait of the vehicle. After complaining to SOA and to dealer, regional rep has supposedly approved my clutch be replaced when new parts are released (2003 parts design). I'm being told (nothing in writing) that this will be done in about a month. I came very close to "bailing" on Subaru and going back to an Acura, but I've decided to wait and see if they follow through. I will be much happier when it is done. Name: J.B. Hebert Make: 2002 WRX Sedan Mileage: 35,000 Time Out Of Use: Unknown (Pending Fix) Problem And Likely Cause: (1) Clutch Shudder - Likely bad clutch (2) Grinding going into 1st when moving faster than 3-4 MPH - Likely bad synchro/synchro design Modifications: MBC set at 15 PSI Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: (1) Accepted (new clutch disk) (2) Denied - No problem found. Your Story: I've had the clutch shudder for about 10-15k miles and decided to bring it in before the warranty ran out. I've also been experiencing problems with the first gear grinding on downshift when the vehicle is moving more than 3 or 4 MPH. I've started double clutching going into first, but this should not be required. I've owned at least a half dozen high-milage manual tranny cars that had first gear synchros that were 100 times better than this. The car is driven "enthusiasticly", but never dragged. The dealer said they would replace the clutch and ordered the parts. They said there was no problem with the tranny and that, "... Subaru does not recommend shifting into first gear when the vehicle is in motion." Has anyone else heard this? The last vehicle I couldn't shift into first when the vehicle was moving was my '78 F-250 with NO synchro on first gear. I will persue this after the clutch is replaced. Name: Gary Devan Make: '02 WRX wagon Mileage: 15K Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: clutch shudder Modifications: rear sway bar, brake pads and fluid Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): no Reason Given For Denial:n/a Your Story: clutch shudders (grotesquely) when cold Name: Alexis Guerreros Make: Impreza WRX 2002 Mileage: (approx.) 15,350 Time Out Of Use: None yet Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch Shudder; Malfunctioning Clutch (OEM) Modifications: Velocity Stack Intake Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: They wouldn't even accept the car, in fact I was told I should learn to drive the car before I start complaining about the clutch. Your Story: I have the same problem with my clutch as does apparently 99.9% of the WRX owners. My clutch "shudders" on cold starts and when going uphill (sometimes). I think it is a real problem and I would hate to do damage to the flywheel or any other part involved within the mechanics of the clutch. The Service guy at Salerno Duane (in Jersey City) simply shrugged me off and told me that under no circumstances does Subaru cover the clutch, this is ridiculous! Name: Adrian Crooks Make: Impreza WRX 2002 Mileage: (approx.) 6000 Time Out Of Use: None yet Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch Shudder Modifications: None Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): Yes Reason Given For Denial: Clutch shudder is normal when clutch is cold. Your Story: A few weeks after getting the vehicle the clutch shudder would come and go in the mornings and progressively get worse. I went to the dealer and told him what happens and he told me it was normal operation and that a lot of people come in for the shudder. The clutch shudder has so far lessened a lot, but the clutch feels like it is slipping more, so I don't know if this is a good thing (8k miles). Name: Santo Fontana Make: 2002 WRX Mileage: 4500 Time Out Of Use: none yet Problem And Likely Cause: clutch shudder when cold, occasional grinding going into 2nd and reverse, hard but not imposssible to get into 1st rolling Modifications: just a K&N dropin panel filter Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): not yet Reason Given For Denial: Your Story: This tranny feels like it has 200K on it! Did they slip a some used trannys in or something? Name: Blair Johnson Make: 1st allocation 2002 WRX wagon Mileage: 24,000 Time Out Of Use: None for clutch Problem And Likely Cause: Clutch shudder - poor choice of friction material? Modifications: New speakers Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): No (for clutch, see below) Your Story: Pretty much from the time the car was new until about 6000 miles, I had a problem with clutch chattering only when really hot. (like stuck in gridlock in the summer) That problem seems to have all but gone away. However, at about 12,000 miles, the chattering-when-cold problem reared its ugly head. *I notified the dealer at 17,000 mi. when I had the ECU re-flashed, but was told the situation was normal, (“it goes away after a few miles, doesn’t it?”) and it was not put on record. I’ll also mention, I typically get 100,000+ miles out of my clutches, but I’m concerned this one isn’t gonna last anywhere near as long. And as far as abuse, I try to clutch and shift carefully, but it’s hard to always be kind to the clutch when I simply cannot get a smooth start when the parts are cold. (especially when the weather is wet or humid) I mean, the necessary increased revs as the clutch is let out in order to keep the car from violently shuddering can’t be good for the clutch and flywheel, can they? (one time, the shuddering was so bad, it felt like I ran over a row of railroad ties when pulling away from my driveway, and I felt compelled to stop, get out of the car and yell obscenities at it, at least just to make me feel better!). I have to think, shaking like that couldn’t be good for engine/transmission mounts, etc. Even at its best behavior, I feel engagement isn’t as linear as it should be; always that “grab” right near full engagement. Hot day + hot drivetrain = no low end; only makes matters worse. Name: Mitchell Debelser Make: 2002 WRX sedan Mileage: 24,000kms (about 15,000 miles) Time Out Of Use: None yet Problem And Likely Cause: Grinding going into first and clutch shudder Modifications: Apexi turbo timer, SS sifter/bushings, HKS downpipe Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): YES Your Story: It appears that all my problems will be covered by warrenty as they are replacing my 1st and 2nd gear syncrohs and maybe 1st gear. They are also doing something to the clutch as well. Although warrenty was given they did make it obviouse that they thought the reason my synchros were gone was from hard shifting... I do shift hard on ocassion but i'm not sure if i believe that it was the cause for the problem. Seems to me the tranny could have used a little stronger design. Name: shawn mickelsen Make: 2002 subaru wrx sedan Mileage: 25000 (only 2600 at time of problem) Time Out Of Use: one month+ Problem And Likely Cause: loss of first gear and partial second Modifications: none Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): yes Reason Given For Denial: someone who works there saw me racing, so denied under abuse Your Story: i was pulling out and i shifted from 1 to 2 and it grinded really hard, i stopped, it wouldnt go in 1rst, took it to dealership, next day they said a worker saw me race by at about 80 to 100 miles per hour, he said he heard me shift as if to shift to 3rd and it sounded like i missed third and went into 1rst at around 80to100 mph, thus causing my loss of first, it happened on a snowy day in november, icy conditions, they said they had a subaru rep look at it and told him the story so he deemed it DENIED Name: keemin ngiam Make: 1997 subaru Legacy Outback Ltd Mileage: 78000 (problem reappeared at around 60) Time Out Of Use: 3 days Problem And Likely Cause: Abnormal clutch wear/failure Modifications: Kartboy shifter, K&N air filter. Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): yes Reason Given For Denial: SOA says "wear" items only warrantied for 90 days. Your Story: I put in a brand new clutch at 58k miles on 03/26/2002. On a roadtrip several thousand miles later, several clutch problems which had existed with the previous clutch began to return (although slowly and almost undetectably). I had a dealer look at it on 08/13/2002, and he denied there were any problems. I finally get another dealer to look at it on 11/12/2002, and he agrees that there are problems. But wear items such as a throwout bearing, etc., are only covered for 90 days. So apparently 20k miles of driving is pretty much as long as a Subaru clutch will last. Postnote 3 hours after posting this report, my dealer calls me. The warranty rep from SOA decided that SOA would cover the entire clutch, save flywheel (which wasn't under warranty anyway). So there's a happy ending to my story (provided this really is the end!). Perhaps SOA is realizing the extent of customer dissatisfaction and is trying to rectify issues with their clutches/trannies? One hopes so. Name: Jason Rowe Make: '02 WRX Sedan Mileage: 17K Time Out Of Use: none Problem And Likely Cause: clutch shudder Modifications: None Submitted For Warranty Work (Yes/No): no Reason Given For Denial: n/a Your Story: clutch shudders when cold |