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Subaru Impreza Service Brakes Safety Report | Oct 23, 2013
Reported on Oct 23, 2013
| IN AN OUTSIDE PARKING LOT WITH PARKING BLOCKS STARTED THE CAR AND MOVED FORWARD TOWARD AND OVER THE PARKING BLOCK AT STARTING SPEED. THE CAR LEAPED FORWARD AND LOST BRAKING POWER, WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL GOING TO THE FLOOR. CAR LEAPED AHEAD ACROSS THE ASPHALT ROAD TO NEXT PARKING ROW ON GRAVEL WITH DRIVER TURNING RIGHT, TO AVOID A POLE AND STANDING CARS AHEAD, AND NON-ACCELERATING STEADY-SPEED MOVEMENT CONTINUED OVER SEVERAL PARKING BLOCKS ON GRAVEL WITHOUT ABILITY FOR THE DRIVER TO STOP USING BRAKE PEDAL. THE CAR COULD NOT BE STOPPED, WITH BRAKES DROPPING, EVEN WHEN BACK ON ASPHALT ROAD. MOVEMENT ONLY STOPPED WHEN SHIFT PUT IN PARKING POSITION. IN TOTAL THE BRAKING POWER WAS LOST FOR AT LEAST 5 SECONDS. THE TRIGGER FOR EVIDENCED BRAKE DISFUNCTION WAS LOW-SPEED FRONT-WHEEL COLLISION WITH THE CONCRETE BELOW-BUMPER PARKING BLOCK, OR PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN GOING OVER THE BLOCK, OR A COMBINATION OF THESE AND POSSIBLY OTHER FACTORS. DEALER STATED NO BRAKE FAILURE, NO FLUID LEAK, NO ERROR CODES. DRIVER HOLD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE > $2400 COST TO REPLACE DAMAGED EXHAUST SYSTEM AND SCRATCHED DRIVER-SIDE FRONT WHEEL. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED NOT BY THE INITIAL COLLISION WITH THE PARKING BLOCK, BUT THE SUBSEQUENT UNCONTROLLABLE MOVEMENT OVER SEVERAL (4-6) PARKING BLOCKS DUE TO LOSS OF BRAKE PEDAL FUNCTION. HAD THERE BEEN PEOPLE, CARS OR BIGGER OBJECTS AHEAD OF THE CAR, THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY OR EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE HEIGHT OF THE PARKING BLOCK WAS JUST SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE HEIGHT OF A STANDARD SPEED BUMP. WE ENCOURAGE INVESTIGATION ON SUBARU IMPREZA 2013 BRAKE AND ABS FUNCTION WHEN BRAKING OVER SPEED BUMPS, CURBS AND OTHER LOW OBSTACLES OR FOLLOWING A LOW-SPEED, LOW-OBSTACLE FRONT-WHEEL COLLISION. *TR | |
| Make: | Subaru |
| Model: | Impreza |
| Manufactured by: | Subaru of America, Inc. |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Was a crash reported? | N |
| Was an injury reported? | 0 person(s) were injured. |
| Was a death reported? | 0 person(s) died. |
| Was a fire reported? | N |
| Location: | WEST LAFAYETTE IN |
| Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): | JF1GPAC64DH |
| Mileage: | 8000 miles. |
| Speed: | 5 MPH |
| Number of cylinders: | 4 |
| Vehicle type: | |
| Vehicle fuel: | GAS |
| Was a police report filed? | N |
| Tire size: | |
| Dealer name and location: | |
| Previous Report:Service Brakes | Next Report:Power Train |