2009 Subaru Outback Brakes Problems

The contact owns a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow the vehicle, the brake pedal was extremely soft. The contact stated that the vehicle required an extended distance to slow down or come to a complete stop, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the braking system due to brake fluid leaks. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 188,000.

The contact owned a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact swerved to avoid a crash and moved over to the median. The contact stated that the vehicle spun around, and the contact used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact was unaware of a warning light being illuminated. The contact stated that on another occasion, the air bag warning light intermittently illuminated weeks before a crash. The driver’s and passenger’s side air bags failed to deploy. A Police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The Insurance company was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that there was a gasoline odor coming from the engine weeks prior to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Passenger Side - rear brake line failed. Upon inspection the brake line rotted out at 4 way junction box - just in front of the rear tire- passenger side. Had to remove the plastic shield to get to the problem. I was driving at the time when it failed. Pretty scary as the car almost did not stop. I lost about half of the brake fluid. I know Subaru of America had a recall and this car was inspected years ago. Their fix was to spray a wax coating on the lines. They should have replaced the brake lines on all the cars subject to the recall. There is obviously an issue here with the quality of the lines they used as I see that 2005 to 2009 subarus have this problem. Safety put me or others at risk - yes

The contact owns a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while attempting to come to a complete stop, the contact stated that the brake pedal depressed fully to the floor without applying the brakes. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the junction box and brake lines replaced. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

While coming down a hill, I applied the brakes, and suddenly lost all brake pedal pressure, only being able to stop using a handbrake. This complete loss of the braking system put me and other drivers at risk. Had I been traveling at higher speeds, an accident could have occurred. The brake system warning light came on at the same time as I pumped the brake pedal, and there were no prior indications that the brake system was about to fail. When I inspected the car for fluid leaks, I found that the brake master cylinder was empty and a lot of fluid had collected just in front of the rear passenger-side wheel. The brake line union block at the rear of the car was severely corroded as were the brake lines into and out of the union block. This exact problem was supposedly addressed by NHTSA recall 14V-311 (Subaru Recall WQK-47). The fix involved either applying an anti-corrosion coating or replacing the faulty brake lines. The recall was marked as completed in 2014. However, the completed recall did not prevent the problem from recurring. Since the recall was marked as "completed", Subaru has refused to conduct necessary repairs on the vehicle. This is a known failure point and serious safety concern in many Subaru vehicles, acknowledged by both NHTSA and Subaru. I claim that the fix completed under the recall was insufficient in preventing brake line corrosion and failure.

CONTACTED DEALER (MIKE SHAW SUBARU, NORTHGLENN, CO) PER THE NHTSA RECALL 14V-311 -- RECALL STATES INSPECT AND REPAIR. INSISTED ON INSPECTION ONLY AND REPLACEMENT IN THE EVENT OF VISIBLE CORROSION ONLY. DID NOT OFFER THE APPLICATION OF ANTI-CORROSIVE MATERIAL IN THE EVENT THAT LINES ARE DEEMED ACCEPTABLE. *TR