Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Subaru WRX owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I just had the car in with 6600 miles for an oil change and they performed the 7500 mile check up and found nothing wrong with the car. That afternoon I first notice the brakes feel soft and not slow the car I shook it off thinking I felt it wrong. I noticed it 2 days later again and decided I should get it back to the dealer but before I could I lost the brakes as I was turning a corner and went over a curb through a sing before I got in control and turned out of the grass I was in. I had body work done and some front suspension components replaced but nothing done to brakes no one found anything wrong. My insurance company said they would have it inspected and I never heard anything from them. That was October of 2003 and the problem is happening again. I haven't had it back to dealer yet I am waiting til I can cause the problem consistently so they know there is a problem. …
I was driving to work this yesterday (2/12/04) morning, and was just crossing an intersection. I was going about 15mph, and saw the car in front of me hit there breaks. I pushed down the pedal, and to my horror, it seemed to go all the way to the floor without my car stopping at all. Next thing I knew, I had rear-ended a Buick (which as an aside suffered nothing worse than a scratched bumper, compared to my folded hood, ruining front bumper, and other twisted metal).I have about 15K miles on the car, and have not experienced this problem before. This is my first accident in almost 15 years of driving, and don't really know how to procede. I called my local Subaru dealer, who said he had no idea of such a problem. When the police officer was asking me what happened just after the accident, I describe the pedal to the floor for him, and hopefully he'll include my statement in the report.
I seem to be having the same problem that is being investigated currently by you. The NHTSA # is: ea03024 I was involved in an accident in which my ABS brakes of my 2003 Subaru impreza WRX did not engage. I applied the brakes just like I normally do and the brake sank very quickly, and then supplied very little braking power. The performance of my brakes was very very poor compared to what they usually felt like. This happened while I was driving at a speed of aproximately 45mph. This resulted in an accident. I ran into the back of another person. This was of course deemed my fault. This accident happened in late January this year (2004). The car was repaired, but I have experienced the problem on two other occasions since then. Luckily I was able to steer around the cars in front of me and try applying the brakes again to make them work correctly.
Subaru WRX wagon, 2003. While attempting to slow for a corner on a well groomed, dry, gravel road the ABS system of the car initiated a mode that would not allow the cars brakes to function at all. During the episode (which has been and can be recreated) pedal pressure and pedal height was maintained as during normal braking operations. The brakes would not work despite the fact that I was standing with both feet on the brake pedal. I am in the process of disconnecting my ABS and Subaru na claims that I'm nuts.
While taking a right hand uphill turn over a bump, ABS aparently activated and stopped braking functions. I was unable to slow down or stop and hit a curb, causing severe damage to car. I had previously had issues with ABS activating when it was not supposed to in moderalty light rain, which was what the weather was like during this incident.
Coming around corner on a hill driver was in middle of road avoiding pothole I swerved and braked then swerved back. When I swerved back my brake pedal hit the floor and I proceded to drive onto someones front lawn. The ABS shouldnt have done that.
ABS failed. Driving on road, got cut off, stepped on brake pedal. Pedal dropped to floor, calipers seemed to release after a second causing no loss in speed. Rear ended driver in front of me. Stopping distance more than doubled.
This problem has occurred 3 times to date. This is the typical situation: I was driving at a low rate of speed, around 25, coming up to a stop sign. A second or so after I applied the brakes I went over some small bumps on dry pavement and it felt like ABS was coming on, the pedal dropped, but then it went way down and it wasn't pulsing. No matter how hard I pressed, it didn't seem to help.
2003 Subaru WRX sedan - when stopping on slightly bumpy surfaces the ABS brake system becomes ineffective. The driver must let off the brakes and reapply in order to get any effective braking. This is dangerous. I can repeat it at known places on my drive to work everyday. I compensate. If I had known I would not have bought the car. This needs to be "fixed."
Loss of braking at low speeds on rough surfaces. When braking on an uneven patch on the roadway at approx 15mph ABS seemed to be activated hence reducing braking effectiveness. Also noticed the problem after running over a gentle speed bump at similar speed. This second instance caused what felt like a total loss of braking.
NHTSA investigations
Braking system/ABS
Subaru's supplemental response of September 29, 2003, identified that the 2002, 2003 Subaru wrx models areequipped with the Bosch 5.3 ABS system, and identified that other model Subaru vehicles are also equipped with the Bosch 5.3 ABS system, but have different calibrations than the wrx model vehicles.Subaru identified that changes were made in the ABS ECU to address a calibration logic issue when driving the…
Extended stopping distances
During the ea, odi and vrtc performed the following activities:1.conducted a mail survey of 246 subject vehicle owners todetermine the roadway surface that caused owners' concern;2.interviewed complaining owners;3.conducted field inspections of seven (7) complaint vehicles;4.instrumented testing at vrtc of complaint and peer vehicles;5.reviewed Subaru's response to our information request;6.met with Subaru for…
Brake complaints in other WRX years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2003 Subaru WRX?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Subaru WRX, 33% of the model year's 60 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Subaru WRX brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2003 Subaru WRX, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Subaru WRX brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 11,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.