Control arm issues?
 

Hey guys,

So the other day I was talking to the kid I sold my 240Z to, and he said that one of his friends was a Subaru tech and that the BRZ was having issues with control arms bending or snapping, something to that effect. Aren't they the same type of stamped steel control arms in every other Subaru? Is the kid full of crap or can anyone actually confirm this? I smell :bs:

I smell BS too

Even the famous CEL issue some of these dealer will say "we never heard of it". I say BS too.

They are thiner and lighter. If one were to go curb-hopping, I wouldn't be surprised if they got bent.

We would have heard of this here. People whine about any tiny little bits of un-satisfaction they get from their new car on this forum.

We still see people posting about the damn TPMS before they even check if they are at the right pressure level.

Not too sure of that. The cars is fairly low, so if one is to go jumping curbs - the front bumper will get it first, possibly saving control arms. And there are plenty of people posting about bumper damage.
Just wait till winter, when people with slightly more clearance go jumping over curbs slightly covered in snow.

They are definitely flimsier than the older WRX/STi ones but they don't really carry any load, they are just there to keep things in place. The swaybar isn't connected to them like the WRX/STi. There are a couple of vendors, Moore Sport and Racecomp working on aftermarket arms which are much stronger and improve suspension geometry.

As a tech for Toyota I'm calling BS. We have never seen this in our shop

FYI: the dealer will only know about it if they have had the issue in the shop. I am a tech for Toyota and ill tell you this if I didn't work at my dealership nobody would have known about the DTC (you guys call it cell) issues so your BS doesn't mean much.

I've tracked my car but if I were to go racing in it (proper racing) then, if the rules allowed, the first thing I would do is reinforce the control arms and install spherical bushings in the rear (where there's lots of bind).

Outside of that I think you're fine.

Also OP: If there was a control arm issue where the arm bent during normal or spirited road use, Toyota/Subaru would recall that sh!t sooo fvcking fast you couldn't even give away a gold bar for free before you had your recal notice in your mail box (an obvious over-exaggeration)

think of the liability issue if someone in a BRZ or FR-S is going around a corner and the control arm bends and causes a 10 car pile-up where 7 people die.

I have had my brz in over 6 times for issues that lead me to believe its a control arm problem. Subaru has given me free alignments/tire rotations. They have replaced the bushings and the car still always pulls right w/ vibration in steering wheel and gas pedal. (Never jumped curbs)...... Anyone else having this issue or have an idea how to fix it.....


I can't drive over 80 mph without my car wanting to jump lanes of traffic (always right and gets worse the faster you go)

If I drive for over 30 min the tpms always comes on and the vibrations begins to get worse. Almost like something is heating up and expanding to the point of it hitting other metal.

put my car into an embankment at 60 mph and didn't snap mine.

You obviously have alignment issues that the dealer needs to resolve. Vibrations would lead me to suspect problems with the wheel not just the control arm. Ultimately the dealer needs to correct the root cause of the alignment and vibration issue. Free alignments and rotations are only to keep you happy with their inability to find the issue. I suggest taking it to another dealership or a qualified subaru tech who isn't going to overlook an obvious mechanical problem.