Has anyone else had a similar problem with their impreza wagon? Over a period of many months, I noticed the following problems:
- the interior light stopped going on when the hatch was open
- the rear wiper motor stopped working
- the rear lock stopped working with the remote control (it still worked with the key, just not the keyless entry)
- the rear window sprayer stopped spraying
Since none of these failures were anything more than an inconvenience, I really didn't feel like paying someone to fix them. I finally decided to fix the rear wiper myself since it was a relatively easy job. I replaced the motor, but it didn't fix the problem. This is where everything got really strange. During this process, I noticed some wiper fluid dripping out from a hole in the bottom of the hatch. I felt around inside the hatch and realized it was flowing down the inside of the hatch from the top of the hatch. I removed the rubber cover between the car body and the inside of the top of the hatch on the drivers side. The only thing inside that rubber cover was the wiper fluid line leading to the rear window and it was severed. It looked like it was compressed to the point of cutting through the line. After seeing this, I removed the rubber wiring cover on the other side of the top of the hatch and sure enough 6 out of the 9 or so wires inside were also severed. They all seemed to have been compressed by something to the point of being cut.
It is quite possible that when the hatch is closed, it is applying too much pressure to these wires/tubes and causing them to be cut. It is also possible, but seems less likely, that this could have been someone tampering with the car. Any thoughts? Any similar experiences? Any chance that I can get this fixed for free on a 9 year old car(unlikely, I realize, but it does seem like a manufacturer defect)?