I was inspecting my clutch pedal arm and noticed a hairline crack where the assembly bolts to the car (circled in red on the image). After some research this seems to be a known issue and causes similar problems as described above. You have two options, either replace the clutch pedal assembly or have the cracked portions re-welded. Ultimately I decided to buy a new assembly for $104 total on eBay.Removing the pedal is actually very easy:
1. Disconnect & remove battery and battery tray
2. Find the 12m nut along the firewall that was blocked from view by the battery and remove it.
3. Stretch!
4. Under the dash you'll need to remove two 12mm bolts that connect the assembly to the car. Remove those two bolts.
5. There are two plugs attached to the pedal; the white one can be removed with a small flat head.
6.The brown colored one will need to be twisted and popped off with a small pry tool, like a very thin flat head or door panel removal tool (what I used).
7. Finally, remove the black wire that is connected by using the same prying tool to pop off the plastic rivet holding the wire to the clutch pedal.With the old clutch pedal assembly out, you'll want to remove the rectangular black piece with the grey button that is attached to the arm as seen in the picture. This is the clutch interlock switch. When you push on the clutch pedal, the brown button presses the switch in which tells the car the clutch pedal is down (used for starting and for cruise control). You'll need to bend the black arm that brown button is attached to slightly forward as it will NOT engage the switch when re-installed.
Also, INSPECT YOUR LOWER MOTOR MOUNT! If it is cracked/broken, replace it asap! Mine had actually been overdue for replacement and was to blame for some serious transmission problems.
