yeah, could be any of many things:
*poor installation: leading to low voltage and malfunction (eg: powerwire too thin, bad groundwire connection, etc); bad quality subbox; incorrect wiring
*poor tuning: bass boost, gain, EQ, xover filter, etc; not being set appropriately
*faulty component: possible, though i don't know if they're brand new or what
how about having it installed and tuned by a professional?