When ambient air temperature is cold (below about 20-30 f), the vehicle gives off a strong gasoline smell. This is caused by the fuel rail contracting to the point that some fuel is sprayed onto the engine compartment. Obviously, this is a fire risk.
2003 Subaru Forester: gas smell in the cabin
45 of the 189 complaints about the 2003 Subaru Forester describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 45
- of this car's complaints
- 24%
- typical mileage
- 103,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Gas smell in the cabin by model year
What owners say
When the weather turns cold there the smell of gasoline in the cabin it happens when the car is in idle mode when driving the smell dissipates but you can still smell it faintly I noticed it last year I went to the dealership in september 2016 and they noticed a pooling of gasoline but they notice anything because the weather was warm so they tightened they tightened the engine to the chassis
Three years ago, we started to notice a fuel smell when driving our 2003 subaru forester on very cold days (below 20 degrees). We took it to the local subaru dealer for service. They couldn't find a specific leak, but they tightened the clamps around the fuel lines. We continued to notice the smell and took the car to other service centers to see if another mechanic could find the source of the odor. We recently took the dark back to the subaru dealer and were informed that the fuel lines need to be replaced at a cost of $700. We did some research online and found many subaru owners complaining of similar issues on forester and other subaru models manufactured in the early 2000s. Other owners reported that this is a manufacturing defect with the car. Given the safety risk of leaking fuel, we urge the federal safety agency to investigate.
Last winter on cold days I noticed strong fuel smell coming into interior cabin of car, attributed it to dirty air filter, changed it and weather got nice so smell was gone. Now it's january again and cold temps have arrived, noticed the smell again worse than ever. While taking car for oil change the technician told me I have a fuel leak and that is why the car smells like gas. Now I won't drive more than 10 miles fearful that I may wind up in a rolling fireball. Since there a multitudes of complaints online regarding this, I think subaru of america needs to do 1 thing..recall and replace at no charge to owners. It smells when it is started, smells during initial drive and for quite some time -- driving with windows down at 30 degrees and below is difficult, I did it during our blizzard too. Area around engine reeks of fuel as well. I already had to replace head gaskets only to find out that there was a recall on those for the prior few years which my model wasn't covered under. Installed new muffler so that's not it either.
Everyone the temperature gets below freezing there is a terrible gasoline smell that fills the cabin of the car. It is almost to the point where you cannot drive the car and it causes headaches. This happens when starting the car and while driving it.
First event was in december 2014, long island, ny: after driving for about 3 miles, stopped with car shut off for about 30 minutes, when restarting, there was a very strong fresh/raw gas odor in the car. Sickening odor. This happens sporadically. The local subaru dealer did a smoke test, said they fixed it by tightening clamps on fuel rail on 2/11/15. The odor continues sporadically. Now, march 3, 2015, they want to replace hoses on fuel rails. Mileage is just over 92,200.
Very strong gas smell in vehicle cabin during cold weather.
Bad raw fuel odor in cabin in cold weather, has been happening for weeks. Went online, found tons of similar complaints, subaru of america has not issued a recall for the 2003 forester, even though this is a very common and dangerous safety problem.
In very cold temperatures the interior of my vehicle is overcome with fuel fumes. It happens at idle and low speeds, does go away once we are driving for a few minutes over 30 MPH. It is so bad we had to drive with windows open in 5 degree weather. Definitely coming in through the heat vents, however, shutting the heat off did not eliminate the problem. This is my first winter with the car and didn't have this happen until the last few days, when the temps have been consistently below 30 degrees f. I've read numerous other complaints of this, not sure why there is no recall/service bulletin but would like to know the solution to the issue. It can't be safe to breathe these fumes! Would like to know the solution to this problem, as we otherwise love this vehicle!
When temperature drops to low double digits (teens or below) the cab of the car begins to smell of gasoline. I have had it inspected by a mechanic and they cannot find a leak anywhere in the fuel line. It goes away when the temperature moves back to warmer temperatures.
Very strong fuel smell when cold weather.
In freezing weather a very strong smell of gasoline fills the car. I have young children that ride in this vehicle and it's a health and safety hazard.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Subaru Forester fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 2003 Subaru Forester?
45 of 189 owner complaints about the 2003 Subaru Forester (24%) mention gas smell in the cabin. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Subaru Forester?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Subaru Forester
Ball joint 23Airbag light 15Fuel leak 14Sudden acceleration 6No deployment 5
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