Temporarily experience some fuel seepage at engine fuel delivery pipe/hose during cold engine start up in extremely cold outside temperatures. Vehicle occupants may notice the smell of fuel. The same issue is described in subaru campaign/recall wvk-21 issued for 2002-2003 model year subaru impreza vehicles. Service bulletin 01-170-09 http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/acm12948229/rcsb-09v468-1307.pdf
2005 Subaru Impreza: gas smell in the cabin
15 of the 75 complaints about the 2005 Subaru Impreza describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 15
- of this car's complaints
- 20%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- 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
Everytime I start the car in even the mildest to coldest temperatures, the car has an extreme gas smell in the cabin of the car. I have taken it to the shop and they claim they don't even smell it and cannot service it. There is a recall for model 02 and 03 of this car but does not cover my year. It's gotten to the point where the car is not drive-able during cold weather. The recalls also do not cover the state of maryland, which is ridiculous because we've been getting cold snaps putting us below 0. Considering the problem is detectable even in 40 degree weather, this does not seem reasonable.
I own a 2005 subaru impreza wrx sti, upon starting vehicle, idle, and driving there's strong fuel smell under the hood and inside the cabin. I have popped the hood and confirmed is coming from back passenger side of intake manifold where the fuel lines, rails, and injectors are. I have confirmed this to be relating to soa's recall for the 02-03 impreza wrx's hard fuel line / rubber hose leaking issues. I live in southern california so appears extreme cold weather not the cause. Leaking fuel is a huge safety issue!
Strong fuel smell in cabin, dealer confirmed leaking fuel hoses.
During cold start there was a fuel smell coming from the car. The car was taken in to have the fuel lines tightened at a cost of $50.72. The problem was not properly corrected and the fuel smell returned a couple more times before the weather warmed up. I recently found a recall (program wvk-21) for the 02-03 model years but nothing for 05 even though the problem exists on my 05. The program consists of replacing the hoses which was not done on my car. I am concerned that without a recall of all the affected vehicles that when the cold weather returns there will be a serious safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru impreza. The contact stated that fuel fumes were emitted inside the vehicle. The dealer stated that the fuel lines and the intake manifold gaskets needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,476. Updated 10/02/14*lj updated 10/23/14 updated 3/30/15
Experienced strong fuel smell in cabin after cold start on a couple of cold days (~10f?) experienced during trip north for holidays. Odor went away after engine warmed up. No problem evident in warmer weather. Seems likely that this is same problem that LED to recall of earlier my imprezas.
During cold weather, a strong fuel odor permeates the cabin of my 2005 subaru impreza wagon. Upon engine warm up the fuel smell goes away.
I was researching this site for something else when I came upon complaints about the toxic smell of gasoline/fuel when starting up certain subarus on extremely cold days. I live in colorado and the smell of fuel is awful when the car is started in the winter and I can sometimes smell it while operating the car. I have a 2005 subaru impreza wrx. My car has had so many problems: bearings in the transfer box failing twice, the fuel pump failed (on the highway no less, where I was almost hit by a truck because my car lost power so quickly). The radiator went...the turbo failed. My car has always been dutifully maintained. If this fuel smell is serious I hope subaru will handle it as such but my experience with the local dealer and subaru corporate has LED nowhere.
In january 2008, I noticed a very strong smell of gas when I started a the car on a cold day. I opened the hood and saw gas dripping from the driver left side of the engine. Because of my concern of a fire, I had the car towed to the dealer. It cost $491.30 plus towing to have the fuel leak fixed. This year I started smelling raw gas again when the car is cold. I had it checked at the dealer on 1/16/2013 and they did not find anything. I asked about recalls and they said there were none. The smell of raw gas is very strong on most cold days and I'm afraid there will be a fire. When I searched the web for subaru impreza cold weather fuel leak it looks like it is a widespread chronic problem. Does there have to be fires and injures before subaru is forced to fix this major safety issue.
On extremely cold mornings +/-0 degrees my 2005 subaru impreza rs has such a strong fuel smell that you can not use the heat since you can't turn on the vents. If you turn the vents on the smell is so intense that you get lightheaded and sick. You can smell the fuel smell outside the engine area and fuel mileage is so much lower that you know that it is leaking fuel. Called subaru and they refuse to help without charging and did warn of the potential of the car catching on fire from the fuel leak.
On jan 12 2011 my 2005 subaru impreza wrx started to have a raw fuel smell coming into the cabin area when it was cold outside no matter if it was in a garage or outside. On further inspection I could see raw fuel streaming out of the fuel lines onto a hot engine block. There is a recall for 02-03 subaru imprezas with the same problem, but it does not cover any newer models with the same fuel delivery system problems. Nothing was done to correct it by the dealer because it was not covered by the recall. It should have been covered by some type recall because of found defects in just slightly older models but the same engine configuration and fuel system.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2005 Subaru Impreza fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 2005 Subaru Impreza?
15 of 75 owner complaints about the 2005 Subaru Impreza (20%) mention gas smell in the cabin. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Subaru Impreza?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Subaru Impreza
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