Major fuel leak within engine bay
Subaru Legacy fuel leak problems
37 of the 3,184 owner complaints about the Subaru Legacy describe fuel leak, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 37
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical mileage
- 92,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel smell 11Fuel pump 2Fuel gauge 2Check engine light 2Won't start 1Stalling 1Overheating 1Hesitation 1
What owners say
Car was sometimes difficult to start, other times it would stall/hesitate when in motion on city street. Discovered to be caused by aged/worn fuel pump causing overcurrent draw that fails to blow fuse causing meltdown in wiring harness connector where pigtail from pump connects to the chassis side of the wiring harness. Heat/spark potential is created in close proximity to fuel tank that has many reported cases of fuel filler neck rusting off and leaking fuel. A quick google search reveals that a number of people, with photos, have experienced this failure. Photo provided is from internet but the result is the same.
Tl* the contact's wife owns a 2019 subaru legacy. The contact stated that his wife received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 20v218000 (fuel system, gasoline). His wife took the vehicle to brown's manassas subaru (9018 liberia ave, manassas, va 20110) where the recall remedy was performed and the vehicle was returned to the contact's wife. About a month later, the contact stated that the vehicle would not start after his wife made multiple attempts to start the vehicle. Due to the failure, his wife had the vehicle towed to faulkner subaru bethlehem (330 stoke park rd, bethlehem, pa 18017) where they discovered that the fuel pump was corroded at the electric connections. They stated the corrosion was caused by a fuel leak that had leaked into the electrical connection. The dealer shipped the fuel pump to japan to have an investigation launched into the failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The original dealer brown's manassas subaru (9018 liberia ave, manassas, va 20110)) was notified of the failure and offered to assist regarding the failure. The vehicle remained in the possession of faulkner subaru bethlehem (330 stoke park rd, bethlehem, pa 18017). The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 45 MPH, the driver attempted to depress the brake paddle which went to the floor while the brake warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the parking brake to come to a complete stop however, the brake fractured. The contact was able to drive the vehicle at low speed to the residence. The contact got out the vehicle and notice brake fuel leaking on the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the brake line was severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
In colder weather I have fuel leaking from fuel lines under the hood which creates a strong gas smell inside the vehicle. I went online and found nhsta recall # 00v393000 . I am not sure if this is for my vehicle or not. Since this is a major safety issue, could it be repaired at at subaru dealer near me ?
Fuel leaking from top of gas tank. No collison. Gas smell began as check engine light lit and cruise control light started slow blink. Smell has gradually grown stronger. Smell strongest on the passenger side. Smell sometimes enters car interior.
After my dad filled his legacy with fuel we could smell fumes from the fuel. We took it to the subaru dealership we bought it from for them to overlook the fuel system to see where the leak was coming from. After it was looked over by the mechanic, we were told that the gas tank itself is leaking and will need to be replaced. We are not made of money, so we contacted subaru of america and asked for them to help us with the cost. They contacted our service advisor and the next day told my dad they could not help. To us this is a serious safety issue and can not figure out why subaru wouldn't want to help when it concerns customer safety. I know that ford is recalling their fuel tanks for this issue, and cannot see why subaru isn't doing the same. Between the leaking fuel tank and waiting over a month for the air bag recall, we do not feel safe driving this car. Hopefully we will be able to get this fixed and the car will become safe to drive again.
The car is creating a gas leak and smell after cold start ups. The car also fills up with smoke after warming up the car 5-10 min.
Car will leak gas as temperatures go below freezing. Leak is located in the engine compartment passenger side.
1997 subaru legacy gt 2.5l engine, approx. 92k miles, engine started overheating. Car was taken to two different repair facilities and diagnosed as blown head gasket after pressure test, block test, no signs of leaking. Car had been serviced faithfully by original owner at subaru dealerships since purchase. I found out this is a common problem from repair facilities with this model and engine but when questioned subaru dealership they said it couldn't have happened as head gasket and cooling system are not related (?) and problem was a cracked block or cylinder. Estimated cost to replace head gasket $2450-. Estimated cost to replace engine $5700-. I had also had a problem where the fuel filler tube that connects to the gas tank from where you pur the gasoline in from the pump had rusted away and leaked fuel onto the ground. I had that replaced at approx. Cost of $400-. Again subaru denied there was a problem when I called the dealership. These problems occurred with in six months of each other.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
- Risk
- Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Recall number 21V587000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
- Risk
- If the low pressure fuel pump fails, the engine may stall without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.
Recall number 20V218000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger or sport utility vehicles may have a loose or out of position fuel filler hose clamp.
- Risk
- This could result in fuel leakage. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and tighten the clamp on the fuel filler hose. Owner notification began august 27, 2003. Owners should contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783.
Recall number 03V303000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Possible fuel leakage of under-hood fuel hoses at low ambient temperatures (-40 degrees c) once the fuel hoses age and become less flexible.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect for under-hood fuel hoses with lot numbers 0804 and 0806 and all fuel hoses with those numbers will be replaced.
Recall number 00V393000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- A misalignment of the rear seat cushion latching bracket reinforcement plate to the floor required a machine tap to clear the opening for a mounting bolt. The top of the fuel tank may have been punctured when the tap was used.
- Risk
- The puncture in the top of the fuel tank could cause fuelto leak, which could result in a vehicle fire when leaks occur near a source ofignition.
- Remedy
- Inspect the fuel tanks; replace them if they are punctured.
Recall number 92V044000 · Recall details
Questions about the Subaru Legacy fuel leak
Which Subaru Legacy years have fuel leak problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (8 complaints), 1997 (6 complaints) and 2001 (6 complaints).
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