Less than 500 miles cabin fills with engine fumes - smells like exhaust/crank case vapors - especially at idle and with outdoor air damper open on HVAC. If you open hood the engine bay smells like gas fumes. Upon inspection looks like passenger side exhaust manifold is leaking with splatter marks on exhaust manifold - fire and health hazard. Subaru corporate in past has been poor to deal with and makes statements like our dealers are independent and we have no control over our dealers when trying to get them to take action. Now I'll have to battle this out and likely with BBB claim. I have Asthma and cannot drive this vehicle with this smell.
Subaru Legacy fuel smell problems
66 of the 3,184 owner complaints about the Subaru Legacy describe gas smell in the cabin, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 66
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $750
- typical mileage
- 93,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel leak 11Won't start 3Check engine light 3Fire or smoke 2Water leak 1Pulling 1Stalling 1Misfire 1
What owners say
The catalytic converter has been replaced twice and is now needing a third replacement. The car emits gas fumes, unsafe emissions, and the fuel causes the mechanism to be extremely hot and unsafe. Over time, the car has had reduced gas flow and will stop running. The dealer has confirmed the three converters installed have been defective. The manufacturer, Subaru, was contacted to inspect the car but refused. Precious years have recalls of the fuel mechanisms. The check engine light stays on when unsafe emissions are detected.
I have a 2018 Subaru Legacy 2.5. The front catalytic converter failed April 2022 with 130k miles. the part was replace by Subaru and the part has failed again. Oct 2023 with 180k miles. Exhaust fumes enter the passenger compartment (which are Carbon Monoxide). The same part has failed two times in a short period of time. Subaru states this is not a warranty issue .This must become a recall.
Extreme gas smell in cold weather until car heats up when running heat/defrost. Known issue in other models that warranted a recall.
A smell of gas was present in the passenger area. I took it to my mechanic. He said the Damper Fuel Assembly (Part # 42086AE040) was leaking. It is a high pressure gas hose. Subaru no longer makes the part, making the car valueless. We tried junkyards, etc, but that part seems to be leaking on all. It is dangerous. I can drive it, perhaps, but the gas smell is in the body of the car. Subaru said it's "unfortunate" that the car that was worth $6-7,000 last week is worth nothing. Unless I want to drive it unsafely.
While driving, exhaust odor detected in cabin causing headaches/nausea and exhaust became much louder starting at roughly 185,000 miles. Discovered subaru service program bulletin wuj-95 which identifies cracks forming in the bellows section of the front exhaust pipe and its replacement with an updated front exhaust. Contacted subaru and requested it be covered under the wuj-95. This request was denied as my vehicle "already had the updated exhaust pipe". Purchased and installed the kit called-out in wuj-95 myself. Upon removal of the exhaust pipe, I was able to confirm visually that cracks had formed in the exact location identified in wuj-95. The "updated" exhaust pipe that my vehicle had failed. Contacted subaru several more times requesting this be covered . Coverage was denied. The "updated" exhaust pipe is not a true fix for this safety issue.*dt
Flexible exhaust bellows that connect exhaust manifold to catalytic converter is cracked and exhaust fumes enter the cabin. This causes headaches and nausea while driving and idling especially with the HVAC system on.there is an active recall on prior year vehicles with the same body style and engine combination. My vehicle is not covered.
Always, when the circulation fresh air button is pressed to allow outside air to enter the cabin, there is the noxious odor of gasoline. I replaced the engine because of a timing belt related problem at 160,000 miles and the problem of gas odor stopped for a few months but it is back, bad as ever. When did this happen? Years and years
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 ?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 subaru legacy. The contact stated that there was an abnormal fuel odor within the vehicle without warning. In addition, the contact observed a leak of fluid located under the front passenger side of the hood. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact mentioned that the odor was more stringent when the vehicle was idling. The dial for the air/heat was fractured and could not be turned off. The failure mileage was approximately 175,192.
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 smell
Which Subaru Legacy years have gas smell in the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (13 complaints), 2005 (13 complaints) and 2002 (9 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix gas smell in the cabin on the Subaru Legacy?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $750 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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