Terrible gas smell. Fuel is leaking because it is cold outside.
2002 Subaru Outback: gas smell in the cabin
23 of the 143 complaints about the 2002 Subaru Outback describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 23
- of this car's complaints
- 16%
- typical mileage
- 84,000
- 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 temp. Outside go below 32 degrees, the inside of my car fills with raw gas smell, this happens every winter. I live in wi. When it is above freezing it is fine and all summer it is fine. I am so affraid to have my grand kids in the car. Not sure if the fumes will explode.when I am driving I do not smell gas. But if I stop at a stop sign or light it fills up the car. I have to roll down my windows to get fresh air
Over last few winters, when temperatures drop to freezing there has been a bad fuel smell in cabin. Especially with heater blowing, though it still smells inside and outside the car even with the heat off. Once the weather warms up there is no noticeable smell. I have tried tightening 5 clamps as suggested in an online help page. Not sure if this helped or problem just went away with the cold weather. Local shop couldn't see leak on cursory check while the odor as at it's worse. Maybe only visible if it's freezing and up on a lift. Subaru dealer suggested fuel lines need to replaced as normal process as car ages. Subaru should find solution to this dangerous problem that's obviously common to these vehicles and put out clear instruction on diagnosing and fixing this issue.
Since the recent temperature drop where we live (maryland, dc metro region), we've noticed a strong gasoline smell inside the car's cabin. The smell is strong enough that we are uncomfortable driving long distances, for our own health and that of our children. The smell only appears when the car is running (though it doesn't seem to depend on speed). We've owned the car since march 2010, and this is the first time we've noticed the issue; it's also the coldest weather we've encountered since purchase. Apparently there's a fuel-line-related recall for imprezas of this vintage, but not yet for outbacks.
My wife drove her car, a 2002 subaru outback, about 5 miles home from work, and told me in the evening her car reeked of gasoline when she arrived at home. When I checked her car the gas odor had dissipated, but when I started it and backed it out of the garage the gas odor was very strong. I moved it back into the garage and shut it off. I discovered online that the odor was likely due to a fuel hose leak associated with a cold weather start. The temperatures here are cold for missouri, with highs in the low 20's. It still is cold, albeit as a minnesota boy it still seems like spring. At any rate, I found a website with useful diagrams and I located the hose under a bracket (of course), and managed to uncover the hose and tighten the clamps, which were very loose. After re-assembly I drove the car to burn off the gas remaining on the engine and I tested the repair with another cold weather start later. I have ordered a replacement hose from the subaru dealership for 12 bucks. I understand that recalls and service advisories have occurred and are in place for other subaru models including the closely related 2001 legacy. I would like to add the 2002 outback and every other subaru that uses the hose part # 807707130. The discussions online about this issue reveal some people are driving with their windows open or with cabin air set to recirculate, or waiting until the engine warms up enough for thermal expansion to seal the leak. As an industry chemist I find this ignorance about the hazards of gasoline fires appalling. However I think subaru's piece-meal approach to addressing their defective engineering is frightening. Don't they care about the safety of their customers? My wife teaches chemistry, a typical customer, according to subaru ads. She loves her subaru. Subaru does not love her.
The car always has a strong gas smell inside during winter. The smell is so bad that I get headaches.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 subaru outback. The contact stated that whenever the heat was activated, the contact would notice a gasoline odor coming through the vents. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on four occasions where the head gaskets were replaced each time. However, one year after the repair the contact noticed that the failure recurred. The vehicle had not been recently diagnosed. The current and failure mileages were 84,000.
In cold weather, my 2002 subaru outback cabin gets filled with very strong raw fuel smell as the car warms up with the heater on. It has gotten so bad, that my daughter nearly throws up every morning on our way to school in cold weather. This is an issue that my local dealer explained away has a typical subaru thing in cold weather. This is unacceptable. This is a health hazard and subaru is getting away with it. I have been using this particular car for the last 10 years, and every winter the smell gets worse and worse. Subaru needs to step up, acknowledge the problem and fix it, or face the very real problem of a massive lawsuit soon.
Prominent gas smell inside cabin when temperature is below 32 degrees f. It is a known safety issue on subaru's but nothing is being done by subaru to rectify this poor engineering safety issue on their behalf. I have talked to subaru of america via email and on phone and they say that there is no issue with this car even though there is thousands of people that are experiencing this issue.
2002 subaru outback smells of gas every time it gets cold. A shop that works on just subarus knows the problem well and tried a few things to fix it. After $175, it did not work. Last year, I had to drive with my windows down on cold nights the smell was so strong. One night it was -20 degrees! This year the smell has come back at just 39 degrees and stronger. My garage smells and I am afraid the call will blow up or I will get sick driving it. On-line and on the federal safety agency I see many other subaru owners having to put it with the same thing. Can you folks help?
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 subaru outback. While the vehicle was idle she stated that there was a strong fuel smell in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who cleaned the exhaust system. The contact stated that the failure continued to occur. The vehicle was taken to another local mechanic who stated that the failure was caused by a loose latch in the hatch back. The mechanic repaired the loose latch. The failure continued after the latch was repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic and he was unable to determine what caused the failure to occur. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was purchased used in 2007 who stated that the failure had occurred for two to three years. The contact stated that the failure only happened during cold weather conditions. The failure mileage was 92,000. The current mileage was 108,000.
Fuel smell inside and outside of cabin when weather is cold (20' or below). Shop has examined the vehicle and cannot determine cause. Seen references to similar issue with the wrx model and fuel lines/clamp.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2002 Subaru Outback fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 2002 Subaru Outback?
23 of 143 owner complaints about the 2002 Subaru Outback (16%) 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 2002 Subaru Outback?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Subaru Outback
Stalling 12Fuel leak 8Hesitation 6Shudder 6Sudden acceleration 5
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