2002 Subaru WRX: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed May 28, 2009 · Fuel system · IN · fire

In feb of 2006 I began smelling a slight fuel odor in my 2002 subaru wrx. A few days after I noticed this I came home and was going to try and find the source of the smell, it had slightly worsened over those days. I pulled in my driveway, opened the hood and looked around the engine for a minute, I then went into my garage to get some tools and a light. While in the garage I heard a "whoosh" and went outside to see what made the noise. When I went outside my car was on fire in the engine compartment. I then called 911. When they fire dept arrived I informed them that I had ammunition in the car, and they said they would have to wait to put it out until the ammo burned off. After a few minutes the fire had reached the rear of the car and the ammo exploded, the fire dept then put the fire out.

Filed Dec 4, 2008 · Fuel system · 94,000 miles · FL

I have a 2002 subaru wrx sedan that is affected by tsb 09-36-03 fuel leak I have experienced headaches, dizziness and nausea from the fumes entering the cabin as well as decreased fuel mileage and fear that my car could catch fire at any time I cannot afford to pay for this obvious defect and do not have another mode of transportation today I found at least a couple of dozen other people like me with this problem the belief that this only occurs in cold northern areas is absolutely inaccurate as I live in florida and have the same problem it is worse in colder weather but still happens in warmer climates I am outraged that this has not been recalled how many reports does it take for someone to do something about it subaru is not standing by their claim for safety being first are you waiting for someone to pass out do to the fumes and cause a fatal accident or for a sudden burst of flames from the raw fuel leaking you do know the turbocharger creates a lot of heat especially under hard driving conditions no report can possibly prove that a fuel leak won't cause a fire not to mention the fumes which are very strong and will make you sick we should not have to pay for this design flaw these are expensive cars and subaru should be held to standard of high quality they claim pour into their products please help us I my car has 94,000 miles and is in great condition aside from the fuel leak mentioned this should not be happening subaru needs to be held accountable for the safety of their products.

Filed Nov 24, 2007 · Fuel system · 30,000 miles · LA

My 2002 subaru impreza wrx exhibits a very strong raw gasoline smell after running in cold weather. I find the problem most pronounced after a temperature change. I am concerned that my car will catch on fire.

Filed Dec 18, 2006 · Fuel system · 21,532 miles · NE · 1 injury

1. None, it's a factory defect. See subaru technical service bulletin 09-36-03 "fuel smell in cold weather". 2. Anytime it gets below freezing there is raw fuel leaking from the fuel rail onto the top of the engine. This has to be a serious defect! What is the risk of my car starting on fire when fuel is being leaked onto the top of my motor??? On top of that, when this is happening you have two choices if you want to freeze yourself. 1. Turn on the heater and let all the raw fuel fumes blast you in the face (it's a great way to start off your day) or 2. Leave the heater off and freeze (both choices are unacceptable). 3. I have taken it to beardmore subaru in bellevue nebraska 13 times while my car was under warranty and 4 times while out of warranty. I don't know how a dealership can be so clueless since the tsb was issued before I even bought my car. I told them over and over, "raw fuel smell in cabin on days it's below freezing". The would wash the engine, or put in an new air filter, or do nothing and say they can't find anything wrong. This is totally unacceptable! Please help!

Filed Mar 3, 2006 · Fuel system · 25,000 miles · GA

I own a 2002 subaru wrx impreza wagon. I, like many, many of fellow owners of this car experience fuel leaks around the cars engine when the ambient temperature falls below ~40 degrees f. I have contacted subaru about this problem many times, and each time I take the car into the dealership for diagnostics they state "they can not reproduce the problem." this is patently false since the car reeks of gasoline fumes before and after I leave the dealership. Apparently the clamps that hold the fuel line assembly together fail when the outside temperatures are cold. Subaru will not repair/replace these clamps (even when the car is under warranty) and repairs total approximately $350-400. This problem is very similar to that issue that resulted in the challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986, cold temperatures leading to fuel leaks, which could lead to fire and explosions. A brief look at an online complaint website revealed about 150 other people with this problem, and that's just the number that took the time to send in a message. It is only a matter of time before one of the vehicles catches on fire and kills someone. Subaru is aware of this problem and tacitly acknowledge the faulty manufacture of this car part, but will do nothing to help the owners of these cars. Please investigate this matter, I do not want anyone to die because subaru is too cheap to replace a 50 cent o-ring. Thank you.

Filed Dec 22, 2005 · Fuel system · 52,000 miles · IL

There is a rubber fuel line linking the injector fuel rail to the hard steel fuel line leading from the fuel tank, that contracts at a different rate than the fuel rail nipple. This causes a fuel leak on the turbo side of the engine. This is a problem that subaru and it's dealers are well aware of as it happens on the 2002-3 subaru wrxs in cold climates. The most alarming aspect of this is not just a leak, but the leak is on the turbo charger side of the engine. The amount of heat in the turbo would ignite vaporized/liquid fuel rather quickly. To me it is really amazing that these things are not bursting into flames all over. The company is also charging their customers for the fix, which is expensive, to a problem that is clearly their fault. Not to mention that leaking raw fuel is an environmental problem.

Filed Jan 20, 2005 · Fuel system · NC

I own a 2002 subaru wrx. If it is cold outside, below 32, I have a bad gas smell. Smell is sometime overwhelming and can give me headaches at times. I've read some on the internet and noticed quite a lot of other wrx owners have the same problems. Seems like its some sort of gas line leaking. I have a 4 month old son who I'm afraid may become overcome by these hazardous fumes. The dealers are charging 350 dollars to repair this problem which seems to me to be ridiculous. These is a service bulletin about this problem 09-36-03; date 04/01/03. This problem seems to be a defect in fuel lines that should be taken care of by subaru not the customer who has purchased faulty and dangerous equipment. There seems to be some chance for a major lawsuit if someone catches on fire or is overcome by fumes to the point of becoming dizzy and crashing. I feel this needs to be addressed and recalled. The parts I hear are on national back order. That means there are a lot of cars out there running around waiting to catch fire.

Filed Dec 27, 2004 · Fuel system · 44,000 miles · MN

There is a very heavy raw fuel smell comming from the engine compartment! I live in minnesota and this week was very cold (0 degrees f). I can see fuel leaking in my engine bay and gas fumes are all over when I pop my hood. I have a 2002 subaru wrx and my car has a techincal service bulletin out for this exact problem. This is a huge safety concern and my car could start on fire at any moment with fuel leaking on my hot engine. Why doesn't subaru fix this for free when it is putting people's lives in danger?