2002 Subaru WRX engine problems

Filed Dec 13, 2016 · Engine, Fuel system · 177,000 miles · WA

Fuel rail on 2002 wrx is leaking heavily on the engine. This is a high fire hazard as well as noxious for passengers in the car as it smells heavily of fuel. Since I live in washington state subaru of america has not honored the recall they've put in other states for this exact issue. Subaru has denied warranty repair due to the extended warranty expiring for this issue in 2013. I was never notified of this issue. I am the original owner of this car and have taken it in for every other recall issue that I've been notified of. This is reckless and dangerous. The local repair shop has said they don't think it is correct to charge me for labor and parts that should be covered under warranty by subaru and have directed me to the dealership. The dealership asked me to get authorization from subaru, which was denied. This is a safety issue that should be covered under warranty for the life of the car. It is a bone stock car with no aftermarkets parts or enhancements.

Filed Apr 10, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 126,000 miles · TX

Working night shifts, started my car to let warm up, temperature was 43 degrees fahrenheit at the time. After start up I could smell raw fuel out side the car as well as inside the car through the vents. Also gas mileage has gone down by drastically, normally get 300-330 miles a tank and currently getting barley 200. Noticed car starting to smoke a little as well from under the hood, no fire but not going to keep driving the car.

Filed Dec 9, 2005 · Engine, Fuel system · 22,000 miles · TX

In regards to the federal safety agency action number : pe04002 I have a 2002 subaru wrx with 34000 miles and live in houston, tx. I first encountered the problem when visiting my family in ft. Worth several years ago. It was not very cold, but there was snow on the ground. I started the car and turned on the heater to let car warm up. When I returned about five minutes later, I detected a strong odor of gasoline before getting in. The fumes inside were unbearable and I had to air out the car before driving, but the order persisted for about an hour. I left for houston that evening and thought the fumes were just a one time occurrence. Last night I visited a friend for about 2 hours. It rarely gets very cold in houston, but at 9 p.m. Last night when I left the temperature was probably just a little above freezing. When I started the car all appeared normal, but when I turned on the heater, the smell of gas was overwhelming. I aired out the car while driving, but the got the same result every time I tried to use the heater. The car reeked of raw gasoline when I parked it after the 1.5 mile drive home. I got on-line after I got home and found out this was a very common complaint and that tsb had been issued. I also saw your action and believe subaru of america may have given you the impression that the defect is the result of "very cold conditions." from what I've seen on the internet, I do not believe that to be the case. Http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=675874&highlight=fuel+leak http://www.wrxforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=print_topic;f=3;t=008039 http://www.daytonsubies.com/forums/index.php?act=st&f=3&t=185 http://64.119.173.9/forums/printthread.php?t=81610 http://clubwrx.net/forums/showthread.php?t=48256 anyway, I believe raw gasoline leaking onto the top of the engine in the quantities that would cause that strong of odor has to create a significant safety hazard; and that it happens more often than soa has admitted.

Filed Nov 18, 2005 · Engine · 30,000 miles · IN

Raw fuel smell in cold weather; subaru tsb 09-36-03, issue date 04/01/03 severe raw fuel smell and fumes in cabin. Engine is leaking copious amounts of fuel.

Filed Feb 23, 2005 · Engine · 13,000 miles · NY

Odor of gasoline in passenger cabin caused by leaking fuel line. Fumes causing driver dizziness and headaches. Subaru repaired the leak by tightening a fuel line connection. The problem returned and subaru can not locate source of fuel odor.

Filed Jan 7, 2005 · Engine · 50,000 miles · TX

Only in cold temperatures there is a smell of fumes. Gas vapors are coming from the engine into the vehicle. No recalls found.

Filed Dec 30, 2004 · Engine, Fuel system · 63,176 miles · NC

I drive a 2002 subaru impreza wrx. A week and a half ago we had temps below zero. While driving I noticed very strong gas smells coming through the vents while using the defrost. After some online investigation I have found that this is a fairly common problem with these vehicles for anyone living in a colder climate. I belive the problem has to do with the fittings that attatch the metal fuel lines to the flexible hoses in the engine compartment. In cold weather these fail, spilling gasoline onto the engine block. Now the problem is more common, even on cool, but not cold days. I understand that subaru is aware of the problem and has even issued a service bulletin to dealerships advising them of the fix for this (which is very expensive). However, it should not be the consumers responsiblity to pay for a potentially dangerous fix that is common on these cars. Strong gas fumes in the passanger compartment and gasoline spilling onto the engine block should constitute enough of a safety hazard to justify a recall of these vehicles. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Filed Dec 22, 2004 · Engine, Fuel system · 29,183 miles · NY

Fuel leaks when starting my car (02 subaru wrx) in cold weather. Strong fumes would enter the cabin through heat vent causing nausea.

Filed Apr 21, 2004 · Engine · VA

There is a puddle of gas that forms on top of the engine in extremely cold weather. Consumer can smell gas fumes in the vehicle.

Filed Feb 16, 2004 · Engine · 37,000 miles · NE

Vehicle: subaru impreza wrx 2002. Fuel smell noticeable in engine compartment and passenger cabin in cold weather. Smell most noticeable in passenger cabin when vents are open to outside air and heater/fan is on. Smell became noticeable in december and has persisted. It is currently february 16th as I file this report.