I bought a 2002 subaru wrx in september and didn't notice the raw fuel smell until it started getting cold. I noticed it every time I started the car when the temperature was below 30 degrees f. One night I let is run to warm up and saw a large puddle of what appeared to be oil/gas mixture coming from underneath the car. From research I understand that many other 2002 wrx owners seem to have this same problem due to a fuel line leak. I believe that subaru should have a recall to fix this dangerous problem.
2002 Subaru WRX fuel system complaints
Page 3 of 11: complaints 41 to 70 of 295, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On very cold days I have a very strong smell of gas in the car with the heat on. It is so strong I get dizzy and nauseous and have to drive with the windows down and shut the heat off. I have a 6 week old baby in the car who's daycare provider complains about her clothes and car seat smelling like gas. I have tracked down the problem and attributed it to a known technical service bulletin number 09-36-03. I would like to know why this isn't a recall? Raw fuel vapor is explosive and a carcinogen. As it is now, I cannot drive my car on cold days due to this problem.
Usually in the morning when I turn on the car, as soon as I would drive off to work I would catch a the smell of raw gas inside my car! At first I thought it was just from the outside that made its way through my cabin but it kept happening for days. Yesterday [12-17-08] was the worst! Its been cold the last couple of days & raining hard. To remove the fog on my windshield I had to turn on the fan and that's when the raw fuel smell magnified! I could not stand it & neither could my passengers. We had to open the windows to air out the car.
Car produces a strong fuel inside the cabin on cold mornings. Fuel is visible on the engine block where the fuel line is leaking.
1) when the vehicle is parked, and when the temperatures drop below 40 degrees, a strong pungent smell of gasoline is apparent in the cabin. 2) the failure is the fuel lines in the vehicle and hoses are improperly designed, causing a shrinking of the size of the hoses. This problem is a tsb and known by the manufacture, but this should not be a tsb , because this is a safety hazard not just for mileage reasons but for safety and health problems 3) nothing was done, called subaru of america and they re not honoring this warranty.
After starting the car engine on cold mornings (approx 32 degrees and below), strong smell of raw fuel enters the cabin through the air vents. This has happened to my car every winter since I purchased it pre-owned 4 years ago. Tsb #09-36-03 has been issued regarding this problem, but I believe it should be a recall instead because of the high risk to ones health and safety, and for people like myself who purchased the car used after the manufacturer's warranty has expired. This is obviously a problem with the original parts used during manufacturing and the replacement cost of the defective parts should not be the responsibility of the consumer.
My vehicle is a 2002 subaru impreza wrx sport wagon, VIN# . I am the original owner. There is a recurring heavy fuel vapor presence in the vehicle cabin and also noticeable outside the vehicle, especially after having driven and parked in a closed garage. This condition occurs only when the temperature is approximately 40 f or lower, and can persist for over 30 minutes (during the course of my typical commute). This has been occurring since I purchased the vehicle over seven years ago. I understand that the federal safety agency has opened and closed an investigative action # pe04002, without subsequent action directed for the manufacturer to issue a recall. Perhaps this falls under the jurisdiction of the epa, osha or the consumer products safety commission as a serious environmental and health situation, and therefore does not trigger action under the federal safety agency, however I strongly urge re-evaluation of this situation given the obvious danger this situation poses to the public. I intend to have my vehicle repaired in accordance with subaru's tsb 09-36-03, however hope that I can be reimbursed for out of pocket repair expenses to what has been an unacceptable and documented safety issue and design flaw.
Raw gasoline odour in the cabin during the first 5 minutes of starting the car in cold weather.
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.
1. Faulty fuel lines and connections where under cold temperatures, fuel leaks onto engine and fuel smell enters cabin of vehicle. 2. Every time the temperature outside drops close to freezing. Dizziness occurs while sitting inside vehicle to where the windows have to be rolls down canceling the effects of having the heater run to warm the inside of the vehicle. Lately the smell has become intolerable the more problematic. 3. Nothing has been done as of currently but there appears to be a fix per vehicle manufacturer but at owners expense.
I have a 2002 subaru wrx that has a fuel leak when the weather gets cold. It occurs usually on start up and lasts usually 10-15 minutes. This is a well documented problem with this model car (see the following web link) http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131755 many car owners have had this problem but subaru refuses to correct it despite the obvious danger (ie fuel dripping onto the engine manifold). Several fires have even been reported - although I have not personally experienced this.
Subaru has recognized the issue but has not issued a recall. Subaru service bulletin # 09-36-03 date 04-01-03 fuel smell / leak when outside temp goes below ~14 degrees fahrenheit. Fuel leak is from fuel lines supplying fuel to the passenger side injectors, leak is on top of engine. I have this leak below 40degrees. I have not contacted subaru yet but this is for all the other people that have this problem.
2002 subaru impreza wrx-----very strong fuel smell in cabin of car during cold weather driving. Fumes in cabin are so bad as to cause nausea and headache after prolonged exposure. This is related to subaru of america tsb#09-36-03, the federal safety agency action number pe04002. Not only am I concerned about fuel ignition in engine compartment, but studies also show that gasoline fumes are carcinogenic. This has been a problem since I owned the vehicle in june of 2001, has been occurring ever since. Finally I've had enough of "dealing with it". Dealerships have looked at my car and told me that nothing is wrong, and I've had enough. This is dangerous.
During cold weather I can smell gas fumes in my cabin and see gasoline leaking from the fuel lines in the engine.
I purchased my 2002 subaru in october of 2001. The following winter during a particularly cold trip to the mountains I noticed a strong fuel smell outside the vehicle. I was unable to replicate it once I got home. When I asked the dealership gresham nissan subaru in gresham oregon about it at my next oil change they said they didn?t find anything. I did not take the car into cold weather again until the vehicle was well out of warranty. When I did I noticed an even stronger smell of gas. I decided to pay out of pocket to have the leaking fuel injection system corrected before I made a move from portland oregon to the significantly colder climate in madison wisconsin. It was very disappointing to pay almost one thousand dollars to correct a defect that was inherent in the vehicle from the time it was new. Especially when this defect may cause an explosion.
Strong smell of gas in the car when starting from cold . We are forced to idle car in the driveway with the heat system off and can only turn it on when the car is in motion or the fumes are overpowering. Sympathetic comments from the subaru dealer but unable to fix this problem. I understand that a recall is costly for subaru, but this is a dangerous situation.
We just had an extended period of snow & cold weather here where I live in oregon. My wrx suddenly developed an extremely strong, toxic, raw fuel smell inside the car when it was first started in the morning. I called my dealer and was told they knew what it was, and that there is a tsb to fix the fuel line leak. Was also told that subaru did not think it was a safety issue so would not cover it outside of warranty and wanted $600 to fix! This is most definitely a safety issue! I have to open the windows to get fresh air to be able to breathe and am concerned that the car might catch fire!
Very strong raw fuel smell inside the car coming through the ventilation system as well as strong exterior fuel smell.
Fuel smell comes from right side of engine compartment when its cold out (under 50). The smell fills the inside of the car while I drive. I have talked to other owners of my car and this is common.
Unbearably strong smell of fuel. Temperature 20 f and below. 62,000 on car, never had this issue. Always exposed to same climate changes and extremes in temperature. Unable to drive car, nauseated and severe headache ensued.
Stopped at light and noticed strong fuel odor in cabin. Upon further inspection, noticed large amount of fuel leaking onto top of engine block, and running down to exhaust components. Considering quantity and location of leaking fuel, it seems like it could be a fire hazard.
Raw fuel smell in the cabin of my 2002 subaru impreza wrx, when I park my car in my garage at night the raw fuel smell can also be smelled throughout the garage after the car is shut off. Subaru dealership will fix it for a 85 dollar part and two hours of service time, which is around 230 dollars, at my expense when it is a factory defect, that is wrong to do in my opinion. In my opinion subaru should fix it for free.
We had a colder than normal spell below freezing for a day. Upon driving the subaru wrx 2002 model, I noticed a strong fuel smell coming into the cabin. Once returning home examined the engine and noticed fuel puddling under the passenger side intake manifold. I suspect that it is the high pressure fuel line interface/clamp and the rubber hose connected to it under the manifold leaking/ seeping. It's location and fumes pose a fire safety hazard and occupant safety hazard.
An extremely strong odor of unburnt fuel engulfed the cabin of the vehicle, giving my passenger and I a headache. The odor has returned every day since then.
2002 subaru impreza wrx at temperatures of 40 deg f and below the passenger fuel lines leak fuel raw fuel onto the engine block and generate large amounts of vapors that are drawn into the passenger compartment. At lower temperatures the problem is worse. There is a technical service bulletin that calls to tighten the line but does not fix the problem at all, and the dealer says that they do not guarantee that this procedure will fix the issue. The toxic fumes give me nausea and irritate my eyes since they are so strong in the passenger compartment. I close the recir to prevent fresh air from coming into the cabin but the windows fog up quickly and it is difficult to see out of them while driving in the cold weather. I also consider this to be a fire hazard just waiting to happen. There are countless other people that have the same problem and to date there is no fix for people driving the 2002-03 subaru impreza wrx. The following link is an example of just some of the people having this issue. Searches on the net will yield many more complaints about this issue.
Severe smell of gasonline in passenger compartment when outside temp is <40 deg f. Has been happening for over a year. I took it to dealer last year and they told me they tightened up clamps but that had no effect. *tr this isnt a recall?? Over 140 complaints fo raw fuel leaking onto the engine and no recall?? Does someone have to die in a car fire??
Rubber fuel line connecting two sections of hard metal fuel line leaks in cold temperatures (under 35 degrees). Problem not yet corrected by dealer.
The temperature was in the 40's today. Noticed a strong smell of raw fuel coming from under the hood. I have experienced this problem on multiple occasions. Was able to locate and verify a leak from one of the fuel hoses on the passenger side under the intake manifold (I have video to prove that there is a leak). Have obtained and installed new fuel line on the entire fuel delivery rail. Now, after performing more research I have learned that the problem is with the actual fuel rail and not the hoses. I also know that subaru knows of a manufacturer defect in the original fuel rail. Aside from being a dangerous fire hazard, this defect is allowing possibly thousands of cars to release copious amounts of hydrocarbons into the air. This safety hazard and environmental hazard needs to be highly considered as the basis of a recall!
Raw fuel smell in cold weather in my 2002 subaru wrx.
Fuel leak and smell from fuel hoses.
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