Starting car in cold weather results in raw gasoline leaks into engine compartment and passenger compartment. Problem persist until car is very warm. Hazards are risk of fire, driver illness due to breathing fumes and environmental release of gasoline.
2002 Subaru WRX fuel system complaints
Page 4 of 11: complaints 71 to 100 of 295, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Fuel leak on 2002 subaru impreza wrx. Fuel leaks/sprays form fuel lines onto manifold. Strong fuel smells fill cabin with vapors. Possible chance of fire in engine compartment. Contacted subaru with no resolution. Find this to be a very common problem with 2002 subaru impreza wrx.
In cool or cold weather, there is a very strong odor of raw fuel inside the passenger compartment. Anyone inside or near the car is exposed to harmful gasoline fumes, these vapors are toxic when concentrated and may cause dizziness and hallucinations in smaller amounts. There is also concern of potential fire danger. Fuel odor has been present year-round on my car, and also on many other 2002 and 2003 subaru imprezas. This is a common issue that subaru needs to address, but their position seems to be that it is the customer's fault and responsibility. This repair, to correct a design flaw in the subaru wrx, will cost the loyal customer several hundred dollars. Thanks subaru, thanks a lot.
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.
Early model year 2002 subaru imprezza wrx - exhibits a very strong raw gasoline odor when the ambient temperature is 60f or below and the engine is cold. The smell is so strong that the windows of the car must be opened in order not to get sick from the vapors. A very similar if not identical issue is recorded by subaru as service bulletin 09-36-03, however the temperature does not have to be below freezing for the problem to occur. As strong as the odor is from this problem, there is clearly raw fuel pooling or spilling somewhere within the engine. In addition, there are well over 1500 posts regarding this issue on the following site: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131755 there are other forums with information regarding this issue. There are reports of raw fuel pooling on some people's manifolds. This represents a clear danger to people and property, and should be reconsidered by the federal safety agency as a mandatory recall for all subaru wrx vehicles with engines prior to 673467 as listed in the service bulletin. If the federal safety agency waits until a vehicle catches fire or explodes before making this a recall, it will be a potential tragedy that could have been easily avoided.
The car seems to have a temperature related fuel leak that always occurs in cool or cold weather and makes no difference if the engine is cold or warm. There is an extremely strong fuel odor in the passenger cabin, so much so that windows must be rolled down in cold weather. The car is off warranty and I've had it in to my mechanic who can't locate a problem. He suggested tightening the fuel cap very snugly after refueling but this has made no difference. The smell occurs almost daily in weather below 35-40 degrees. The car is in good condition and was inspected for pin holes, loose connections in the emissions/fuel system but nothing was found. I occasionally see one or two spots of what smells like gas on the garage floor. I am surprised at the number of similar complaints and that subaru has not taken this seriously.
Extremely strong smell of gasoline inside cabin area. To the point where windows all have to be rolled down, scared that car may explode. Noticed that it is worse on cold days moreso than on hot days. I have also noticed what looks to be gasoline stains on our driveway, which are located directly under engine compartment area of where our 2002 subaru impreza wrx usually parks.
2002 subaru wrx sedan. Strong fuel smell comes from passenger side of the engine compartment. A minor fuel leak occurs occasionally during cold weather. Took it to subaru dealer but they could not reproduce the leak since the weather warmed up. Service rep recalled similar problem with another customer who paid $400 for replacing a fuel line. Fuel leaks are safety hazards and should be fixed as recalls.
During some cold weather of about 20 farenheit I recently I smelled a strong gasoline smell in the cabin of the vehicle. At first I thought it was the vehicle cold start emissions, but it continued after a long drive (60 minutes) and was most noticeable when the vehicle was not moving. I popped the hood and there was a strong gasoline smell so it appeared the smell was originating from under the hood. I continued to drive in cold weather, and my gas mileage dropped to about 16 mpg highway. This is compared to about 28 mpg I normally get on the highway.*ak after the weather warmed up, the gas smell mostly subsided and gas mileage returned to normal upon searching online I did find that subaru has issued a technical service bulletin for this issue that explains these symptoms as a defect in the length of the fuel hose and rail which causes fuel to leak. But upon talking to the dealer, they wanted me to pay for a technician to attempt to verify the issue, which is impossible now that the weather is warm. They also will not commit that subaru will pay for the repair in any case. The repair if I pay for it will be more than $500, but I feel it is a health and safety issue. It's a health issue because gasoline fumes are a recognized carcinogen, and a safety issue because having 40% of the gasoline disperse in the engine bay could cause a fire or explosion. Also, waiting for the symptom to appear is too late, and does not reliably identify which vehicles may be affected. A vehicle may mostly be in a moderate climate, and then is driven in cold weather, and suddenly has a pressurized gas leak.
I own a 2002 subaru wrx. In feb. 2007 I started the car and strong gasoline smell entered the cabin. I searched the internet and found that this is a well know defect in the 2002 model when starting in cold weather. The dealer knew the trouble well and fixed it with change in fuel line near intake manifold. My question is why this serious flaw did not trigger a recall when a fire could certainly result from leaking fuel near the manifold?
During the winter, our 2002 wrx has smelled like exhaust or raw fuel in the cabin of the vehicle. We took the vehicle into surbaru and were told the rubber fuel line shrinks when the temperature drops and fuel leaks. They did a notice, but not a recall - which means you pay not them. It cost $700 in parts & labour ($15 for the part) - the entire engine has to be removed to fix the problem. I called subaru america directly and was told they didn't sell enough cars in the north to warrant the cost of doing a recall on all the subaru's. Maybe if enough people complain they will rethink their strategy.
Beginning in the winter of 2003- 2004 (I bought the car in june of 2003), I would clearly smell gasoline whenever I turned my car on in cold weather (below 40 degrees or so). The smell would remain for a little while. I never really thought of this as a major problem, but I allowed my pregnant sister to borrow my car and on a particularly cold day, it made her so nauseous she vomited and couldn't remain in the car. I had to borrow a friends car to go pick her up, then have her drive with me to my friends house 30 minutes away so I could give him his car back. After this embarrassing situation, I decided to investigate this and came across a website that 2002 subaru wrx owners trade information on. I found out that subaru of america has known about this problem since january of 2003, but neglected to let the buyers know about it. I actually bought the car after they released their tsb about this, but never heard about it. I am really aggravated that this has been a problem for so many people, for so many years and neither subaru of america, the federal safety agency, nor anyone else has done anything about it. Shame on all parties involved.
Strong fuel smell after vehicle start up. This had been getting progressively worse over time (around 1 month). Took vehicle in to service and discovered fuel leaking under the intake manifold from the injector rails. Fuel was spilling onto the manifold. Discovered subaru tsb # 01-123-90 covering the issue and repair needed. The repair took 1+ weeks due to part unavailability and $380. Connector hose referenced in the subaru tsb was replaced.
Raw fuel smell from engine compartment comes into cabin of vehicle when outside temperature is lower than 20 degrees f.
Raw fuel smell coming from engine area.
2002 subaru impreza wrx wagon. When ambient temperature falls below freezing, the fuel line in the engine compartment leaks fuel onto the engine. The leaking fuel vapor enters the interior of the automobile in great quantity, causing a safety issue for the driver/passengers. I have, on occasion, had to pull over and open the windows to vent the fuel vapor because of becoming light headed due to the amount of vapor in the car.
My 2002 model impreza wrx-2.0l experiences a fuel smell in cold weather. Took it to dealer courtesy motors subaru-chico ca. The service manager said he didn't smell anything so I left mad, but I left. Since then, subaru has issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) regarding this problem and I still can't get it fixed. It's from a rubber hose connector located under the intake manifold between two direct metal fuel-feed lines to the injectors. (straight off of the tsb) this should be fixed by subaru or there should be a general recall from fire and fumes raw gas leakage.
Smell of raw gas fumes in the passenger compartment of vehicle and under the hood of the vehicle at temperatures below freezing. Took the car to the dealer and they quoted a $500.00 estimate to "repair leaking fuel lines below manifold". They told me not to worry about it-"it won't catch fire"!!!
Strong smell of fuel during cold weather operation. I have taken the vehicle to the subaru dealer. The dealer reported a fuel line was visibly leaking fuel
There is a very strong raw fuel smell inside the car often. This occurs most of the time when the temperature is below freezing. After researching, many others are having the exact same problem.
I have just purchased a 2002 subaru impreza wrx, upon driving home I was extremely light headed and very sleepy I also noticed the pungent smell of raw fuel, after driving home with the windows open in 30 degree weather I did some research which lead me to find there was a significant fuel leak in one of the fuel pipe / hose connections,(on the passenger side in the engine compartment) which has resulted in the fuel dripping on to the engine... This is extremely unsafe and I am fearful of driving the car. This is now a tsb w/ subaru, but for the safety of owners and other drivers this needs to be a recall placed in the highest regard!! I will be contacting subaru of america to seek assistance!! The parts and the repair labor are stated in the bulletin... However this is no simple fix.. Pricing and technical know how are of an elevated degree..
Fuel line leakage in engine compartment during cold weather, producing raw fuel fumes in the passenger cabin.
My 2002 subaru wrx smells of gas fumes (inside the cabin) after a cold start. The heating system seems to make the smell even worse. The smell / fumes make me concerned about my health.
Strong fuel smell inside car. Possible leak.
My subaru wrx 2002 started giving off a strong fuel odor when temperature was really low. This continued for over 10 days. On investigation using the internet, this turned out to be a well-documented defect, reported by large numbers of other 2002 wrx owners as well. Subaru refused to pay for the fix. I had to pay morristown subaru in nj $230 to fix this very dangerous problem and make my vehicle usable again. I am very surprised that subaru is not proactively issuing a recall and fixing the problem. Are they waiting for a 2002 wrx to explode due to the fuel leak, possibly causing grievous injury to the occupants?
2002 subaru wrx sport wagon (1) in very cold weather, (2) smell of raw gas fumes enters passenger compartment, causing potential environmental, safety and health hazard. (3) situation is covered by 2003 subaru technical service bulletin 09-36-03. Dealers refuse to cover cost of this safety-related pre-existing defect. Not yet repaired.
During the cold period last week, my 2002 subaru impreza wrx had a very strong smell of raw gas. Subaru has issued a tsb # 09-36-03 dated 4/01/03 acknowledging the problem and has a repair kit specifically designed to fix the problem. This problem should result in a recall by subaru and be repaired at subaru's expense. It is a potential explosive/fire event and is a fault in the original design. The dealers will not fix this problem without charging the customers. The repair kit is about $60 but labor is $700-800. Its a safety issue and I'm afraid to drive it like it is.
Failure: gasoline leak onto hot engine, strong smell of raw fuel in cabin. This failure, the events leading to it (cold weather), and the consequences are described in subaru's tsb #09-36-03 from 04-01-03. In my case, my wife and I were driving around last monday, 2-5-07, when it was very cold -- maybe 6 or 7 degrees with a strong wind. We began to smell raw fuel in the car after leaving a restaurant. The smell got worse as we drove to a grocery store. When I opened the hood I could hear a hissing sound and see fuel vapor (like steam) coming from under the intake manifold on the passenger side. Since the weather has gotten a bit warmer it doesn't seem to be a problem. The car is a 2002 wrx sedan. At this time, it is sitting at sharrett subaru in hagerstown, md. Nothing has been done to correct the problem because subaru of america (soa) is refusing to cover 100% of the repair cost (which they have, recently, for other people with the same vehicle and similar mileage). This is a known problem. It should clearly be the subject of a recall.
1) strong odor of gasoline noticed in engine compartment and interior. 2) subaru dealer determined fuel lines were leaking under intake manifold. Leaking fuel in an engine compartment is always an extreme fire risk. The wrx has three possible ignition sources underhood, turbocharger housing, exhaust manifold and catalytic converter, all of which are in close proximity to the leak location. 3) fuel lines repaired per subaru tsb 09-36-03 at customer expense.
My 2002 subaru wrx suffered the cold start fuel leak problem described in the tsb (fuel rails). Vehicle was purchased used from dealership, but dealer did not address the problem while vehicle was still under warranty.
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