Car was recalled in approximately 2009 for a fuel leak which could cause and engine fire. I know because I've owned this car I bought it new in 2003. The problem has reoccurred. To fix it, the intake manifold had to be removed and 3 short fuel lines had to be replaced. Work was done by alpine automotive in lake zurich, illinois. I've reached out to subaru who say they know of no issue. However, I found an article published in 2009 in us news & world report, saying that the warranty for this issue was being extended by 12 years , which puts the car still in warranty for this issue..
The worst 2003 Subaru WRX problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes20
- Fuel system20
- Engine4
- Transmission4
- Acceleration3
- Visibility3
- Airbags2
- Seats2
- Steering2
- Tires2
- Electrical1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Subaru WRX
Recalls 1
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002 and 2003 impreza wrx vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of south dakota, nebraska, north dakota, minnesota, idaho, iowa, montana, colorado, wisconsin, new york, wyoming, michigan, alaska, new hampshire, vermont, and maine. During cold starts, typically under extremely cold temperatures, fuel leaks in the fuel delivery line could occur where the line connects with a rubber hose.
- Risk
- Fuel leaks, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel line free of charge. The recall began on december 31, 2009. Owners may contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783.
Recall number 09V468000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2003 Subaru WRX
Defect investigations
Fuel line leak
The design of the fuel line (metal rail/rubber hose interface) is susceptible to fuel odor and/or seepage in extreme cold temperature conditions.owners most often noticed fuel odor in the occupant compartment area during initial cold engine start-up.once the engine is warmed, the odor/seepage issue dissipates.from subaru's data, odi notes that the incident rates are higher in states with colder temperatures.there was one allegation of a fire incident in which the owner had reported that he noticed fuel odor a few days earlier, but odi could not confirm the origin of the fire. To address this issue, subaru will replace the fuel line with a longer rubber hose segment version/design on 5,724 my 2002-2003 vehicles built through september 12, 2002 in 16 states (ak, co, ia, id, me, mi, mn, mt, nd, ne, nh, ny, sd, vt, wi & wy).in addition, subaru will extend the warranty coverage to 12 years/unlimited mileage on vehicles in the remaining 34 states.this engineering analysis is closed (see recall campaign 09v‑468)
EA09011
Fuel line leak
Complainants report fuel leakage most frequently in winter during initial cold engine startup.owners will either notice a fuel odor inside the occupant compartment or fuel odor/leakage at the fuel lines on the right side atop the engine. Once the engine has warmed, the odor/leakage may cease.subaru revised the fuel pipe/hose design for model year (my) 2003-04 wrx vehicles produced after august 2003.subaru also introduced a my 2004 impreza sti vehicle with a different engine and fuel pipe/hose layout.out of the total of 994 complaints, 944 concern my 2002-03 wrx vehicles built through august 2003.subaru also reports one fire on a my 2002 wrx vehicle that occurred in february 2006.in march 2009, odi inspected and video taped a my 2002 wrx vehicle with a fuel leak during cold engine start up.the video was provided to subaru and is in the investigation file. This investigation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-011) to further study this issue.
PE09017
Fuel line leakage in engine compartment
Subaru reports that the fuel odor is caused by fuel seepage during cold start of the engine under extremely cold temperatures. The leak occurs in a fuel line in the engine compartment.it reports that the failure is due to the misaligned angle between two fuel delivery lines which resulted in such fuel seepage during the first few seconds of cold engine start during these cold temperatures.subaru reports that the two fuel lines are connected with a hose that becomes too stiff in very cold temperatures to conform to the misalignment. Subaru has issued a technical service bulletin (subaru service bulletin number 09-36-03) to replace the fuel lines with new lines that are properly aligned and that have a longer connecting hose.odi phone calls to many of the complainants confirm that fuel odor is noticable during very cold temperatures and cold start but goes away as the engine warms up, and the odor is not present in warmer temperatures. A few owners report that attempts to eliminate the leakage by tightening the connecting hose clamps is not effective in eliminating the fuel odor.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
PE04002
Extended stopping distances
During the ea, odi and vrtc performed the following activities:1.conducted a mail survey of 246 subject vehicle owners todetermine the roadway surface that caused owners' concern;2.interviewed complaining owners;3.conducted field inspections of seven (7) complaint vehicles;4.instrumented testing at vrtc of complaint and peer vehicles;5.reviewed subaru's response to our information request;6.met with subaru for technical review of testingas a result of the work conducted by vrtc and odi during this investigaiton, a consistent or chronic pattern of poor brake performance has not been identified.vrtc conducted over 11,500 brake tests.they did not observe any long-duration, low deceleration events (some owners reported delays of 4 to 10 seconds) in the test vehicles.see odi's closing report and vrtc's test report for full details
EA03024
Braking system/ABS
Subaru's supplemental response of september 29, 2003, identified that the 2002, 2003 subaru wrx models areequipped with the bosch 5.3 ABS system, and identified that other model subaru vehicles are also equipped with the bosch 5.3 ABS system, but have different calibrations than the wrx model vehicles.subaru identified that changes were made in the ABS ecu to address a calibration logic issue when driving the vehicle with the spare tire mounted.subaru reported that both the ABS hydraulic unit and the ABS ecu were modified, and gave VIN numbers to identify the implementation of the modified units in production. Testing is underway to gain an understanding of the wrx vehicle performance during an ABS activation.futher, analysis ofthe differences in vehicle performance resulting from ABS software changes will be examined.
PE03029
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Subaru WRX 126
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This is an update announcement regarding the TechShare & NorthStar Integration
- This announcement provides information on the connected services platform for Subaru EVs.
- This bulletin provides a step-by-step diagnostic procedure for resolving Remote Engine Start (RES)...
- This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but...
- This announcement provides information on DCM replacememts due to a parasitic draw.
- This announcement provides information on an outage affecting the Subaru Select Monitor 5 application.
- This Service Information Bulletin announces the availability of ThreeBond 1216J (SOA868V9640) designed for...
- This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
- This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a...
- This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
What 2003 Subaru WRX owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Fuel leaking onto my engine block could result in my car engulfing in flames, no recall for it on my car but I see it everywhere and it's a super common problem. The cabin of the car always smells like gas usually in the cold, but when I smell the engine it smells badly of raw gasoline.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 subaru wrx. The contact noticed a strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to byers airport subaru (located at 401 n hamilton rd, columbus, oh 43213). The dealer would not repair the vehicle per the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v468000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and demanded the dealer to repair the vehicle; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised that the recall had expired and he would have to pay for the repair. The failure mileage and VIN were unknown. Updated 10/24/17*lj updated 10/25/2017
When it get cold out, the fuel line starts leaking and there is the smell of gas in the car. There has been a limited recall for this issue depending on where the vehicle was purchased. I live in a state not included in the recall area. This doesn't change the fact that it is a serious safety issue and the manufacturer should correct it no matter what state I live in (illinois). This is clearly a manufacturer's defect and ask that they fix this issue.
My dream car demolished in split second. Could have very easily died as well as my passenger. I looked up the recalls when I got the car and it was not listed yet, the steel front control arms in the snow belt states rust out and cause the vehicle to loose control and or crash. Well it did both to me as well as excelerate my car. I was on a date that night for the first time in a while. And on our way home, we were coming around a slight bend, I was going probably 35-40 MPH and right when I turned the steering wheel going around the bend I heard a crack/thud noise and instantly I swear on my dads grave that the car accelerated, it was obviously out of control, I could not stop the car it kept going the same way as the turn, and hit an embankment about 3 1/2 feet tall the front door opened somehow when I hit. It bent the complete door up and looked like a lamborghini door. Luckily we had are seat belts on! The car the proceeded to flip on to its roof. Back, front side windows blown out. Both upside down in awe. Made sure she was ok. She was cut up on her arm and had seatbelt marks. As for me I know I hit my head bad but I don't even remember, it happened so fast and unpredictable! I had that car paid off. Loved it so much but I'm very disappointed I was never aware of the recall. I looked up my VIN the day or so after, and it said the control arms were never replaced. A month or so later I check again, and it says they were fixed.. Now come on, that's a little weird and convienent if I so happened to sue subaru. I also had my car at a local subaru dealer 3 months before for a overall maintenance check and look over... Why did they not know, why did they not even see the corrosion. I was so in shambles after the wreck, that when the insurance guy came to look at my car it was totaled obviously. I tried pointing out what happened, he really could of cared less.
In cold weather the fuel lines leak on the 2003 subaru impreza wrx! There was a limited recall in certain northern states, however it gets cold in many states where there was no recall. The car has become dangerous to drive b/c I can smell the gas which means there is the danger of ignition. Subaru knows of this issue and should issue a recall for all cars affected.
On the morning of feb 3, 2014 I started my car and it smelled very strongly of raw gas. I turned off the car and had it towed to my local repair shop. The tow cost $84.70. I found out later that morning that subaru issued a recall beginning december 31, 2009 for 2002 and 2003 subaru wrxs where the fuel line leaks in extreme cold. Unfortunately, the recall included only 16 states, and offered an extended warranty to the other 34 states not named in the recall (I reside in one of the 34 for the "extended warranty"). I promptly phoned subaru of america and my local dealership, webster groves subaru about the issue. The service department employee, [xxx], advised me to drive my vehicle over to have it checked out. Considering this is talking about raw gas and at least one fire has been reported in relation to the recall, I do not agree with this suggestion. Both subaru of america and the dealership affirmed that the car would have to be taken to a dealership to see if it might be considered for the recall. After directly telling [xxx] I will not drive the vehicle since it is dangerous (the recall even states that it is dangerous!), she agreed to call her district manager then return my call. This is not the whole of my concern. We have had colder weather all over the united states this year and I am very concerned about this issue. I was not notified of the extended warranty or the issue by subaru, and I gather other individuals were not as well and their safety could be at risk. While it would be ideal for subaru to pay for the necessary repairs to my vehicle, I ultimately hope they will notify all 2002 and 2003 subaru wrx owners of this potential hazard for the safety of everyone! This is not just a small optional recall, but one that could cause serious harm to drivers, their passengers and fellow drivers. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 subaru wrx. The contact stated the vehicle began leaking oil from the avcs line and would leak onto the manifold, creating a fire hazard. The manufacturer advised there were no recalls for the failure and any repairs would be the contact's expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 31,000.
Fuel line leaks raw gasoline fumes into passenger compartment and outside of vehicle during cold weather. Gas fumes are overpowering inside the vehicle, and possibly creates a serious safety hazard of fire/ explosion.
Occasionally my wrx smells like raw gas. Three times when I have been driving to mt. Lemon, up a very steep road, I have had a very strong (unbearable) gas smell enter the car. I took it into the dealer and was told that I am just "overfilling the tank," however, I never try to fill the tank beyond the automatic shutoff point on the gas pump. I have also smelled gas occasionally when driving but never as strong as when I drive to mt. Lemon.
Compare the 2003 Subaru WRX
Other model years
200220032004200520062008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Questions about the 2003 Subaru WRX
Is the 2003 Subaru WRX reliable?
Owners have filed 60 complaints about the 2003 Subaru WRX, 2.4 times a typical WRX model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2003 Subaru WRX year score?
The 2003 Subaru WRX scores 33 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Subaru WRX: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Subaru WRX?
Brakes, with 20 complaints, typically around 11,000 miles. Next is fuel system (20).
How many recalls does the 2003 Subaru WRX have?
1 recall, covering fuel system, gasoline.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Subaru WRX?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history