Having recently moved to a cold weather state, I discovered that when the temperature is below freezing there is a smell of gasoline in the passenger cabin. After doing some research, subaru appears to be aware of this problem and in fact issued a recall on earlier model vehicles for the same issue. The fuel lines and clamps shrink in cold weather allowing fuel to leak at the fuel filter or more problematically onto the intake manifold near the turbo. This has been resolved in newer model vehicles, but for some reason subaru decided not to issue a recall for the 2004-2005 vehicles having this problem. When the vehicle warms up, the heat of the engine reduces or eliminates the leaks. Although I was able to tighten the hose clamps, I suspect that next winter I will be facing the same issue and/or a $500-1000 repair bill from the dealer.
2004 Subaru WRX fuel system problems
35 complaints (83% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 75,000.
- owner complaints
- 35
- of this car's complaints
- 83%
- typical mileage
- 75,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Subaru WRX fuel system problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Subaru WRX fuel system
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
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
What 2004 Subaru WRX owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
During cold weather fuel smell coming from engine and is leaking
I have a 2004 wrx and whenever it gets cold lots of fuel leaks from under the intake manifold theres a recall for the same issue in 2002 2003 but it still does it on my car
During vehicle operation in colder weather (32 deg f or colder), there is a strong fuel smell coming from the engine bay. Fuel lines are leaking in an area close to the air intake. This does not happen during warmer weather.
Strong smell of raw fuel coming into passenger compartment during very cold outside temperatures.
In below-freezing temperatures, there is a fuel smell coming from the engine bay. It seems to start at approximately 20 degrees fahrenheit, and becomes increasingly strong at lower temperatures. On a recent morning when the temperature was 9 degrees fahrenheit, the smell was strong enough to cause a light-headed sensation. This appears to be a known problem, with there already being a recall for similar vehicles. Many vehicles excluded from the recall, including my own, seem to experience the same problem. Even worse, some who have had the recall fix performed have stated that the fix prescribed by the recall does not always resolve the problem completely.
Fuel lines leak upon cold start up in the winter. Fuel leaks all over engine block, my fear that this can cause a fire. Subaru's answer is to bring it in, spend money to have the car looked at. All the while they will not provide me with a comp car and this is my only car. With work, school and trying to move at that time it was not possible to release the car to them and hope it leaked on that day for the tech or risk handing out cash every time I take it in for them to look at. They know they have an issue they don't want to fix any longer. This is a known issue for some wrx's and they say the problem was taken care of in 2004, obviously not. It appears my car was built in mid 2003...... And is possible in my opinion that my car could have been built with these faulty parts.
When in freezing temperatures, my car is leaking gasoline in the engine compartment. Gasoline fumes are entering the passenger compartment causing nausea,dizziness and coughing (hence I am claiming/considering this as personal injury). I cannot always close the external vent because of fogging. This happens almost every time the temperature drops below freezing. Worse, I am afraid of the engine catching fire. I will take my car to the dealer for repairs. I just want to report this.
After starting my car in cold weather, I noticed a strong smell of gas. I found that there was gas pooling on top of my engine on the passenger side, under the intake manifold. I turned the car off and the gas stopped leaking, but when I turned it on again, I could see it dripping on to the location that it was pooling.
On cold mornings less than 10 degrees a strong fuel smell enters the vehicle. This issue was subject to recall on 2002 and 2003 model cars yet 2004 models also experience this problem. This is a wide ranging problem that effects many cars all the up to the 2007 model year of the subaru impreza. This problem has been well documented since 2002 on the largest subaru impreza web forum. Http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131755. It's about time subaru fixes this problem.
Questions about the 2004 Subaru WRX fuel system
Does the 2004 Subaru WRX have fuel system problems?
Owners have filed 35 complaints about the fuel system of the 2004 Subaru WRX, 83% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2004 Subaru WRX fuel system problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 75,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Subaru WRX fuel system?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Subaru WRX have the most fuel system problems?
The Subaru WRX model years with the most fuel system complaints are 2002 (295 complaints), 2004 (35 complaints) and 2003 (20 complaints).
Other 2004 Subaru WRX problems
Engine 4Airbags 3Suspension 2Brakes 1Transmission 1
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