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: gas smell in the cabin
23 of the 42 complaints about the 2004 Subaru WRX describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 23
- of this car's complaints
- 55%
- typical mileage
- 65,000
- recalls
- 0
Gas smell in the cabin by model year
What owners say
During cold weather fuel smell coming from engine and is leaking
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.
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.
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.
When the weather was very cold out, about 10f there was a noticeable gas smell outside the car and in the cabin when the HVAC turned on. This is a fuel line issue which is known to subaru - there is a recall on 2002-2003 wrx models. However there is no recall on later models such as my 2004 wrx, which also suffer from the problem.
I have a 2004 wrx and when the vehicle is left outside during very cold temperatures, at startup, there is a prominent fuel smell. This seems to occur if I leave the vehicle parked for an extended period of time (3+ hours) at 20 degree f or below. There have been numerous reports regarding this defect reported on the nasioc forums. In addition, there is a recall regarding this same defect for the 2002-2003 wrx's. I am greatly concerned about the risks associate with raw fuel being dispersed on the engine upon startup.
During cold weather (~36 f), there is a strong fuel smell in the cabin. The smell seems to be coming form the engine compartment (passenger side). The smell disappears after the engine warms up.
2004 subaru wrx sti. Strong fuel smell in cabin during cold weather. Upon start of cold engine, after a few minutes. Smell overwhelms cabin till vehicle reaches operating temp. Approx. 5-10 min.
During cold weather, strong fuel odor is present indicating a fuel leak in the engine compartment. Event is repeatable on any day when ambient temp is ~36 degrees f or less and lasts until engine has warmed (about 15 minutes). Dealership reports that there is a service bulletin covering '02-'03 my. Odor is strong enough in cabin to cause physiological reactions (headache, nausea).
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2004 Subaru WRX fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 2004 Subaru WRX?
23 of 42 owner complaints about the 2004 Subaru WRX (55%) mention gas smell in the cabin. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Subaru WRX?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Subaru WRX
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