2003 Subaru Impreza Fuel System Problems

My 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX has a very strong fuel odor that is coming into the cabin when I start my car up on cold days. It's been unusually cold here in Washington state this winter with temperatures in Seattle dipping well below freezing. I see that there is a recall for this exact problem for my exact car (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2009/RCONL-09V468-4248.pdf). But when I called the dealer (Michael's Bellevue Subaru), and then subsequently called Subaru (1-800-SUBARU3), they told me that they will not fix this issue, since this recall does not apply to my state (Washington). I think that's not right. It is the exact same problem of cold weather causing this fuel line to leak, and they should honor this recall.

I NOTICED FRESH SMELL OF GASOLINE EVERYTIME I START THE CAR. I LOOK AT THE FUEL LINE AND ITS SIPPING FUEL.

SUBARU OF AMERICA RECALL WVK-21 OCCURED WHILE DRIVING AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE, CAUSING SMOKE TO RISE FROM ENGINE BAY. SUBARU OF AMERICA REFUSED TO FIX THE ISSUE AS MY VIN DID NOT COME UP IN THEIR SYSTEM WITH THE RECALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT SMELLED FUEL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE ENGINE BAY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V468000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). KEARNY MESA SUBARU (4797 CONVOY ST, SAN DIEGO, CA 92111, (858) 278-7100) WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO CALL NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 159,800.

FUEL LINE LEAKING GAS IN COLD WEATHER. I REALLY DON'T THINK IT'S SAFE TO DRIVE WITH QUITE A BIT OF GAS LEAKING ALL OVER THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE THAT GETS VERY HOT AND COULD CAUSE A FIRE.

MY CAR IS LEAKING FUEL. I SMELL THE POISONOUS FUEL INSIDE MY VEHICLE EVERY TIME I AM INSIDE IT. I AM LOSING 50 MILES PER FULL TANK. CAN THIS LEAK CAUSE MY CAR TO BLOW-UP AND KILL ME OR OTHERS? I AM SCARED. MY NAME IS [XXX] FROM CLIFTON NEW JERSEY. MY EXTENDED WARRANTY EXPIRED IN NOVEMBER. ISN'T SAFETY MORE IMPORTANT THAN A 3 MONTH EXPIRED WARRANTY? I WORK FOR NJ TRANSIT, I KNOW THE DOT WOULD BE CONCERNED! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

EXTREMELY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN CABIN IN COLD WEATHER (BELOW 32 DEGREES F.). *TR

IT HAS RECENTLY BEEN EXTREMELY COLD IN CHICAGO AND UPON INITIAL STARTUP OF THE VEHICLE THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE INSIDE THE CABIN. THE SMELL DOES NOT GO AWAY UNTIL THE CAR IS COMPLETELY WARMED UP. I NOTICED THAT THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. IT WAS SUBARU RECALL NO. WVK-21. I BELIEVE MY CAR SHOULD FALL UNDER THIS RECALL. I CALLED SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY CAR DID NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL CAMPAIGN. BUT THE PROBLEMS I'VE BEEN HAVING FIT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. *TR

TL - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FUEL FUMES WERE EMITTED IN AND AROUND THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A FUEL LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THE FAILURE. AS A RESULT, SOME OF THE FUEL LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 160,000. RK

ONLY ON COLD DAYS I SMELL FUEL WHILE DRIVING, UPON INVESTAGATION I FOUND THAT THE LITTLE RUBBER LINES UNDER THE INTAKE WERE LEAKING FUEL ON TO THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. I CALLED SUBARU AND THEY SAID THE THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT MY CAR IS NOT IN THE RECALL BECAUASE I DON;T LIVE IN THE AFFECTED STATES SO IF I MOVE TO NEWYORK OR MICHIGAN I WOULD BE COVERED WELL I LIKE OHIO SO IF THIS COULD GET EXPANDED THAT WOULD BE GREAT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE SMELLED OF GASOLINE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A LEAK COMING FROM THE FUEL DELIVERY LINE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V468000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: FUEL PUMP), BUT WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 137,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 1 MPH AFTER ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL WAS SMELLED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE SIGN OF A LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FUEL LINE AND CLAMPS WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V468000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,000.

FUEL LEAKING FROM LINES IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF 2003 (MAN. DATE JULY 2002) SUBARU WRX SEDAN. LEAK APPEARS TO BE TRIGGERED BY COLD TEMPERATURES. FUEL POOLS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. VERY STRONG SMELL OF FUEL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. CONTACTED LOCAL DEALER, WHO DID NOT THINK IT WAS A SERIOUS ISSUE. *TR

2003 SUBARU WRX. COLD START RAW FUEL SMELL. FUEL LEAK UNDER INTAKE ON PASSENGER SIDE. *TR

2003 SUBARU IMPREZA SPORT WAGON. IN COLD WEATHER, STRONG SMELL OF RAW GASOLINE FILLS THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. IT SICKENS MY CHILDREN. *TR

FOLLOWING INITIAL STARTUP IN COLD WEATHER, FUEL LEAK OCCURS IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. LEAK CAUSES GASOLINE ODOR IN VEHICLE CABIN AND POSES FIRE HAZARD. ONCE ENGINE IS WARM, AFTER A FEW MINUTES, LEAK AND ODOR DISSIPATE. INITIAL OCCURRENCE WAS IN 2008 AT HIGH ALTITUDE. PROBLEM DID NOT RESURFACE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHERE NIGHT TIME TEMPERATURES ARE NOW LOW ENOUGH FOR ISSUE TO MANIFEST. SINCE RELOCATING TO SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, WHERE OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER, PROBLEM OCCURS ON EVERY MORNING START IN COLD WEATHER. *TR

DUE TO A FLAWED DESIGN RELATED TO THE FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM, WHENEVER THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 14 DEGREES A RUBBER HOSE CONTRACTS AND GASOLINE LEAKS OUT OF A FUEL RAIL CONNECTION ABOVE THE ENGINE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THIS FLAW IS OUTLINED IN SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN (#09-36-03). I THINK IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION HAVING RAW FUEL LEAKING ONTO AN ENGINE ESPECIALLY SINCE THE SMELL INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE CAR IS EXTREMELY STRONG. THIS DESIGN ISSUE SHOULD HAVE FORCED A RECALL, YET IT HAS NOT AND SUBARU DEALERS ARE CHARGING IN EXCESS OF $500 TO CORRECT THE SITUATION BY REPLACING THE RUBBER HOSE WITH ONE THAT IS 30MM LONGER. THE LEAKING FUEL SITUATION HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE SINCE I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED IT. IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE SEVERE EACH WINTER WITH TODAY BEING NO EXCEPTION. THE TEMPERATURE HERE IN CHEYENNE THIS MORNING WAS IN A LOW TEENS AND EVEN AS I WENT TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE I COULD SMELL GAS AS I STOOD NEXT TO THE CAR. WHEN I TURNED ON THE FAN FOR THE HEATER THE CABIN FILLED WITH GAS FUMES. A QUICK SEARCH OF THE INTERNET REVEALED THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMMENTS, POSTINGS AND THREADS BY OWNERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THIS HAZARDOUS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALER AND HAD IT REPAIRED ACCORDING TO A TSB (REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL LINES). THE CONTACT HAD TO ASSUME FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIR BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THAT COMPONENT. WEEKS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO ANOTHER TSB (ADD CLAMPS TO FUEL LINES). SHE IS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE RUBBER CONNECTOR BETWEEN FUEL LINES. CONSUMER FEELS THAT IT SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS PART AND WOULD LIKE ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR COST. *NJ THE CONSUMER SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GAS WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS COLD. *JB

I HAVE A COLD WEATHER FUEL LEAK UNDERNEATH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THIS FUEL LEAK CAUSES THE CABIN OF THE CAR TO FILL UP WITH VOLATILE FUMES. IT IS A VISIBLE LEAK AND DRIPS ON TOP OF THE ENGINE NEAR SOURCES OF IGNITION. I CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND 3 OF MY LOCAL DEALERSHIPS AND THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM BUT ONLY RANK IT AS A SERVICE BULLETIN NOT A RECALL. THIS PROBLEM EXISTS WITH ALL SUBARU WRX OWNERS IN A COLD CLIMATE. USE A SEARCH ENGINE ON THE INTERNET FOR (COLD WEATHER FUEL LEAK WRX ECT..) AND YOU WILL FIND THOUSANDS OF AFFECTED OWNERS. SUBARU WANTS $500-$900 FOR THE REPAIR. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS HAZARD FOR EXPLOSION, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT. PLEASE HELP. *TR