2000 Subaru Legacy Fuel System Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS IN BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURE, THE CONTACT DETECTED AN ODOR OF FUEL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 156,000.

STRONG FUEL SMELL WHEN STARTING IN COLD WEATHER.

I BOUGHT A USED CAR THIS PAST SUMMER. NOW THAT IT IS COLD WHENEVER WE GET IN THE CAR WHEN IT'S REALLY COLD AND THERE IS A STRONG GAS ODOR IN THE CAR. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT ALLOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS MODEL VARIOUS YEARS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. I WOULD THINK THIS A SERIOUS SAFETY AND HEALTH ISSUE. *TR

DEALER FOUND LEAKING FUEL HOSES.ROBLEM SRATRED OUT WITH A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE FUMES INSIDE THE CAR WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GETS BELOW ABOUT 30 DEGREES F. THIS PROBLEM STARTED LAST WINTER AND THE DEALER SAID IT WAS "BAD GAS". THIS YEAR THE FUMES WERE MUCH WORSE SO I STARTED LOOKING ON-LINE FOR A SOLUTION. I FOUND OTHERS HAD THE PROBLEM TOO AND THE SOLUTION WAS TO TIGHTEN LOOSE AND LEAKING FUEL HOSES. THIS WEEK MY DEALER FOUND TWO LEAKING FUEL HOSES IN MY CAR AND SEEMED TO BE AWARE THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDE-SPREAD.FUEL LEAKS SEEM PRETTY SERIOUS AND COULD CAUSE A FIRE. *AK

CAR PURCHASED MARCH 2000. IN JUNE TOOK CAR IN FOR SERVICE REPORTED IT WAS PERIODICALLY RUNNING ROUGHLY. CHECKED IT AND STATED "THERE WAS NO PROBLEM". THE CAR CONTINUED TO DO THIS OFF AND ON. RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE IN OCT. 2000. BROUGHT CAR INTO DEALER 10/20/00 TO PERFORM SERVICE RE: RECALL WXV-79 ECM. BROUGHT CAR IN FOR SERVICE 01/12/01. REPORTED CAR STILL RUNNING ROUGH AND ALSO ON OCCASION GET A STRONG RAW GAS SMELL. ALSO REPORTED TRANSMISSION DIDN'T SEEM TO ENGAGE CORRECTLY (PROBABLY RELATED TO ROUGH IDLE PROBLEM). DEALER CHECKED AND STATED COULDN'T DUPLICATE PROBLELM. 4/03/01 BROUGHT CAR IN FOR SERVICE, STILL WASN'T RUNNING VERY WELL. 7/03/01 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND IT WAS OBVIOUS A FUEL INJECTOR (#2) HAD GONE BAD, HAD 15058 MILES ON CAR. CAR BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS AGAIN. 12/12/01 BROUGHT CAR INTO DEALER AND REPORTED THE CAR AGAIN WOULD OCCASIONALLY HAVE A RAW FUEL SMELL. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE. 3/4/02 BROUGHT CAR IN FOR SERVICE, REPORTED CAR CONTINUED TO RUN POORLY AND COULD STILL SMELL RAW GAS. DEALER STATED "ALL IS NORMAL". 3/19 02 AGAIN BROUGHT CAR IN AND REPORTED FUEL SMELL, AND THAT THE ENGINE OBVIOUSLY WAS MISSING. NO ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON. CHECKED AND FOUND #4 FUEL INJECTOR HAD FAILED, REPLACED THIS. CAR CONTINUED TO RUN ROUGHLY. CONTINUED TO MISS AND HESITIATE WHEN EXCELERATING. 4/14/02 CAR EXCELERATED ON ITS OWN, STARTED CAR, WITH FEET ON CLUTCH AND BRAKE, AND THE CAR EXCELERATED TO 6000 RPM, TURNED CAR OFF. RESTARED AND THE CAR SOUNDED AWFUL AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BROUGHT CAR IN 4/15/02 AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM. DEALER CHECKED AND REPLACED #1 FUEL INJECTOR, HMMMM, WHAT A SUPRISE. DEALER STATED THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM. CAR CONTINUES TO RUN ROUGHLY ON AN INTERMITENT BASIS. SCHEDULED TO BRING INTO DEALER ON 6/4/02. SUPPOSEDLY A COMPUTER PROBLEM. I AM VERY CONCERNED RE: THE SAFETLY AND RELIABILITY OF THIS CAR. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A MAJOR PROBLEM.*AK