There are 6 stored owner reports matching the fuel system leading-label group for the 2003 Subaru Legacy in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 6 of 6 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DURING COLDER WEATHER, GASOLINE FUEL FUMES EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.
SUBSEQUENT TO FILLING GAS TANK, GASOLINE WAS OBSERVED LEAKING FROM THE REAR UNDERCARRIAGE AREA, NEAR THE REAR WHEEL DRIVER'S SIDE. APPROXIMATELY 1/2 TO 1 GALLON OF GAS WAS OBSERVED TO LEAK ONTO THE GROUND. A SLOW FUEL LEAK CONTINUES IN THE SAME AREA, AND A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT PERSISTS UNTIL THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATES APPROXIMATELY 3/4 FULL. AT THIS POINT, NO LEAKAGE IS OBSERVED, AND A LIGHT SMELL OF GASOLINE PERSISTS. THIS REPRESENTS A DANGEROUS CONDITION AND APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. *TT
CAR WILL LEAK GAS AS TEMPERATURES GO BELOW FREEZING. LEAK IS LOCATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT PASSENGER SIDE. *TR
FOR AT LEAST 3 YRS NOW, WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING VERY STRONG RAW FUEL SMELL IN THE CABIN IN COLD WEATHER ESPECIALLY WHEN THE TEMP DROPS NEAR FREEZING POINT IN THE WINTER. THE FUEL SMELL IN THE CABIN HAPPENED WHEN ENGINE WAS ON AND THE CAR WAS EITHER STATIONARY, IN MOTION OF ANY SPEED IN COLD WEATHER. WE DIDN'T NOTICE THE FUEL SMELL IN THE SUMMER OR IN WARM WEATHER MONTHS. THE FUEL SMELL WAS SO BAD THAT AT TIME WE HAD TO OPEN THE WINDOWS IN THE WINTER TO AIR IT OUT. OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT IT MIGHT CATCH ON FIRE AND COMPROMISE OUR SAFETY. SUBARU HAS RECALL NO. WVK-21 FOR 2002-2003 SUBARU WRX MODELS, BUT NOT FOR OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME ENGINE AND MODEL YEARS. PLEASE SEE THAT SUBARU INVESTIGATES THE PROBLEM AND MAKES THE APPROPRIATE REPAIRS. MANY THANKS, ANDREW
FUMES ACCUMULATE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WHEN DRIVING IN TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING. DEALER STATES 'DIDN'T SMELL ANY FUMES'. REPLACING EXHAUST SYSTEM DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM.
FUEL SMELL IN CAR WHEN TEMP, IS BELOW ~20 F. RECALL IN 2001 AND SERVICE BULLETIN IN WRX IN 2002-03. BUT NOT FOR THIS MODEL. SMELL IS OVERWHELMING AND FUEL LEAK IS VERY DANGEROUS. SOA SAYS IT IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR THIS PART. CAR ALTHOUGH IT MATCHES SERVICE BULLETIN TO THE DOT. TAKING TO DEALERSHIP TOMORROW TO GET FUEL LINE CLAMPS LOOKED AT, POSSIBLY TIGHTENED. CAN'T DUPLICATE ISSUE UNLESS VERY COLD. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.