There are 3 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2004 Subaru Legacyin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
A smell of gas was present in the passenger area. I took it to my mechanic. He said the Damper Fuel Assembly (Part # 42086AE040) was leaking. It is a high pressure gas hose. Subaru no longer makes the part, making the car valueless. We tried junkyards, etc, but that part seems to be leaking on all. It is dangerous. I can drive it, perhaps, but the gas smell is in the body of the car. Subaru said it's "unfortunate" that the car that was worth $6-7,000 last week is worth nothing. Unless I want to drive it unsafely.
THIS WINTER WE SMELL A VERY BAD GAS ODER INSIDE THE CAR.
IN COLD WEATHER, BELOW APPROX 35F, FUEL VALVES SHRINK, AS CONFIRMED VIA CONVERSATION WITH [XXX] TEAM SUBARU SERVICE MANAGER [XXX] ON A JANUARY 2, 2017 PHONE CALL. AS REPORTED TO SUBARU, CONDITION CAUSES THE FOLLOWING: 1. WHEN PARKED, NORMALLY IN GARAGE: GAS FUMES WILL FILL THE SPACE, PERMEATE HOUSE TO A POINT THEY OVERWHELM THE INHABITANT OF NEAREST BEDROOM. 2. WHEN IDLING AT STARTUP: CAR CABIN FILLS WITH FUMES TO AN INTOXICATING LEVEL. NORMAL REMEDY TO OPEN WINDOWS. 3. DRIVING: IF OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS WARM ENOUGH, FUEL VALVES MAY RETURN TO A NORMAL SIZE AND HALT THE FLOW OF FUMES. NORMALLY TAKES AT LEAST 40 MINUTES OF OPERATION TO ACHIEVE THIS. NORMAL REMEDY TO DRIVE WITH WINDOWS OPEN. THE SITUATION OCCURS REGARDLESS OF FAN OPERATION. ATTEMPTS TO REMEDY HAVE INCLUDED TIGHTENING CLAMPS ON FUEL LINES ON OWN AND VIA A MECHANIC. THERE IS AN EXISTING RECALL ON THIS MODEL, WWO-98, WHICH SEEMS RELATED TO THE ISSUE AT HAND. SUBARU HAS DECLINED TO INCLUDE NEW VIN BEYOND ORIGINAL IN THIS NOTICE. THE ISSUE FIRST PRESENTED IN DECEMBER 2014, REPEATED DURING COLD SPELLS EACH WINTER SINCE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *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.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026