2002 Subaru WRX Fuel System Problems

A FUEL LINE UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD LOCATED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS LEAKING GAS ON COLD STARTS. THIS IS MY SECOND TIME DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. AS OF NOW, IT IS ONLY LEAKING GAS WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD, BUT THE LEAKING IS STARTING TO GET WORSE AND FASTER THAN BEFORE. THE FIRST TIME I HAD THIS ISSUE IT WAS LEAKING GAS REGARDLESS OF ENGINE TEMPERATURE. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT STARTS TO LEAK AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT WITH A POSSIBILITY TO CAUSE A FIRE PUTTING MY LIFE AND OTHERS AT RISK. I LIVE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND THIS RECALL HAS ONLY BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR "COLD WEATHER" STATES. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS FUEL LINE PROBLEM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WEATHER SINCE I LIVE IN A WARM CLIMATE. THIS PROBIEM IS UNFIXABLE AND TIME CONSUMING. I HAD ALREADY TRIED TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE AT MY LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND IT ENDED UP BEING A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURER'S PROBLEM. SUBARU NEEDS TO ISSUE A NATIONAL RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE.

WORKING NIGHT SHIFTS, STARTED MY CAR TO LET WARM UP, TEMPERATURE WAS 43 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AT THE TIME. AFTER START UP I COULD SMELL RAW FUEL OUT SIDE THE CAR AS WELL AS INSIDE THE CAR THROUGH THE VENTS. ALSO GAS MILEAGE HAS GONE DOWN BY DRASTICALLY, NORMALLY GET 300-330 MILES A TANK AND CURRENTLY GETTING BARLEY 200. NOTICED CAR STARTING TO SMOKE A LITTLE AS WELL FROM UNDER THE HOOD, NO FIRE BUT NOT GOING TO KEEP DRIVING THE CAR. *TR

WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE MY CAR SMELLS LIKE RAW FUEL VERY STRONGLY IN THE CABIN RESULTING IN HEADACHES AND DIZZINESS. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG-ST THESE CARS AND SUBARU KNOWS ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY HAD AN EXTENDED RECALL BUT DOES NOT COVER THE PROBLEM NOW. *TR

SMELL OF FUEL FROM WITHIN THE CAR DURING COLD TEMPERATURES. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE PER TSB 01-170-09. DEALERSHIP MAY DENY REPAIRS IF THEY CAN'T REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. EMAIL FROM SUBARU REGARDING THIS PROBLEM: WE WELCOME YOUR CONTACT, AS IT RELATES TO THE WVK-21 FUEL LINE WARRANTY EXTENSION. YOUR 2002 SUBARU WRX IS AFFECTED BY THE WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR THESE COMPONENTS. THE DEALERSHIP WOULD NEED TO PERFORM A DIAGNOSIS OF THE CURRENT CONCERN. THEY CAN THEN ADVISE YOU REGARDING THE ISSUE AND WHETHER IT IS THE SAME AS THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT A SUBARU DEALERSHIP, AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. *TR

THERE IS A CONSTANT RAW FUEL SMELL WHEN DRIVING, TO THE POINT OF MAKING ME FEEL SICK, CANT EVEN DRIVE MY CAR WITHOUT ALL THE WINDOWS DOWN, IVE REASURCHED THIS ISSUE WITH OTHER MODELS USING THE SAME ENGINE & COMPONINTS THAT ARE ON THE RECALL LIST, BUT I CAN NOT GET ANY HELP FROM ANYONE AT SUBARU, EVEN WITH EXPLAINING ITS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS ITHER THE FORESTER OR OUTBACK... OF A RAW FUEL SMELL FROM A FULTY GAS LINE UNDER THE MANIFOLD,,, NOT COOL THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO COMPROMISE MY SAFETY TO AVOID DOING THE FIX, OR ADDMITING THE DEFECT AFFECTS THE 2002 WRX

STRONG ODOR OF FUEL AND/OR BURNT OIL INSIDE THE VEHICLE REPEATEDLY. I CONTACTED SUBARU LONG AGO ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHEN I GOT A RECALL NOTICE FROM SUBARU NATIONAL SAYING MY CAR "MAY" BE PART OF THIS RECALL. I TOOK THE CAR TO A SUBARU DEALER. THEY SAID UNLESS THEY CAN EITHER SMELL FUEL OR FIND THE PROBLEM THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME. SUBARU NATIONAL SAID THE SAME THING "UNLESS WE CAN SMELL FUEL ODOR" WE WILL NOT PAY FOR INSPECTING AND FIXING YOUR VEHICLE. *TR

FUEL ODOR INTERIOR OF VEHICLE. FILE COMPLAINT UNDER ODI NUMBER 10380798 NEED TO CORRECT MILEAGE TO 107,310 DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING WHEN I FILED COMPLAINT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SUBARU WRX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V468000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP) AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALER. THE DEALER STATED TO THE CONTACT PART THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE AND WOULD BE AVAILABLE WITHIN THREE DAYS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WAS A YEAR AGO. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE THE PART. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO SEARCH FOR PARTS FOR THE VEHICLE BUT THE DEALER STILL DID NOT HAVE THE PART. THE CONTACT PERFORMED SOME REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SMELLED LIKE GASOLINE. AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE DEALER STATED THEY COULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER LOCATION FOR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS BECOMING UNSAFE SAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE SMELL OF GASOLINE INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE COULD CAUSE A FIRE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,599.

2002 IMPREZA WRX WAGON, LEAKING FUEL LINES LOCATED UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IN COLD WEATHER. I HAVE NOTICED GAS FUMES FROM LEAKING FUEL LINES IN THIS VEHICLE WHICH I PURCHASED NEW IN 2002. NEVADA IS NOT A STATE LISTED IN THE WVK-21 SUBARU RECALL OF DEC, 2009, BUT THIS VEHICLE IS LEAKING FUEL FROM THE SAME PROBLEM ON COLD MORNINGS IN NORTHERN NEVADA. *TR

RECENTLY THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURES HAVE HOVERED NEAR OR BELOW ZERO DEGREES F. ON THOSE MORNINGS WHEN IT IS THAT COLD AND I START MY CAR, I SMELL A STRONG RAW FUEL ODOR FOR SEVERAL MINUTES OR UNTIL I HAVE DRIVEN SEVERAL MILES. I INVESTIGATED AND FOUND THE MAIN FUEL LINE TO BE LEAKING RAW FUEL ONTO THE ENGINE WHEN IT IS STARTED IN WEATHER THIS COLD. THERE IS A VOL RECALL BY SUBARU OF AMERICA COVERING THIS (SUBARU RECALL CAMPAIGN WVK-21) ON THIS MODEL BUT IT DOES NOT COVER THE STATE OF MISSOURI WHERE I RESIDE AND HAVE MY CAR REGISTERED. THIS SAME ISSUE COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ENGINE FIRE SHOULD THE LEAKING RAW FUEL COME INTO CONTACT WITH AN IGNITION SOURCE OR WITH THE NEARBY HOT TURBOCHARGER OR EXHAUST. THERE IS NO REASON WHAT SO EVER THAT THIS RECALL SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THE FEW STATES THAT IT IS SINCE IT IS JUST AS DANGEROUS IN MY STATE AS IN ANY OF THE STATES LISTED ON THE RECALL. BTW, MY CAR WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED AND REGISTERED IN ONE OF THE COVERED STATES...MINNESOTA. THANK YOU. *TR

DURING COLD WEATHER, THE FUEL LINE LEAKS GASOLINE INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE GASOLINE POOLS ON TOP OF THE ENGINE BLOCK, AND THE GASOLINE VAPOR IS ALSO PULLED INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT BY THE CAR'S VENTILATION SYSTEM. THERE IS AN OBVIOUS RISK OF FIRE. *TR

FUEL SMELL FOR MY SUBARU WRX 2002 MODEL. *CN

SEVERAL TIMES IN THE WINTERS OF 2008 & 2009 (SO FAR) WHEN FIRST STARTING MY CAR IN VERY COLD WEATHER (ALTHOUGH THE LAST TIME IN DEC. 2009 THE TEMP WAS COOL BUT ABOVE FREEZING) I WOULD GET A STRONG SMELL OF GAS INSIDE THE CAR AND HAD TO OPEN THE WINDOWS UNTIL THE ENGINE WARMED UP. CHECKING YOUR WEBSITE I FOUND A RECALL DATED DEC. 1, 2009 (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER EA09011) THAT SEEMS TO DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENS. I CALLED SUBARU AND WAS TOLD MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL AND THAT I MUST TAKE IT TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND HAVE THEM INSPECT AND REPAIR IT AT MY EXPENSE. THEY WOULD SEND THE RESULTS TO SUBARU WHICH WOULD DETERMINE IF THEY WOULD REIMBURSE ANY PART OF MY EXPENSES. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS A SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION TO WHAT I DEEM A SAFETY AND HEALTH ISSUE. *TR

1. WHEN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS ROUGHLY BELOW 45 DEGREES F, AND THE CAR IS "COLD". 2. GASOLINE LEAKS FROM FUEL LINE UNDER INTAKE MANIFOLD. IT OCCURS WHEN THE RUBBER HOSE AND THE METAL FUEL PIPE CONTRACT IN COLD CONDITIONS AND BREAK THE SEAL CAUSING GASOLINE TO LEAK. THE LEAK DRIPS FUEL ONTO THE ENGINE AND CAUSES A STRONG ODOR TO PERMEATE THE CABIN THROUGH THE VENTILATION SYSTEM. 3. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE SUBARU DEALER HAS QUOTED $150 IN PARTS PLUS LABOR TO FIX THE PROBLEM UNDER SUBARU TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN # 09-36-03. PARTS REQUIRED ARE NEW HOSE AND PIPE PLUS GASKETS FOR INTAKE MANIFOLD AND COOLANT. PARTS WOULD HAVE TO BE ORDERED BY DEALER. *TR

2002 WRX FUEL SMELL IN CABIN AT COLD TEMPERATURES. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO COMPLAIN BEFORE A RECALL IS ISSUED OR SOMEONE GETS HURT? WHERE IS THE NHTSA WHEN YOU NEED THEM? THERE ARE RECALLS FOR RELATIVELY MINOR ISSUES. SO, WHERE IS THE RECALL FOR LEAKING FUEL? DEALER DENIES ANY PROBLEM. SEE ALSO NHTSA ITEM NUMBER:10014461, SERVICE BULLETIN #: 11012004, SERVICE BULLETIN 09-36-03 RAW FUEL SMELL IN COLD WEATHER. *TR

2002 WRX FUEL SMELL IN CABIN AT COLD TEMPERATURES. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO COMPLAIN BEFORE A RECALL IS ISSUED OR SOMEONE GETS HURT? WHERE IS THE NHTSA WHEN YOU NEED THEM? THERE ARE RECALLS FOR RELATIVELY MINOR ISSUES. SO, WHERE IS THE RECALL FOR LEAKING FUEL? DEALER DENIES ANY PROBLEM. SEE ALSO NHTSA ITEM NUMBER:10014461, SERVICE BULLETIN #: 11012004, SERVICE BULLETIN 09-36-03 RAW FUEL SMELL IN COLD WEATHER. *TR

GASOLINE ODOR FILLS THE CABIN ON MY 2002 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX WHEN THE HEATER IS TURNED ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY. THE ODOR IS OVERWHELMING AND INTOXICATING! I POPPED THE HOOD OF MY CAR AND SMELLED GAS COMING FROM THE FUEL LINES NEXT TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. *TR

SMELL OF RAW GAS FROM VENTS WHILE NOT MOVING. CHECKED UNDER THE ENGINE AND FOUND UNDERNEATH THE TURBO INLET HOSE FUEL DRIPPING FROM A HOSE. ALSO FOUND 2 OTHER HOSES THAT MAY BE LEAKING FUEL AS WELL AROUND THE AREA. CAR IS PARKED UNDER STORAGE STATUS UNTIL PARTS CAN BE REPLACED, NOT SURE IF THERE IS A DEALER IN GERMANY. HEARD OF MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON A 2002 WRX WITH THE FUEL LINES LEAKING. *TR

I HAVE A SUBARU 2002 WRX WAGON, FUEL ODOR IN COMPARTMENT WHEN CAR IS COLD, WHEN IT WARMS UP THE ODOR GOES AWAY. THIS IS VERY ANNOYING AND THERE ARE SEVERAL SUBARU FORUMS WITH PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS. PLEASE HELP IN GETTING THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. SUBARU KEEPS SAYS THAT THERE IS NO ISSUE. *TR

I NOTICED A RAW FUEL SMELL WHEN STARTING THE CAR IN THE MORNING. THIS WAS ORIGINALLY JUST AN ISSUE IN COLD WEATHER, BUT THE SMELL HAS PERSISTED AND NOW OCCURS EVEN AFTER NORMAL OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES HERE IN SEATTLE (40-50 DEGREES). I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THREE REASONS: FIRST, THE FUEL IS LEAKING ONTO THE ENGINE BLOCK OF THE CAR POSING A FIRE HAZARD. SECOND, THE FUEL SMELL IS A HEALTH HAZARD TO OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE. THIRD, DUE TO THE FUEL SMELL, I HAVE BEEN USING MY HEATING SYSTEM ON THE RECIRC SETTING, WHICH IS NOT AS EFFECTIVE AT CLEARING CONDENSATION FROM THE INSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND LESSENS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DEFROSTER, REDUCING MY ABILITY TO SEE OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE NOT HAD THE PROBLEM REPAIRED YET AS I WANTED TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT FIRST. *TR