Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | |||
| 12/17/2011 | 84000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 subaru outback. the contact stated that whenever the heat was activated, the contact would notice a gasoline odor coming through the vents. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on four occasions where the head gaskets were replaced each time. however, one year after the repair the contact noticed that the failure recurred. the vehicle had not been recently diagnosed. the current and failure mileages were 84,000. | |||
| 01/13/2012 | |||
| When weather turns cold, the smell of raw gas comes into the car, as well as in the garage after parking. so far the dealer has just tightened a clamp, but what happens if i'm on a hi-way and that happens? i can't drive the car with a gas leak in the engine and to far away from a fire station so do i call a towe truck or my lawyer. because the car burnt up? can't believe the subaru dealership is being so unresponsive about this. get this recall to all the subaru having a issue i thought you had great cars not so much now. | |||
| 01/02/2012 | |||
| In cold weather, my 2002 subaru outback cabin gets filled with very strong raw fuel smell as the car warms up with the heater on. it has gotten so bad, that my daughter nearly throws up every morning on our way to school in cold weather. this is an issue that my local dealer explained away has a typical subaru thing in cold weather. this is unacceptable. this is a health hazard and subaru is getting away with it. i have been using this particular car for the last 10 years, and every winter the smell gets worse and worse. subaru needs to step up, acknowledge the problem and fix it, or face the very real problem of a massive lawsuit soon. | |||
| 11/13/2010 | |||
| Prominent gas smell inside cabin when temperature is below 32 degrees f. it is a known safety issue on subaru's but nothing is being done by subaru to rectify this poor engineering safety issue on their behalf. i have talked to subaru of america via email and on phone and they say that there is no issue with this car even though there is thousands of people that are experiencing this issue. | |||
| 01/28/2011 | 80000 | ||
| There is a documented problem with older model subaru outbacks (early 2000s) leaking gas into the engine compartment in cold weather. dealers and repair services cannot fully resolve the issue because it appears to be a design flaw with the fuel lines and clamps. internet forums provide countless cases (here is just one http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/cartalk/posts/list/1794410.page). | |||
| 11/04/2004 | 87000 | ||
| 2002 subaru outback smells of gas every time it gets cold. a shop that works on just subarus knows the problem well and tried a few things to fix it. after $175, it did not work. last year, i had to drive with my windows down on cold nigths the smell was so strong. one night it was -20 degress! this year the smell has come back at just 39 degrees and stronger. my garage smells and i am afraid the call will blow up or i will get sick driving it. on-line and on the nhtsa i see many other subaru owers having to put it with the same thing. can you folks help? | |||
| 01/30/2008 | 92000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 subaru outback. while the vehicle was idle she stated there was a strong fuel exhaust smell in the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and he cleaned the exhaust system. the contact stated the failure continued. the vehicle was taken to another local mechanic and this mechanic stated the failure was because of a loose latch in the hatch back. the mechanic repaired the loose latch. the failure continued after the latch was repaired. the vehicle was taken back to the mechanic and he was unable to determine what was causing the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vehicle was purchased used in 2007, she stated the failure has been on going for two to three years. the contact stated the failure only happens during cold weather conditions. the failure mileage was 92,000 and the current mileage was 108,000. vwb | |||
| 02/08/2010 | 1 | ||
| Fuel smell inside and outside of cabin when weather is cold (20' or below). shop has examined the vehicle and cannot determine cause. seen references to similar issue with the wrx model and fuel lines/clamp. *tr | |||
| 01/11/2007 | 85000 | 1 | |
| Fuel smell inside car when cold outside (approx. 25 deg f) occurs every winter at these temperatures for last 3 yrs (at least) dealers never found anything. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2009 | 105000 | 1 | |
| Both my 2001 and 2002 subaru outbacks had a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin when starting the cars. a check under the hood showed gasoline dripping from several of the rubber fuel lines where they joined metal fuel lines. the fuel was dripping onto the engine and running down to the ground. upon tightening the fuel line clamps the problem stopped. when i used google to check on the problem there was several 100,000 hits with the same problem. it seems to be related to low temperature <+10f. *tr | |||
| 01/17/2009 | 66000 | 1 | |
| My 2002 subaru legacy outback wagon, 2.5 liter engine, leaked fuel from the fuel line. this was most pronounced on a cold day. there are many reports of the same problems. my subaru dealer told me that this problem is common. though we smelled the strong fuel odor, fortunately, there wasn't a fire. the car is now being repaired and will be ready 01/21/09. the estimated cost of the repair is $485. subaru knows about the problem and redesigned the part. they refuse to cover it because they say the service bulletin number 09-36-03, issued 04/01/03 only applies to the wrx, even though the outback has a similar setup. *tr | |||
| 12/21/2008 | 64000 | 1 | |
| 2002 subaru outback- dec. 08'- experiencing very strong fuel smell in cabin of vehicle during cold weather. same scenario unfolded last yr. 07' when it got cold. last year dealer charged for inspect and tightening of clamps along fuel lines. this is a known problem with the subaru outbacks..why no recall?..with fuel line leaks as common as they are with this model i am surprised there is no recall. is there anything subaru is offering to help owners recover monies being spent on this fix? *tr | |||
| 01/15/2006 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Repeat fuel line leaks in 2002 subaru outback wgn. there are a total of seven flexible rubber hoses that connect the fuel line as it passes through the chassis. when weather is cold, hose clamps/rubber hoses leak. my local dealer seemed to be well aware of the problem, which has not be addressed, and said that subaru has no planes to fix the problem. outside of car, passage cabin reek of raw fuel. *tr | |||
| 01/29/2008 | 88000 | 1 | 12/07/2001 |
| Overwhelming odor of gasoline in passenger compartment. *tr | |||
| 09/23/2007 | 96000 | 30 | 03/22/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 subaru outback. the contact smelled a strong odor of gasoline in the passenger compartment. the dealer stated that the head gasket needed to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired. the contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 96,000 and current mileage was 103,000. | |||
| 12/03/2004 | 31200 | 75 | |
| Dangerous hesitation in first and second gears especially. at stop light, upon attempting to accelerate, car bogged down, rpms dipped and nearly stalled before car finally accelerated with a violent jerk forward and back. has happened on numerous occasions. very dangerous-nearly been in three accidents already. so far the dealer has bled the clutch, adjusted the clutch, replaced the clutch, replaced knock sensor, replaced coolant temp sensor and replaced front oxygen sensor and problem still as bad as ever if not worse. *jb | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||
| 01/25/2008 | 90000 | 1 | 09/06/2001 |
| For the past 2 winters, i have experienced a strong fuel smell in the passenger cabin for the first 20 minutes or so of running the car in temperatures below 25 degrees, including idling at a traffic light. it seems to be getting progressively worse. i brought it to my private mechanic last week, and he was unable to pinpoint the source of the problem. if you do a google search on subaru gas smell you will find 25,800 hits of people reporting the same problem with their subaru's, for a variety of models/years. based on those volume of complaints, i'm very surprised that their hasn't been a recall? *tr | |||
| 01/02/2008 | 1 | 11/10/2003 | |
| I own a 2002 subaru legacy outback wagon. last winter (2006-07) i started to detect an intense smell of gasoline in the cabin of the car when the temperature dropped below 30 degrees f. took it to my local repair shop (not a dealer) but they could not find a problem. the same thing is happening this winter (2007-08). i scheduled to bring it in to a local subaru dealer but then the temp rose above 30 degrees, so there was no point in bringing it in since they would not experience the problem. i am now waiting for the weather to get cold again so i can bring it in for them to check. in the meantime, i got online and found a number of other subaru owners who are complaining about the same problem. some of them have had the problem corrected, and it appears to be a fuel line leakage (o rings or clamps or something). they seem to have determined that gas is leaking into the area under the hood. one owner described seeing sparks. i am concerned about the safety of driving the vehicle and wondering 1) under what circumstances a recall is issued, and 2) under what circumstances subaru would be held accountable for covering the cost for repairs. also wondering what i should do about transportation until the problem is corrected, as i use the car to transport my children as well as myself and don't want to put us at risk of injury. *tr | |||
| 12/21/2007 | 56000 | 3 | 03/10/2002 |
| I have a subaru 2002 outback. the following is what i provided to the dealer in the last visit. earlier this year, before my warranty period had expired, i had issues with leaking fuel from the fuel lines at the top of the engine under the intake manifold. i tightened the clamps on the fuel line and the leak seemed to stop. there were additional smells of fuel in cold weather so i brought my care in to the dealership. the tightened the clamps and could not find any other leaks and spayed a white leak detector on the fuel lines. i brought the car in a few weeks later and no additional leaks were present. at that time, since the issue only seemed to happen cold weather, if the issue returned i was told to return to the dealer. the gas smell returned and i was not able to id the source. however, during he cold weather last week, i discovered in cold weather shortly after starting the car that the same fuel line connections under the intake manifold were leaking fuel again. after i tightened the clamps, the fuel leak stopped. several clamps were loose on other parts of the fuel lines. this is the same scenario that took place in february '07. to eliminate any future leaks can i have the tsb 09-36-03 work completed on the fuel lines. the issue in my outback is the same as the issue noted in the tsb. how can i get the safety issue addressed and repaired by the dealer? *tr | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER | |||
| 11/04/2004 | 87000 | ||
| 2002 subaru outback smells of gas every time it gets cold. a shop that works on just subarus knows the problem well and tried a few things to fix it. after $175, it did not work. last year, i had to drive with my windows down on cold nigths the smell was so strong. one night it was -20 degress! this year the smell has come back at just 39 degrees and stronger. my garage smells and i am afraid the call will blow up or i will get sick driving it. on-line and on the nhtsa i see many other subaru owers having to put it with the same thing. can you folks help? | |||
| 04/06/2010 | 90784 | ||
| Idling at stop with foot firmly on brake pedal. sudden surge with audible and tachometer increase in rpm. car jumped forward slightly. a few prior minor rpm surges with foot on brake. thanks to the recent news re toyota. i knew to shove the transmission into park and turned off the ignition. | |||
| 12/01/2005 | 50000 | 1 | |
| When the temperature is below 30 degrees, there is a strong fuel smell in the cab when the heater is running. this has been a problem for the last 3 years in my 2002 subaru outback. i tried correcting the problem by tightening the brackets in the fuel line and this has not helped. my internet research indicates this is a common problem for subarus (different models and years). i am surprised this has not been recalled. in some cases, it is due to loose brackets and in others leaky gaskets in the fuel injector. this is clearly a health issue. i cannot drive my car with my two small children with the heater running (even without the heater there is a residual fuel smell). *tr | |||