Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
00V393000SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.from 08/16/2000 to 08/25/2000V (Vehicle)145601/26/2001MFRSUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.11/21/200011/29/2000
Defect SummaryVehicle description: passenger vehicles. possible fuel leakage of under-hood fuel hoses at low ambient temperatures (-40 degrees c) once the fuel hoses age and become less flexible.
Consequence SummaryFuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Corrective SummaryDealers will inspect for under-hood fuel hoses with lot numbers 0804 and 0806 and all fuel hoses with those numbers will be replaced.
NotesOwner notification began january 26, 2001.owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
01090109/01/2001627906Subject regarding fuel level sensor circuit low input. *yd02/26/2002
01090109/01/2001627907Subject regarding fuel level sensor circuit high input. *yd02/26/2002
01090109/01/2001627908Subject regarding fuel level sensor intermittent input. *yd02/26/2002
01090109/01/2001627852Subject regarding fuel level sensor circuit range/performance problem. *yd02/25/2002
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP
09380302/06/200410006192Fuel pump assembly division of parts.04/26/2004
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
01010101/01/2001616334Subject regarding inspection procedure for possible replacement of three fuel hoses. *tt02/22/2001

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
12/10/2010100000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2001 subaru legacy gt. the contact started the ignition and smelled a strong odor of fuel inside of the cabin. the failure occurred only in freezing weather temperatures. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and remained there for seven days to further investigate the problem. there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 00v393000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). the contact experienced the identical failure as mentioned in the recall. the vin was not included in the recall. the failure mileage was 100,000.
12/10/2010100000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2001 subaru legacy gt. the contact started the ignition and smelled a strong odor of fuel inside of the cabin. the failure occurred only in freezing weather temperatures. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and remained there for seven days to further investigate the problem. there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 00v393000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). the contact experienced the identical failure as mentioned in the recall. the vin was not included in the recall. the failure mileage was 100,000. js
01/10/200630000
 During the winter months, when the temperature is in the 20's or below, there is a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin when the car is idling and when i turn on the heater fan. the smell remains in my garage after i stop the car. my son, who is a mechanic tightened the fuel lines which seemed to help a bit but this problem has persisted every winter. there was a recall in 2001 but subaru maintains that the recall does not apply to my vin number and says that i need to bring the car in and pay for the diagnosis. there are many complaints detailing exactly the symptoms of my problem on the website, arfe which leads me to think that the problem should be addressed by a broader recall by subaru.
12/01/20017000
 Raw gas leak in cold weather has been a persistent problem, overwhelming odor in passenger compartment and after parking in basement garage. this was brought to dealers attention at first service when car was new and dealer could not identify any problem. i understand this is still a common problem with this year and model vehicle for which there has been no recall.
11/30/2010128000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2001 subaru legacy. upon entering the vehicle the contact could smell a strong odor of gasoline. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told this was a known failure due to the fuel lines shrinking in cold weather. an unknown repair was performed on the vehicle. a few weeks later the failure recurred. the failure mileage was 128,000 and the current mileage was 130,000. sm.
01/15/20101300001
 We started to experience gasoline fumes in the passenger compartment of the car. our dealers service department determined that the fuel line was leaking and needed to be replaced. while no damage of which we are aware has occurred to the car, it would appear that a high risk of fire was present (or would become present) without replacement of this part (which typically would last the lifetime of the car). cost of repair: $355.15. *tr
12/01/20081060001
 2001 subaru legacy wagon emits gas smell into cabin on start up in cold weather months. although numerous owners complain with regard to this issue via internet, subaru has yet to issue a tsb. this is a dangerous condition that subaru should be required to fix free of charge. *tr
12/15/200854000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 subaru legacy. when the vehicle is idling with the fan blower/vent activated, the contact smells a strong odor of gasoline. he is in the process of having the vehicle diagnosed to determine the cause of the failure. the manufacturer stated that his vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 00v393000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). the failure and current mileages were 54,000.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - CARBURETOR SYSTEM
09/12/20046400010005/28/2001
 Inconsistantly, but frequently my 2001 subaru legacy 2.5l wagon surges and/or hesitates. the result is that i have little reliability for acceleration, etc. when driving. this has resulted a near collsions when the car hesitated in the middle of intersections. i no longer feel safe driving it--especially when my 2 young children are in the car. my car has been examined by my mechanic (who specalizes in subarus and other japanese cars) and despite experiencing the same problems while driving and several days in the shop, no problem has been diagnosed. my mechanic has consulted subaru and they have provided no useful advise either.*ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY
12/06/200720000105/01/2001
 I have a subaru legacy gt. every time the temperate gets to about 20 degrees or colder, the engine emits a strong raw fuel smell into the cabin. the car has done so almost constantly since purchase, has been repaired twice for the problem (attributed to a problem with the fuel lines) and has been the subject of a prior nhtsa complaint. cars manufacturer around the date of mine have been recalled for this problem, but my car was not included. today was the first day below 20 degrees in several months and the fuel smell reappeared. car now needs to be repaired again for this problem. the vehicle simply cannot be driven in extremely cold weather as it is a health hazard to breathe these fumes, as well as a fire danger. a search of the internet reveals a number of other owners with the exact same complaint. *tr
01/10/200434800105/29/2001
 Car at issue is a 2001 subaru legacy gt limited. on two occasions in the past month, a strong raw gas smell filled the engine compartment and passenger compartment of the car. on both occasions, the temperature outside was below 10 degrees. after the first occurrence, car was left at dealer who found nothing wrong. the car was fine for next 5 days (weather was 10 to 30 degrees). on day 6, weather dropped to about 8 degrees and gas smell returned. car was left in garage after driving and garage filled with very strong gas smell. there is an obvious correlation between extreme cold (10 degrees or less) and this problem. will return car to dealer for second attempt at repair but since weather is expected to be over 10 degrees for next 2 weeks am not sure will be able to replicate problem. seems likely that the problem is a gas leak at cold temperatures, which may well be a safety hazard and fire/explosion danger. *cb
06/03/2003174002009/17/2002
 Fuel system issue. i have owned my vehicle for approximately 9 months. i bought it as a used car from sloane in philadelphia. it has approximately 17000 miles on it and is considered still under warranty. i have had to take it in for service 4 times for the vehicle hesitating upon acceleration. the service center first said the hesitation came from a bad battery, second incident they stated they could not find anything wrong, third incident, when i almost got in an accident because the vehicle started to stall up entering the freeway traffic, i brought it back in for service. they did a thorough check and said it was the oxygen sensor. they replaced it. approximately 2 weeks later, the vehicle began hesitating once again! again, at a crucial point in a traffic situation. i returned the vehicle again for service, they stated it was the codes, they just needed to be cleared. the vehicle is still hesitating and is causing a potential for serious injury upon driving under crucial situations. i have now resorted to public transportation. audio system issue: vehicle's radio will display all it's features, but will not play any sound through speakers. this has been addressed with the service team on 3 past occasions, but it has not been remedied. last know problem was the speaker amps and grounding mechanism for speaker, also the radio, when it does work gets interference when the rear defrost is on. *nlm
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
02/06/200772000105/24/2004
 Our 2001 subaru legacy was having the smell of gas inside the car lately when we first started it and when we would stop for a traffic light or stop sign. i checked the recall notices on the gov't site and found the problem listed , complete with a engine area diagram showing where the possible gasoline line leak could be. i checked under the hood and sure enough there it was. the funny thing was that our vin # was not in the range they said was effected. i think subaru and the gov't should take another look at the vehicles effected. i believe there are more then you originally thought. i was able to tighten the hoses clamps and so far it looks like it isn't leaking anymore. *jb
02/17/200620204/25/2001
 For the second time in below zero outside temperatures, we are experiencing a fuel leak in our vehicle. a call to our dealership indicates they are fielding numerous calls of this type today. our first experience of the problem was december 24, 2004. *nm
01/24/2004352001
 2001 subaru legacy gt limited. third instance of fuel leak in engine. this time, visible fuel leak from fuel lines upon starting car in 15 degree weather. subaru of america and rye subaru had been informed of problem on prior occasion and rye subaru was expecting car to come in for service for this problem. drove car to rye subaru. during driving gas fumes entered passenger compartment. upon arrival at rye subaru, dealership was not prepared to immediately deal with problem as service manager working on case had left town and had not left information behind relating to problem. *la
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
12/06/200720000105/01/2001
 I have a subaru legacy gt. every time the temperate gets to about 20 degrees or colder, the engine emits a strong raw fuel smell into the cabin. the car has done so almost constantly since purchase, has been repaired twice for the problem (attributed to a problem with the fuel lines) and has been the subject of a prior nhtsa complaint. cars manufacturer around the date of mine have been recalled for this problem, but my car was not included. today was the first day below 20 degrees in several months and the fuel smell reappeared. car now needs to be repaired again for this problem. the vehicle simply cannot be driven in extremely cold weather as it is a health hazard to breathe these fumes, as well as a fire danger. a search of the internet reveals a number of other owners with the exact same complaint. *tr
01/10/200434800105/29/2001
 Car at issue is a 2001 subaru legacy gt limited. on two occasions in the past month, a strong raw gas smell filled the engine compartment and passenger compartment of the car. on both occasions, the temperature outside was below 10 degrees. after the first occurrence, car was left at dealer who found nothing wrong. the car was fine for next 5 days (weather was 10 to 30 degrees). on day 6, weather dropped to about 8 degrees and gas smell returned. car was left in garage after driving and garage filled with very strong gas smell. there is an obvious correlation between extreme cold (10 degrees or less) and this problem. will return car to dealer for second attempt at repair but since weather is expected to be over 10 degrees for next 2 weeks am not sure will be able to replicate problem. seems likely that the problem is a gas leak at cold temperatures, which may well be a safety hazard and fire/explosion danger. *cb