This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
In very cold weather, there is a strong gasoline smell inside the car that remains as the car warms up. This only occurs when temperatures are well below freezing.
Foresters have a common problem of a very common problem of the fuel line leaking. The cold causes shrink to the fuel lines causing a leak into the engine and fuel vapors to enter the cabin. This issue occurs whether it's stationary or in motion as well as all other conceivable states that the vehicle can be in. A recall was issued for the WRX, the same should occur with the Forester. This issue occurs every winter when the temp drops below 20 degrees.
Strong fuel odor has been entering the cabin during startup on cold mornings. This is caused by a fuel line leaking onto the engine. The leak can be seen but is inaccessible without removing the intake manifold. Once the vehicle heats up and the line expands the leak stops. I am very concerned about the potential for a vehicle fire and the danger of inhaling gasoline flames.
The contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. When the vehicle was started, a very strong fuel odor emerged from the engine compartment. The fuel tank leaked fuel onto the manifold. The failure was diagnosed by an independent mechanic as a fuel tank leak. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 149,966.
Fuel lines seep fuel onto the top of engine block and near turbo inlet area when temperatures are below ~20 degrees Fahrenheit. The seepage occurs at the clamps between the metal and gas lines below the intake manifold. These clamps are not accessible without removal of many parts by a professional mechanic. Gas fumes fill the cabin when this occurs as well. Fumes are not bad when moving but if stopped at a stop sign or after starting the vehicle the fumes are very strong. This has been a known issue with other model Subaru (2002 - 2003 Subaru impreza & impreza WRX) that have a very similar engine configuration but has never been addressed with the Subaru Forester. The concerns I have are 1) fire hazard of gas pooling on top of engine block near turbo and other components 2) fumes building up in the passenger cabin.
- Moorefield, WV, USA
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There is a strong gasoline smell inside the car when the heat is on and the outside air temperature is around 30F or colder. The odor occurs regardless of whether the car is moving or not.
In cold weather there is a fuel smell in the cabin. I'm told this is a common Subaru problem that results from the metal fuel line joining with a rubber/plastic hose in the engine compartment. The metal and rubber expand/contract at different rates as the temperature changes resulting in a fuel leak. It is most noticeable when stationary idling during cold weather.
Approx. 90000 miles - strong smell of gasoline inside passenger cabin. Leaking seal as described by 1000's of other Subaru owners. Why no recall or advisory on what owner's should look for. Between GM fires, etc, not exactly sure what you all need to issue recall order/notifications. Sad.
Dangerous!! I am the recent proud owner of a 2004 Subaru Forester xt. A couple of days ago we got our first freeze. I walk out to start my car and it's not turning over and a strong fuel smell is filling the cabin. I keep trying thinking that it may turn over. With no luck, and fearing something is wrong (or may possibly blow up), I stop and get out. Taking a closer look having parked it some dirt, I see that it is visibly moist under my car. The ground is saturated with gas. Luckily it didn't contact any spark in the engine or I wasn't smoking, because I wouldn't be here today to tell this story. It was a ton of gas. Please fix this before someone dies or gets seriously injured.
During winter months 2004 Forester xt emits noxious fuel smell into cabin. Source is from engine compartment in area of turbo/exhaust manifold as discover from puddle on garage floor during warm
The fuel lines under the manifold on the passenger side are leaking fuel when first starting and it is cold outside(below 50F). The fumes and filling the cab of the car when the heater it on.
I started the car on a cold morning and the whole vehicle smelled of gasoline. I'm unable to drive my children in the vehicle until this issue is resolved as I fear they may be inhaling fumes or may suffer a horrible fiery death I risk my own life back and forth to work and notice the smell starts to go away after the car warms up either that or I'm just used to it. My 02 WRX had the same issue and it was recalled. Why haven't the xt issues been recalled? haddad Subaru in pittsfield MA tightened up what they could reach but the issue lies beneath the intake.
My car has a strong gas odor smell coming from the air vents and from the outside of the car while I'm driving or even while the car is warming up and not moving. This has been happening since last year and I just recently found out another friend of mine with the same type of car told me to report it to the NHTSA website.
In cold weather (below 30 degrees), fuel lines leak under the intake manifold, causing a severe fuel smell in the cabin, most likely also a fire hazard. Dealer claims not a recall issue. Upon research a large majority of Subaru in model range have the issue, with no fix in sight.
There is a very strong and distinct smell of raw fuel coming from the engine compartment when the weather is below freezing (20F or below). The smell comes through the air vents into the passenger compartment and is strong enough to cause a headache for the passengers in the car. The smell is worst when the car is stopped after a drive. It seems that this is a known problem with Subaru WRX 2002 & 2003 cars and Subaru has issued a recall for them. This also seems to be a common enough problem for Subaru forrester cars from the same timeframe. On the website www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2004/Subaru/Forester, almost 50% of the complaints out of 154 complaints is about this fuel leak issue. This seems to be a well known problem according to dealers and other Subaru forrester owners as well (www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/F87/smell-gas-cold-starts-41319/). it has also been documented by other owners at NHTSA: Https://sites.google.com/site/20042005foresterxtfuelleaks/ Subaru of America seems to have implicitly acknowledged the systemic problem as they have been reimbursing some owners (but not all) for their service costs which can be in the range for $800 (www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/F88/fixing-leaking-fuel-gas-line-86782/). however, Subaru has not recalled these cars and is expecting owners to fix the problems which may may cause health issues and given fuel leaking on hot engine parts, may lead to an engine fire if not fixed.
Noticed a strong fuel smell after letting the car warm up on a cold morning, odor went away after 15-20 minutes. Fuel smell has gotten stronger, and is now constant even when operating under highway speeds. This is exactly the same as many other Forester owners have complained about. Issues it with the fuel line going to the injectors on the passenger side of the motor. Is exactly the same issue and parts that Subaru uses on the WRX which was recalled for this exact issue.
To whom it may concern, hello, I am the owner of a 2004 Forester xt which I love. I've owned the car for almost a year and its been nothing but reliable up to this point. The weather outside is frightful, and with that comes a common problem for many Subaru owners. During the cold snaps, say below 20F, there is strong fuel smells which fills the cabin. It only happens during start-up, and lasts about 15 mins before the car warms up. From searching many forums and internet threads it seems this problem has been occurring since early 2001. There was a recall notice (wvk-21)for the 2002 -2003 WRX's which had a same problem I am experiencing now. Unfortunately a recall was never issued for later model Subaru which suffer the same problem. The problem is fuel leaking from 5 main fuel lines going into the intake manifold. It seems that when it is cold outside, the lines are shrinking and is allowing fuel to spew out everywhere. Just from searching for 3 days I've seen 125 cases of this happening to other owners. Will you please put out a bulletin before someone dies from there car exploding because of extra fuel leaking out of the fuel hoses. Please I beg of you, please issue a recall!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Helena, MT, USA