2004 Subaru WRX Fuel System Problems

HAVING RECENTLY MOVED TO A COLD WEATHER STATE, I DISCOVERED THAT WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW FREEZING THERE IS A SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE PASSENGER CABIN. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, SUBARU APPEARS TO BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND IN FACT ISSUED A RECALL ON EARLIER MODEL VEHICLES FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THE FUEL LINES AND CLAMPS SHRINK IN COLD WEATHER ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK AT THE FUEL FILTER OR MORE PROBLEMATICALLY ONTO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD NEAR THE TURBO. THIS HAS BEEN RESOLVED IN NEWER MODEL VEHICLES, BUT FOR SOME REASON SUBARU DECIDED NOT TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THE 2004-2005 VEHICLES HAVING THIS PROBLEM. WHEN THE VEHICLE WARMS UP, THE HEAT OF THE ENGINE REDUCES OR ELIMINATES THE LEAKS. ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO TIGHTEN THE HOSE CLAMPS, I SUSPECT THAT NEXT WINTER I WILL BE FACING THE SAME ISSUE AND/OR A $500-1000 REPAIR BILL FROM THE DEALER.

I HAVE A 2004 WRX AND WHENEVER IT GETS COLD LOTS OF FUEL LEAKS FROM UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD THERES A RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE IN 2002 2003 BUT IT STILL DOES IT ON MY CAR

DURING VEHICLE OPERATION IN COLDER WEATHER (32 DEG F OR COLDER), THERE IS A STRONG FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY. FUEL LINES ARE LEAKING IN AN AREA CLOSE TO THE AIR INTAKE. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN DURING WARMER WEATHER.

STRONG SMELL OF RAW FUEL COMING INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT DURING VERY COLD OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES. *TR

AFTER STARTING MY CAR IN COLD WEATHER, I NOTICED A STRONG SMELL OF GAS. I FOUND THAT THERE WAS GAS POOLING ON TOP OF MY ENGINE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THE GAS STOPPED LEAKING, BUT WHEN I TURNED IT ON AGAIN, I COULD SEE IT DRIPPING ON TO THE LOCATION THAT IT WAS POOLING. *TR

FUEL LINES LEAK UPON COLD START UP IN THE WINTER. FUEL LEAKS ALL OVER ENGINE BLOCK, MY FEAR THAT THIS CAN CAUSE A FIRE. SUBARU'S ANSWER IS TO BRING IT IN, SPEND MONEY TO HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT. ALL THE WHILE THEY WILL NOT PROVIDE ME WITH A COMP CAR AND THIS IS MY ONLY CAR. WITH WORK, SCHOOL AND TRYING TO MOVE AT THAT TIME IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO RELEASE THE CAR TO THEM AND HOPE IT LEAKED ON THAT DAY FOR THE TECH OR RISK HANDING OUT CASH EVERY TIME I TAKE IT IN FOR THEM TO LOOK AT. THEY KNOW THEY HAVE AN ISSUE THEY DON'T WANT TO FIX ANY LONGER. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR SOME WRX'S AND THEY SAY THE PROBLEM WAS TAKEN CARE OF IN 2004, OBVIOUSLY NOT. IT APPEARS MY CAR WAS BUILT IN MID 2003...... AND IS POSSIBLE IN MY OPINION THAT MY CAR COULD HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH THESE FAULTY PARTS. *TR

IN BELOW-FREEZING TEMPERATURES, THERE IS A FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY. IT SEEMS TO START AT APPROXIMATELY 20 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, AND BECOMES INCREASINGLY STRONG AT LOWER TEMPERATURES. ON A RECENT MORNING WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS 9 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, THE SMELL WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE A LIGHT-HEADED SENSATION. THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM, WITH THERE ALREADY BEING A RECALL FOR SIMILAR VEHICLES. MANY VEHICLES EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL, INCLUDING MY OWN, SEEM TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM. EVEN WORSE, SOME WHO HAVE HAD THE RECALL FIX PERFORMED HAVE STATED THAT THE FIX PRESCRIBED BY THE RECALL DOES NOT ALWAYS RESOLVE THE PROBLEM COMPLETELY. *TR

AT TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW 15F THERE IS A FUEL LEAK FROM THE INLET MANIFOLD. CAN SEE GASOLINE LEAKING NEAR WHERE THE FUEL LINE ENTERS THE MANIFOLD. LEAK STOPS ONCE VEHICLE HAS WARMED UP. *TR

WHEN THE WEATHER WAS VERY COLD OUT, ABOUT 10F THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE GAS SMELL OUTSIDE THE CAR AND IN THE CABIN WHEN THE HVAC TURNED ON. THIS IS A FUEL LINE ISSUE WHICH IS KNOWN TO SUBARU - THERE IS A RECALL ON 2002-2003 WRX MODELS. HOWEVER THERE IS NO RECALL ON LATER MODELS SUCH AS MY 2004 WRX, WHICH ALSO SUFFER FROM THE PROBLEM. *TR

STARTED VEHICLE AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT IN SUB-30 DEGREE WEATHER AND A VERY STRONG SMELL OF RAW FUEL WAS EVIDENT IN VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED ON MANY MORE OCCASIONS; IN ANY SITUATION WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS GIVEN TIME TO SIT IN COLD WEATHER. AFTER THE CLAMPS WERE TIGHTENED ON THE LINES, THE SMELL WAS DECREASED; BUT AFTER FEAR OF A FIRE THE LINES AND CLAMPS WERE THEN REPLACED BY MYSELF. AS SUBARU OF AMERICA WOULD NOT EXTEND THE RECALL TO MY 2004 VEHICLES AND I COULD NOT AFFORD TO PAY RETAIL FOR THE REPAIR. THIS WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING, AS THIS IS MY FIRST SUBARU AND IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THE DESIGN WAS FAULTY. AFTER REPLACING THE LINES AND CLAMPS, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED. HOWEVER, I CANNOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF REQUIRED REPAIR IN THE FUTURE. *TR

DURING COLD WEATHER (~36 F), THERE IS A STRONG FUEL SMELL IN THE CABIN. THE SMELL SEEMS TO BE COMING FORM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT (PASSENGER SIDE). THE SMELL DISAPPEARS AFTER THE ENGINE WARMS UP. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 WRX AND WHEN THE VEHICLE IS LEFT OUTSIDE DURING VERY COLD TEMPERATURES, AT STARTUP, THERE IS A PROMINENT FUEL SMELL. THIS SEEMS TO OCCUR IF I LEAVE THE VEHICLE PARKED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME (3+ HOURS) AT 20 DEGREE F OR BELOW. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS REGARDING THIS DEFECT REPORTED ON THE NASIOC FORUMS. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A RECALL REGARDING THIS SAME DEFECT FOR THE 2002-2003 WRX'S. I AM GREATLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE RISKS ASSOCIATE WITH RAW FUEL BEING DISPERSED ON THE ENGINE UPON STARTUP.

FUEL LINES ON TOP OF THE ENGINE LEAK DURING COLD WEATHER, BELOW 10 DEGREES F. THERE IS A STRONG FUEL ODOR OUT SIDE THE VEHICLE AND INSIDE WHEN THE VENTS ARE ON. THE SMELL GOES AWAY AFTER THE CAR IS COMPLETELY WARMED UP, 10-20 MINUTES OF DRIVING. *TR

ON COLD MORNINGS LESS THAN 10 DEGREES A STRONG FUEL SMELL ENTERS THE VEHICLE. THIS ISSUE WAS SUBJECT TO RECALL ON 2002 AND 2003 MODEL CARS YET 2004 MODELS ALSO EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A WIDE RANGING PROBLEM THAT EFFECTS MANY CARS ALL THE UP TO THE 2007 MODEL YEAR OF THE SUBARU IMPREZA. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED SINCE 2002 ON THE LARGEST SUBARU IMPREZA WEB FORUM. HTTP://FORUMS.NASIOC.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=131755. IT'S ABOUT TIME SUBARU FIXES THIS PROBLEM. *TR

STARTING CAR IN COLD WEATHER CAUSES INTERIOR CABIN TO FILL WITH GAS FUMES. APPARENT FUEL LEAK IN COLD TEMPERATURES. LEAK RESOLVES AFTER ENGINE HAS WARMED. *TR

IT HAS BEEN MUCH COLDER THAN USUAL HERE IN TENNESSEE AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING A VERY STRONG FUEL SMELL INSIDE THE CABIN OF MY 2004 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX. IT HAS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I HAVE DRIVEN OVER THE PAST THREE DAYS AND DOES SEEM TO GO AWAY WHEN I ACCELERATE BUT I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT IS BECAUSE THE FUEL VAPOR IS BEING BLOWN AWAY BY THE MOVING OF THE AIR AROUND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE DRIVING. AS SOON AS I SLOW OF COME TO A STOP THERE IS A STRONG RAW FUEL SMELL AGAIN. *TR

FUEL LINE LEAK IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IMPREZA STI '04. IN COLD WEATHER, SAY LESS THAN 20 DEG F, FUEL LINES LEAK AT HARD/SOFT LINE CONNECTIONS. FUEL CAN BE SEEN DRIPPING ONTO ENGINE & STRONG SMELL OF FUEL INSIDE CABIN. VERY SIMILAR TO SUBARU TSB 01-170-09, BULLETIN WVK-21. *TR

DURING COLD WEATHER (BELOW 10 DEGREES OR SO), MY 2004 SUBARU WRX IMPREZA SMELLS VERY STRONGLY OF GASOLINE COMING FROM ENGINE BAY. THIS EVENTUALLY GOES AWAY AFTER 20 MINUTES OR SO OF DRIVING. DURING ONE EPISODE, I ACTUALLY WATCHED UNDER THE MANIFOLD ON PASSENGER SIDE AND OBSERVED GASOLINE PUDDLING UNDER THE GAS LINES! I HAVE TIGHTENED THE HOSE CLAMPS BUT THEY EVENTUALLY LEAK AGAIN. I AM ACTUALLY HESITANT TO DRIVE THE CAR ANYMORE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS HERE IN MINNESOTA. *TR

DURING COLD STARTS, TYPICALLY UNDER EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES, FUEL LEAKS IN THE FUEL DELIVERY LINE COULD OCCUR WHERE THE LINE CONNECTS WITH A RUBBER HOSE. *TR

DURING COLD WEATHER STARTUP, MY SUBARU WILL HAVE A STRONG FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY AND INSIDE THE CAR. APPARENTLY, THIS EFFECTS MANY DIFFERENT SUBARUS DURING COLD WEATHER STARTUP AND A FUEL LINE ON TOP OF THE ENGINE IS THE SUSPECTED CULPRIT FOR LEAKING FUEL. *TR