2004 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

FUEL SMELL AT START UP IN TEMPS BELOW 35 DEGREES, DECREASES AFTER CAR WARMS UP. IF VERY COLD DOES NOT GO AWAY. *TR

FUEL LEAK IN 2004 SUBARU FORESTER XT SIMILAR TO OTHER SAFETY COMPLAINTS ENTERED, NHTSA CAMPAIGN 09V468000 AND SUBARU RECALL WVK-21 FOR 2003 WRX. EVENING OF 7JAN2014 DRIVING HOME (IN UNCOMMONLY COOL WEATHER) THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMELL STRONGLY OF GASOLINE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. UPON ARRIVING HOME, INSPECTED UNDER THE HOOD TO OBSERVE DRIPPING FUEL (APPROXIMATELY 1 DRIP PER SECOND) ABOVE THE ENGINE AT A METAL TO RUBBER FUEL LINE CONNECTION. LEAKED FUEL WAS POOLED ON THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. A PUDDLE OF WARM FUEL VAPORIZING NEAR ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT (BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, RADIATOR FANS) IS A SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD. THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED SINCE THE EVENT. I INVESTIGATED ON THE INTERNET AND HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER ACCOUNTS OF COLD WEATHER FUEL LEAKS IN MANY SUBARU MODELS NEARLY IDENTICAL TO MINE. MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER APPEARED TO BE AWARE OF THE ISSUE WHEN I CALLED, BUT STATED THERE IS NO ACTIVE RECALL ON MY MODEL. THEY OFFERED THAT THEIR FIX IS TO TIGHTEN THE HOSE CLAMPS BUT I WOULD NEED TO COVER THE COST OF THE WORK. IF SUBARU HAS ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE IN THE 2002-2003 IMPREZA AND WRX, WHY WOULD THEY NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEM IN OTHER MODELS THAT SHOW THE SAME SYMPTOMS? *TR

DURING THE RECENT COLD SNAP HERE IN TENNESSEE I GOT A REPORT FROM A FRIEND THAT HIS 2004 FORESTER XT WAS LEAKING FUEL INTO HIS ENGINE BAY. I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR THE NEXT DAY AND MINE IS DOING THE SAME THING. THE FUEL IS SLOWLY LEAKING ONTO THE ENGINE BLOCK. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I DID SOME RESEARCHING AND IT SEEMS THAT ALMOST ALL FORESTER MODELS FROM 2002-2006 HAVE THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE! SOME HAVE BEEN RECALLED, BUT THE FORESTER XT HASN'T. THE ENGINES ARE THE SAME...I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM HASN'T BEEN RESOLVED BY SUBARU. *TR

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

STRONG SMELL OF FUEL WHEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE IN COLD WEATHER (AROUND 35 DEGREES OR COLDER). THE FUMES ARE SOMETIMES SO INTENSE THAT THEY CAUSE A HEADACHE AND CERTAINLY POSE A SIGNIFICANT FIRE RISK. *TR

I'VE OWNED MY 2004 SUBARU FOR 5 YEARS WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT AS OF DECEMBER 2013, I'VE EXPERIENCED A STRONG FUEL SMELL BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. THE SMELL IS OVERPOWERING WHILE CAR IS PARKED, BUT LESSENS WHILE MOVING. IT BEGAN AFTER THE FIRST BIG DROP IN TEMPERATURE (40 DEGREES TO 10 DEGREES), AND HAS PERSISTED FOR OVER A WEEK NOW. *TR

I FIRST NOTICED A STRONG GAS SMELL IN THE VEHICLE ON THE COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 20 DEGREES. THE GAS SMELL ENTERS THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE VENTS WHEN THE HEATER IS TURNED ON AND THE CAR IS IDLING. WHILE THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 10+ MPH, THE GAS SMELL IS NOT NOTICEABLE. WHEN THE HEATER IS TURNED OFF, THE GAS SMELL DOES NOT ENTER THE VEHICLE. WHEN I EXIT THE VEHICLE, I CAN SMELL GAS OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE ALSO. THE SMELL IS SO OVERWHELMING THAT I CANNOT RUN THE HEATER IN THE EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IDLING. I RAN THE VEHICLE THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER MONTHS AND THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE GAS SMELL WHATSOEVER. I DO NOT TAKE MY CHILD IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME DURING THE WINTER MONTHS DUE TO THE STRONG GAS FUMES. I FEAR THAT I MAY BECOME STRANDED IN MY VEHICLE AND I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO IDLE MY CAR FOR HEAT. *TR

DURING THE COLD WEATHER THERE IS AN VERY STRONG GAS SMELL IN THE CAR. I STARTED THE CAR AND LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND CAN SEE WHERE GAS IS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL SYSTEM. I BELIEVE IT LEAKS IN THE SAME SPOT THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED. *TR

START VEHICLE IN THE MORNING AND CAN SMELL GAS FUMES OUTSIDE AND INSIDE EVEN WHEN DRIVING. THIS CAUSES BURNING OF NOSE AND THROAT. *TR

IT WAS SUMMER WHEN I FIRST NOTICE THE SMELL OF FUEL THROUGH MY VENTS AND I WAS DRIVING PASS AN GAS STATION (SHELL) SO I DIDN'T THINK MUCH NOT TILL THE NEXT MORNING AS I WARMED UP THE CAR I SMELLED PURE GASOLINE NEXT TO THE PASSENGER FENDER I THEN POP THE HOOD AND TRACED IT AND I WAS LEAD TO THE TURBO SIDE OF THE ENGINE SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM THE FUEL RAIL AREA UNSURE AS THE ENGINE WARMED UP THE SMELL FADED AWAY BUT NOW IT'S WINTER AND IT'S BAD I CAN SEE A BIG LOST IN FUEL CONSUMPTION FULL TANK DOESN'T LAST A WEEK IT'S DRIVEN TO AND FROM WORK AROUND 4 TO 12 MILES A DAY NEED HELP! *TR