2004 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

FOR A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS IN EARLY JANUARY 2013 MY WIFE, DAUGHTER AND I COULD SMELL WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS RAW GASOLINE WHEN WE DROVE OUR 2004 SUBARU FORESTER XT. IT WOULD TYPICALLY TAKE LESS THAN 5 MINUTES AFTER WE STARTED THE ENGINE FOR THE SMELL OF GAS TO BECOME VERY STRONG, EVEN OVERWHELMING. ALTHOUGH IT COULD STILL BE SICKENING, THE PROBLEM WOULD IMPROVE SOMEWHAT AFTER WE DROVE THE CAR FOR A FEW MINUTES. AFTER WE CAREFULLY REFUELED THE CAR ON TWO OR THREE OCCASIONS WE CONCLUDED THAT THE ISSUE DEFINITELY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH SPILLED FUEL OR THE FUEL CAP. WE WERE VERY CONCERNED THAT WHETHER OR NOT THE SITUATION LED TO A FIRE, WE WERE ALL BEING MADE VERY SICK BY THE PROBLEM. WE CONTACTED THE SUBARU DEALER WHERE WE HAVE OUR FORESTER SERVICED AND DROPPED OFF THE CAR FOR THEM TO TROUBLESHOOT. WE WERE QUICKLY CONTACTED AND TOLD THAT THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM AND THAT BECAUSE THE FUEL LINES RAN UNDER THE TURBOCHARGER THE REPAIR WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE (AND IT WAS). AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE IT QUICKLY BECAME APPARENT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH NOT ONLY FORESTERS, BUT FOR OTHER SUBARU MODELS AS WELL. BEING THAT THIS IS (BY ANY STANDARD) A COMMON PROBLEM ARISING FROM THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE, THAT THERE IS NO OPTION BUT TO REPAIR THESE VEHICLES ON THREAT OF FIRE OR ILLNESS, THAT THE PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR DUE TO ANY KIND OF MISUSE OR NEGLECT, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL MADE FOR ALL SUBARUS THAT EXPERIENCE LEAKING FUEL SYSTEMS (NOT JUST THE WRX). BECAUSE THE REPAIR IS SO EXPENSIVE, AND SO MANY OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES LACK ANY WARRANTY COVERAGE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR, I AM CONCERNED THERE ARE MANY OWNERS WHO WILL ATTEMPT THE REPAIR THEMSELVES OR HAVE THE WORK DONE BY TECHNICIANS WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM. IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT A SAFETY RECALL IS MADE AND OWNERS ARE NOTIFIED BEFORE ANYONE IS HARMED. *TR

NOTICED A STRONG SMELL OF GAS WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 FORESTER XS, CAUSING HEADACHES TO MYSELF AND PASSENGERS. I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO SAID THAT THERE WAS RAW GAS POOLING ON THE MANIFOLD. HE SAID THAT HE HAS SEEN THIS MANY TIMES BEFORE - LEAKING FUEL LINES DUE TO THE COLD (IT WAS 12 DEGREES WHEN I FIRST NOTICED IT). HE NOTED THAT THIS WAS THE WORST LEAK HE HAS SEEN. LOOKING AT A $700 BILL. I HAVE SINCE READ MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. WONDERING WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN OVERPOWERING GASOLINE FUEL SMELL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE ODOR WOULD BECOME STRONGER WHEN THE CONTACT WAS OPERATING THE VEHICLE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

THIS IS IN A 2004 SUBARU FORESTER XT (TURBO). STRONG SMELL OF UNBURNED FUEL COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND FILLING PASSENGER COMPARTMENT UPON STARTUP. *TR

THERE HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS OIL LEAK FROM MY 2004 SUBARU FORESTER XS. MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A LEAK IN THE MAIN SEAL BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE ENGINE. THIS IS NOT NORMAL AND IT WILL COST ME $1,000 TO FIX BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED. THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS REGISTERED ABOUT SIMILAR OIL LEAKS IN THIS MODEL YEAR. SUBARU SHOULD INVESTIGATE. *TR

THERE WAS A VERY STRONG GASOLINE SMELL INSIDE THE CAR (2004 SUBARU FORESTER XS) THAT HAPPENED IN COLD WEATHER DURING JANUARY 2012. IT HAPPENED AGAIN JUST RECENTLY IN JANUARY 2013. IT WAS SO STRONG IT MADE THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER HAVE A HEADACHE AND BECOME NAUSEOUS. MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THE VERY SAME THING AND HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING SUBARU TO AT LEAST INVESTIGATE. SUBARU HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE WRX MODEL, BUT NOT FOR THE FORESTER. THIS IS A HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY SUBARU. *TR

IN COLD TEMPERATURES, THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE CABIN AND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. FUEL LEAKS IN COLD TEMPERATURES IS A RECURRENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR AS EVIDENCE BY: SIMILAR COMPLAINTS IN SUBARU FORUMS. SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN RELATED MODELS. *TR

AFTER COMING HOME AND PARKING MY CAR IN THE GARAGE MY WIFE CAME IN FROM THE GARAGE AND SAID IT SMELLED LIKE GAS. I FOUND THE SOURCE TO BE MY 2004 SUBARU. I DROVE IT THE DEALER THE NEXT MORNING AND THEY SAID THAT THE FUEL LINES DUE TO THE COLD, AS IT WAS BELOW 20 DEGREE'S, PULLED AWAY FROM THE FUEL RAIL SO RAW GAS WAS POOLING ON THE MANIFOLD. THEY KEPT IT FOR A WEEK SAYING IT WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE, AND REPLACED ALL THE FUEL LINES AND CLAMPS FOR $850. THEY SAID IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST LEAKS THEY HAVE SEEN. I HAVE NOW READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE AND NOTICED THE 2003 WRX, SAME ENGINE, WAS RECALLED FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE. I GUESS I AM LUCKY AS IT COULD HAVE CAUGHT ME, MY HOUSE OR WHO KNOWS WHAT ON FIRE IF IT HAS SPARKED.

IN COLD TEMPERATURES, THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE CABIN AND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. FUEL IS LEAKING BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE IT WHEN BROUGHT IN ON A WARMER DAY. FUEL LEAKS IN COLD TEMPERATURES IS A RECURRENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR AS EVIDENCE BY: SIMILAR COMPLAINTS IN SUBARU FORUMS. SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN RELATED MODELS (SUBARU WRX) THIS IS A DANGER TO HEALTH AND SAFETY AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 30 DEGREES, THERE WAS A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT NOTICED A FUEL LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 125,000