2003 SUBARU IMPREZA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALER AND HAD IT REPAIRED ACCORDING TO A TSB (REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL LINES). THE CONTACT HAD TO ASSUME FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIR BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THAT COMPONENT. WEEKS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO ANOTHER TSB (ADD CLAMPS TO FUEL LINES). SHE IS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT PURCHASED AN AFTERMARKET CARBON FIBER HOOD FROM A COMPANY CALLED VIC RACING SPORTS. DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE HOOD, IT RETAINS WATER AND THERE IS NO WHERE FOR THE WATER TO DRAIN. DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER IN HIS STATE, THE WATER FROZE AND CAUSED THE HOOD TO CRACK. THE FAILURE COULD ALSO CAUSE THE HOOD LATCH TO FAIL. THE COMPANY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 37,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF UPDATED

I HAVE A COLD WEATHER FUEL LEAK UNDERNEATH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THIS FUEL LEAK CAUSES THE CABIN OF THE CAR TO FILL UP WITH VOLATILE FUMES. IT IS A VISIBLE LEAK AND DRIPS ON TOP OF THE ENGINE NEAR SOURCES OF IGNITION. I CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND 3 OF MY LOCAL DEALERSHIPS AND THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM BUT ONLY RANK IT AS A SERVICE BULLETIN NOT A RECALL. THIS PROBLEM EXISTS WITH ALL SUBARU WRX OWNERS IN A COLD CLIMATE. USE A SEARCH ENGINE ON THE INTERNET FOR (COLD WEATHER FUEL LEAK WRX ECT..) AND YOU WILL FIND THOUSANDS OF AFFECTED OWNERS. SUBARU WANTS $500-$900 FOR THE REPAIR. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS HAZARD FOR EXPLOSION, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT. PLEASE HELP. *TR

AT 15,000KM PAST WARRANTY, I SUBMITTED MY CAR FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THE ENGINE WAS LEAKING FLUIDS, REQUIRED NEW HEAD GASKETS, NEW TRANSMISSION MOUNTS AND SWAY BAR BUSHINGS. BARRIE SUBARU DID NOT SHOW MUCH INTEREST IN THE AMOUNT OF WORK REQUIRED ON A VEHICLE THAT HAD BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR LESS THAN 3 YEARS. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH IT WAS HIT ON THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH AND CROSSING A STOP LIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WEATHER WAS NICE THAT DAY. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE BOTH 50,000.*AK

FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS IN COLD WEATHER, USUALLY BELOW 32 DEGREES, THE SMELL OF GASOLINE EXISTED IN THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. I HAD IT CHECKED DURING AN LOCAL STATE INSPECTION AND DISCOVERED FUEL WAS LEAKING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THIS. I CONTACTED THREE(3) LOCAL DEALERS, THAT ALL NEW ABOUT TSB 09-36-03. THEY ALL QUOTED THE SAME $500 ESTIMATE TO REPAIR. TWO OF THE DEALERS, SUBARU OF DALLAS AND HUFFINES SUBARU IN DALLAS TEXAS INFORMED ME THAT FAILURE TO CORRECT THE CONDITION COULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE FIRE. GIVEN THE SEVERE NATURE OF THE DEFECT, THAT THE MANUFACTURER CLEARLY KNOWS ABOUT, THIS SHOULD BE UPGRADED TO A RECALL. 1) THE DANGER OF LEAKING FUEL DUE TO A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. 2) THE HAZARDS OF INHALING GASOLINE FUMES 3) THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD AND VIOLATIONS OF EPA REGULATIONS RELEASE GASOLINE AND GASOLINE VAPORS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO WARM THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT SMELLED FUEL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. HE IMMEDIATELY LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND SAW A CONSTANT DRIPPING OF FUEL ONTO THE ENGINE. HE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN SINCE THE FAILURE ON JANUARY 20, 2007. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN MAY 2006. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM ONLY OCCURRED IN THE WINTER MONTHS. THE VEHICLE HASD THE SAME PROBLEM AS STATED NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE04002 WHICH HAS BEEN CLOSED, AND DID NOT RESULT IN A RECALL. *AK

SEE ODI NUMBER 10179098 (CONT). I DO NOT KNOW IF SUBARU WILL ASSUAGE MY CONCERNS, BUT I CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE NOT REPORT THIS ISSUE. FIRST I THINK YOU HAVE UNDERESTIMATED THE FIRE DANGER. TRUE THERE HAVE BEEN NO FIRES CAUSED DIRECTLY BY THIS PROBLEM (I THINK), BUT THE PROBLEM ONLY OCCURS IN THE COLD, THERE ARE RELATIVELY FEW WRXS (WHEN COMPARED TO FORD EXPLORERS), AND PEOPLE WHO DRIVE THEM NORMALLY ARE GEARHEADS AND TAKE PRETTY GOOD CARE OF THEIR CARS--I.E. WHEN THEY SMELL FUEL THEY FIX THEIR CAR RAPIDLY, OR THEY HAVE ALREADY MODIFIED THEIR CAR WITH DIFFERENT FUEL LINES AND NO LONGER HAVE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE TO QUESTION HOW THOROUGHLY YOU INVESTIGATED THIS ISSUE SINCE YOUR INVESTIGATION ONLY LASTED 5 MONTHS. WERE INDEPENDENT TESTS PERFORMED? FROM YOUR STATEMENT YOU SEEM TO BE TAKING SUBARU'S WORD. THE SMELL CONTINUES AFTER THE CAR IS RUNNING, SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF FUEL ARE INVOLVED, AND THE FUEL DRIPS ONTO THE ENGINE BLOCK OR TURBO-VERY HOT COMPONENTS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS ISN'T A FIRE HAZARD. SECONDLY, THE FUMES ARE NOXIOUS. THE FIRST TIME THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED I WAS TRANSPORTING MY NEWBORN BABY DAUGHTER HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL. THIS IS OUR ONLY CAR. PLEASE CONSIDER IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR CHILD RIDING AROUND IN A VEHICLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I THINK THIS IS AS MUCH OF A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE FIRE DANGER. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO HELP WITH ANY INVESTIGATION. I WILL PROVIDE AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT, OR ALLOW YOU TO COME TO MY HOME DO ANY DIAGNOSTICS YOU WOULD LIKE TO MY CAR. I HAVE TO ADMIT, I AM SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTED AT NHTSA'S RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE. IT SEEMS THAT MANY HAVE REPORTED THIS ISSUE, AND THE INVESTIGATION HAS NOT BEEN REOPENED. AS A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE I KNOW IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. I HOPE YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY. I WILL BE SENDING A COPY OF THE NOTE TO MY CONGRESSWOMAN, MY SENATORS, THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE; SCIENCE; AND TRANSPORTATION, AND THE HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE. THANK YOU. *NM

THIS IS REGARDING A 2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX. I AM EXPERIENCING THE FUEL LEAK ADDRESSED IN NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE04002. I AM LOCATED IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. RECENTLY I HAVE HAD THE CAR OUTSIDE IN TEMPERATURES AS LOW AS 30 F (NIGHTS ARE SPENT IN A GARAGE NEXT TO A FURNACE--PROBABLY 40 F). I AM HAVING THE FUEL LEAK THAT YOU AND SUBARU OF AMERICA CLAIM OCCURS AT ONLY "EXTREMELY LOW TEMPERATURES." I HAVE HAD IT OCCUR THREE TIMES, AND BOTH TIMES THE FUEL SMELL PERSISTED AFTER 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING, EVEN WITH WINDOWS OPEN. THE FUEL SMELL WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT IT GAVE ME A HEADACHE AND WAS DETECTABLE IN MY GARAGE THE NEXT DAY BY BOTH MY WIFE AND I (AND MY WIFE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE SMELL, I ASKED HER TO CHECK THE NEXT MORNING IF SHE SMELLED ANYTHING TO CONFIRM MY NOSE). I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER TO FIX. THEY NEVER MENTIONED THE TSB, THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION, OR HOW COMMON THE PROBLEM IS. THEY DID DIAGNOSE EXACTLY THE PROBLEM NOTED IN THE TSB. AFTER BEING QUOTED NORTH OF $600 TO FIX THE PROBLEM, I BROUGHT THE CAR HOME BECAUSE PARTS NEEDED TO BE ORDERED. RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I FOUND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB, INCLUDING COMPLAINTS ON NASIOC AND CLUBWRX.COM. I CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA ABOUT THE PROBLEM. I AM STILL WORKING WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT BASED ON OTHERS COMMENTS, SUBARU'S RESPONSE HAS BEEN ERRATIC, AND I AM NOT COUNTING ON ANYTHING. (CONTINUED). *NM

THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR WAS DAMAGED BY ROAD DEBRIS, DUE TO INSUFFICIENT PROTECTION. IT IS LOCATED LOW DOWN AND UP FRONT AND SHOULD BE PROTECTED FROM ROAD DEBRIS. *NM