Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Subaru Forester submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
FUEL LINES IN ENGINE LEAK IN COLD WEATHER. THIS IS A SERIOUS HAZARD THAT I AND MULTIPLE OTHER SUBARU OWNERS THAT I KNOW HAVE HAD OCCURRING AND RECURRING. I CALLED SUBARU AND THEY WERE UNINTERESTED IN ISSUING A SAFETY RECALL DESPITE THE EXTREME HAZARD LEAKING GASOLINE IN THE ENGINE POSES. THIS HAS NOW HAPPENED TO ME TWICE IN TWO DIFFERENT FUEL HOSES IN THE PAST TWO YEARS.
TAKATA RECALL MY CAR HAS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE WHEN WALKING UP TO THE CAR AFTER IT HAS SAT AND IT IS EVEN STRONGER WHEN YOU SHUT THE CAR OFF AFTER DRIVING. IN THE WARMER WEATHER THE SMELL HAS INCREASED.
2002 SUBARU FORESTER. FOR THE PAST FEW WINTERS I HAVE NOTICED A VERY STRONG RAW GAS SMALL INSIDE THE CAR WHEN THE CAR IS IDLED, OR SITTING STILL AND THE TEMPERATURE IS 20 DEGREES F OR LOWER. OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING CONTRACTS BELOW THAT TEMPERATURE AND BY DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH I AM APPARENTLY NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. THE SMELL IS SO STRONG IT WILL GIVE YOU A HEADACHE. SO I JUST DON'T DRIVE THE CAR IF THE TEMPS ARE GOING TO BE BELOW 20F. *TR
ON A VERY COLD MORNING WITH TEMPS IN THE TEENS, AFTER DRIVING THE CAR LESS THAN 10 MILES AND PARKING IT IN THE DRIVEWAY I NOTICED A STRONG RAW GAS SMELL. I OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW GAS LEAKING AROUND TWO METAL CLAMPS ON A SMALL RUBBER HOSE TO THE LEFT AND BELOW THE POWER STEERING FLUID CAP. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND SEEING HOW COMMON THIS PROBLEM IS, WE WENT OUT ABOUT AN HOUR LATER AND TURNED ON THE ENGINE WITH THE HOOD UP AND WE COULD SEE THE GAS AROUND THE CLAMPS AFTER JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES. WE TIGHTENED THE SCREWS ON THE CLAMPS, THEY WENT AT LEAST THREE TURNS EACH. HOPING THIS SOLVES THE PROBLEM SINCE LEAKING GASOLINE IN THE ENGINE AREA SEEMS PRETTY DANGEROUS. *TR
IN VERY COLD CONDITIONS. WHEN THE CAR IS IN IDOL OR RUNNING IT HAS A VERY STRONG GAS SMELL AROUND THE ENGINE AND IN THE CABIN AREA. I HAVE HEARD THE WRX AND OUTBACK MODELS HAVE ALSO HAVE THIS PROBLEM.I WAS TOLD IT IS THE FUEL LINE HOSE THE CONNECTS TO THE CLAMP AND CONTRACTS IN SEVERE COLD AND EXTRACTS WHEN IT GETS WARM THEN SEALS ITS SELF TO THE CLAMP. I THINK THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH SUBARU AND IT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND POSSIBLE RECALL ON THE OLDER MODELS IF IT HAS BEEN CORRECTED WITH NEWER MODELS. *TR
FUEL LEAK UNDER THE HOOD. COULD NOT SEE ACTUAL LEAK BUT A STRONG FUEL ODOR FILLED THE VEHICLE UPON IDLING WITH THE HEATER ON. THIS ALSO HAPPEN TODAY AFTER DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE(~4 MILES) A STRONG FUEL ODOR WAS DETECTED UPON STOPPING THE VEHICLE THE ODOR SEEM TO COME FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AREA ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD STRUGGLE TO ACCELERATE UP INCLINES AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE THE FAILURES OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE FAILURE WAS LOCATED AT THE FUEL SENSOR MODULE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,898 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 135,000.
A VERY STRONG FUEL SMELL COMES INTO THE CAB OF MY 2002 SUBARU FORESTER WHEN TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW 35. I RECENTLY MOVED TO MONTANA AND HADN'T NOTICED IT BEFORE BECAUSE PORTLAND DOESN'T GET THIS COLD. .AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ONLINE, FOUND OUT SEVERAL OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. SUBARU IS RECALLING WMX FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT NOT FORESTERS. *TR
AFTER A PERIOD OF COLD WEATHER (BELOW FREEZING), I DROVE MY CAR FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES. AFTER EXITING THE CAR, I SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE AT THE FRONT OF THE CAR. DURING THE TRIP WHEN USING THE HEAT INSIDE THE VEHICLE, I ALSO SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE AND EXHAUST AND SHUT OFF THE HEAT. (I THOUGHT IT WAS COMING FROM THE CARS IN FRONT OF ME IN TRAFFIC.) AFTER LEAVING THE CAR IN THE GARAGE ALL DAY, I DROVE IT TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC TO SEE IF THERE MIGHT BE A FUEL LINE LEAK. THE NEXT DAY, HE ADVISED ME THAT THERE HAD BEEN A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED BY SUBURU ABOUT COLD WEATHER AND FUEL SMELL. HE SAID THAT INDEED THE FUEL LINES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT EXHIBITED SIGNS OF GAS LEAKAGE. WHEN THE FUEL LEAKED, IT LEAKED ONTO THE ENGINE AND MANIFOLD (WHICH I THINK IS NORMALLY GETS HOT). GIVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR FIRE, HE REPLACED ALL OF THE FUEL HOSES IN THE CAR WITH NEW HOSES AND THE FUEL FILTER. ON THE SAME DAY, ANOTHER SUBURU CUSTOMER HAD THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM WITH SMELLING GASOLINE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, AND HE HAD TO HAVE THE SAME REPAIRS DONE. I SHOULD ADD THAT ON THE DAY I FIRST SMELLED GASOLINE NEAR THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND WHEN I HAD TURNED THE HEAT ON IN THE CAB, IT WAS ABOUT 22 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, WITH A WIND CHILL IN THE SINGLE DIGITS. THIS IS UNUSUALLY COLD FOR OUR AREA. I HAD JUST FILLED UP MY GAS TANK THE EVENING BEFORE. MY MILEAGE IS A LITTLE MORE THAN 70,000 MILES, AND THE CAR HAS BEEN VERY WELL MAINTAINED. *TR
DURING A VERY COLD DAY I FELT VERY STRONG GASOLINE SMELL RIGHT AFTER START IN MY 2002 SUBARU FORESTER S. I LOOKED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND I SAW GASOLINE O ONE OF THE RUBBER HOSES CONNECTING 2 FUEL LINES. THE SMELL DISAPPEARED AFTER THE ENGINE WARMED UP, BUT REAPPEARED AFTER THE CAR STAYED OUTSIDE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. THE CAR DID THE SAME THING A FEW YEARS AGO DURING VERY COLD TEMPERATURES. AT THAT TIME, THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP TIGHTENED THE CLAMPS HOLDING THE RUBBER HOSE. RUBBER HOSE. *TR
FROM A STAND STILL VEHICLE WILL HESITATE OR ONCE GETTING STARTED WILL LUNGE FORWARD. DEALERSHIP LOOKED OVER VEHICLE, AND CONTACTED SUBARU WHICH TOLD DEALERSHIP THAT VEHICLE MET ALL REQUIREMENTS, AND RETURNED VEHICLE TO CONSUMER WITH NO MODIFICATIONS. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .