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 2009 Subaru Impreza submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 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
WHEN TRYING TO PUT FUEL IN MY CAR AT THE PUMP, THE FUEL INSTANTLY STARTING SPEWING OUT EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I HAVE AN EMPTY TANK. BASED ON RESEARCH, SUBARU HAS A VALVE IN THE TANK THAT IS DEFECTIVE AND CAUSES THIS. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN FILL MY TANK UP AND I AM COVERED IN FUEL.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU IMPREZA. AFTER FUELING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED A VERY STRONG ODOR OF FUEL. THE CONTACT DROVE APPROXIMATELY THREE MILES TO HIS HOME AND THE ODOR BECAME STRONGER. THE CONTACT NOTICED FUEL LEAKING UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHERE THE FUEL TANK WAS LOCATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.
WHEN ATTEMPTING TO FUEL THE VEHICLE (THE TANK WAS LESS THAN ONE-QUARTER FULL), THE GAS SPLASHED BACK OUT OF THE VEHICLE ON ME AND ALLOVER THE GROUND. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO FUEL, BUT THE TANK WILL NOT ACCEPT GAS. THIS ISSUE CAN CAUSE INJURIES FROM THE GASOLINE SPLASH, AND IT CAN CAUSE STRANDED DRIVERS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE REFUELED. IT MUST BE INVESTIGATED. THERE ARE PLENTY OF FORUMS ONLINE WHERE PEOPLE COMPLAIN OF THE SAME ISSUE IN THEIR 2009 IMPREZAS... THERE MUST BE A KNOWN DEFECTIVE PART, BUT SUBARU IS NOT RECALLING IT? PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *TR
GAS TANK WILL NOT ALLOW ANY GAS TO BE PUMPED. ATTEMPTED TO PUMP AND GAS SPRAYED BACK OUT. CAR IS THROWING A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OF P0453 "EVAP SYSTEM PRESSURE SENSOR HIGH INPUT." CAR IS NEARLY ON E FOR GAS. TAKING TO DEALERSHIP TO RESOLVE PROBLEM. SAFETY ISSUE AS GAS COULD SPRAY ON PERSON, CAUSING INJURY. *TR
VEHICLE WILL NOT TAKE FUEL. FUEL NOZZLE SHUTS OFF AS IF TANK IS FULL OR FUEL SPILLS OUT OF THE TANK. TRIED THREE DIFFERENT PUMPS AT THE FIRST GAS STATION, THEN DROVE TO TWO OTHER GAS STATIONS AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO FILL WITH APPROXIMATELY 1 GALLON OF FUEL. FROM ONLINE INQUIRIES, MAY BE POSSIBLE FUEL TANK PRESSURE VALVE FAILURE? *TR
THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS IN 2010. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON (STEADY, NOT BLINKING) AND AFTER THAT I ATTEMPTED TO PUT GAS IN THE CAR. THE TANK WAS DOWN TO APPROX. 1/4 BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT TAKE GAS, AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ADD GAS IT BACK SPLASHED ALL OVER ME. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH SPIDER WEBS IN THE LINE CAUSING A PRESSURE PROBLEM IN THE TANK, AND REPLACED THE PRESSURE VALVE. SINCE THEN THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 ADDITIONAL TIMES - I AM NOW ON MY 3RD PRESSURE VALVE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE ON SEVERAL FRONTS: UNEXPECTED BACKSPLASH OF GAS, POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING OUT OF GAS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO ADD IT (I.E. BEING TOTALLY STUCK FAR FROM HOME) AND PRESSURE IN THE TANK (SEEMS THIS COULD RESULT IN FIRE OR OTHER DANGER). THE DEALER DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THIS - A RECALL IS NECESSARY TO FORCE SUBARU TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE AND COMING UP WITH A FIX TO PREVENT SPIDER ENTRY (MAZDA AND HONDA HAVE ADDRESSED THIS SAME ISSUE - MAZDA RECALLED 50K + CARS). *JS
ON FRIDAY 7/8/11, MY 2009 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX FAILED TO FILL UP GAS EVEN THOUGH THE TANK WAS EMPTY. INSTEAD, GAS SPEWED ALL OVER THE FLOOR CREATING A PUDDLE OF GASOLINE AND A SAFETY HAZARD TO OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE AND ALSO THE ENVIRONMENT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE SUBARU DEALER ON FRIDAY AND THEY HAVE NO CLUE HOW AND WHEN IT WILL BE FIXED. I CONTACTED SUBARU TODAY AND WAS TOLD THEIR IS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE AND THEY HAVE NOT HEARD OF SUCH AN INCIDENT. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NUMEROUS POSTINGS ON SUBARU FORUMS STATING OTHERWISE. THIS CAN BE A DETRIMENTAL SAFETY ISSUE IF SOMEONE GETS HURT FROM THIS. MY WIFE AND 1 YR OLD SON WAS IN THE CAR DURING THIS INCIDENT. LUCKILY, SHE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE GAS FROM CONTINUING TO SPEW OVER AND GET MY SON TO SAFETY. *TT
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REFUELING THE VEHICLE, FUEL BEGAN TO SPILL OUT OF THE FUEL FILLER NECK. SOME OF THE FUEL SPILLED ONTO THE CONTACT, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES TO THE SKIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE FUEL TANK PRESSURE VALVE WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED A FEW MONTHS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE FUEL PRESSURE VALVE WAS REPLACED A SECOND TIME. THE FAILURE RECURRED LESS THAN A WEEK LATER. SOME OF THE FUEL SPLASHED INTO THE CONTACTS EYES DURING THE RECENT FAILURE, RESULTING IN INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE STILL IN POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 08/15/11 *BF UPDATED 3/06/2012 *LN
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 .