Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Subaru Legacy submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 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
THE ELECTRICAL IN MY CAR SOMETIMES WORKS AND SOMETIMES NOT WHILE DRIVING THE LIGHTS FOR NOTIFICATION OF BRAKE OR ANS GO OFF AND ON. MY HEADLIGHTS WILL OCCASIONALLY BLINK TOO.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR WITHIN THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT OBSERVED A LEAK OF FLUID LOCATED UNDER THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE HOOD. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ODOR WAS MORE STRINGENT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING. THE DIAL FOR THE AIR/HEAT WAS FRACTURED AND COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 175,192.
FOR AT LEAST 3 YRS NOW, WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING VERY STRONG RAW FUEL SMELL IN THE CABIN IN COLD WEATHER ESPECIALLY WHEN THE TEMP DROPS NEAR FREEZING POINT IN THE WINTER. THE FUEL SMELL IN THE CABIN HAPPENED WHEN ENGINE WAS ON AND THE CAR WAS EITHER STATIONARY, IN MOTION OF ANY SPEED IN COLD WEATHER. WE DIDN'T NOTICE THE FUEL SMELL IN THE SUMMER OR IN WARM WEATHER MONTHS. THE FUEL SMELL WAS SO BAD THAT AT TIME WE HAD TO OPEN THE WINDOWS IN THE WINTER TO AIR IT OUT. OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT IT MIGHT CATCH ON FIRE AND COMPROMISE OUR SAFETY. SUBARU HAS RECALL NO. WVK-21 FOR 2002-2003 SUBARU WRX MODELS, BUT NOT FOR OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME ENGINE AND MODEL YEARS. PLEASE SEE THAT SUBARU INVESTIGATES THE PROBLEM AND MAKES THE APPROPRIATE REPAIRS. MANY THANKS, ANDREW
FUMES ACCUMULATE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WHEN DRIVING IN TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING. DEALER STATES 'DIDN'T SMELL ANY FUMES'. REPLACING EXHAUST SYSTEM DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM.
CAR WILL LEAK GAS AS TEMPERATURES GO BELOW FREEZING. LEAK IS LOCATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT PASSENGER SIDE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DURING COLDER WEATHER, GASOLINE FUEL FUMES EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.
SUBSEQUENT TO FILLING GAS TANK, GASOLINE WAS OBSERVED LEAKING FROM THE REAR UNDERCARRIAGE AREA, NEAR THE REAR WHEEL DRIVER'S SIDE. APPROXIMATELY 1/2 TO 1 GALLON OF GAS WAS OBSERVED TO LEAK ONTO THE GROUND. A SLOW FUEL LEAK CONTINUES IN THE SAME AREA, AND A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT PERSISTS UNTIL THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATES APPROXIMATELY 3/4 FULL. AT THIS POINT, NO LEAKAGE IS OBSERVED, AND A LIGHT SMELL OF GASOLINE PERSISTS. THIS REPRESENTS A DANGEROUS CONDITION AND APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. *TT
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG GASOLINE ODOR COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145,000.
FUEL SMELL IN CAR WHEN TEMP, IS BELOW ~20 F. RECALL IN 2001 AND SERVICE BULLETIN IN WRX IN 2002-03. BUT NOT FOR THIS MODEL. SMELL IS OVERWHELMING AND FUEL LEAK IS VERY DANGEROUS. SOA SAYS IT IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR THIS PART. CAR ALTHOUGH IT MATCHES SERVICE BULLETIN TO THE DOT. TAKING TO DEALERSHIP TOMORROW TO GET FUEL LINE CLAMPS LOOKED AT, POSSIBLY TIGHTENED. CAN'T DUPLICATE ISSUE UNLESS VERY COLD. *TR
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
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