All Investigations » Investigation PE09017

  Defect Investigation of Fuel Line Leak

Investigation of Fuel Line Leak

Subject: Fuel line leak
Components covered:
  • Gasoline fuel system
  • Gasoline carburetor system
  • Gasoline delivery fuel system
  • Fuel pump
  • Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
  • Fuel injection system
  • Gasoline fuel injection system fuel rail
  • Gasoline fuel injection system injectors
  • Fuel system
  • Fuel hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
  • Fuel injection system
Investigations Summary: This investigation was opened on Mar. 10, 2009. It was closed on Jul. 2, 2009. Complainants report fuel leakage most frequently in winter during initial cold engine startup. Owners will either notice a fuel odor inside the occupant compartment or fuel odor/leakage at the fuel lines on the right side atop the engine. Once the engine has warmed, the odor/leakage may cease. Subaru revised the fuel pipe/hose design for model year (my) 2003-04 wrx vehicles produced after August 2003. Subaru also introduced a my 2004 impreza sti vehicle with a different engine and fuel pipe/hose layout. Out of the total of 994 complaints, 944 concern my 2002-03 wrx vehicles built through August 2003. Subaru also reports one fire on a my 2002 wrx vehicle that occurred in February 2006. In March 2009, odi inspected and video taped a my 2002 wrx vehicle with a fuel leak during cold engine start up. The video was provided to Subaru and is in the investigation file. This investigation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-011) to further study this issue.
Vehicles Affected by this investigation:
  • 2002 Subaru Impreza
  • 2003 Subaru Impreza
  • 2004 Subaru Impreza
  • 2002 Subaru Impreza Wrx
  • 2003 Subaru Impreza Wrx
  • 2004 Subaru Impreza Wrx

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