Gasoline Fuel System Problems of Subaru Forester - part 2

The contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that there was a fuel leak in the engine compartment. He could smell gasoline in the cabin as it was being leaked on the motor. He stated that the failure seemed to happen in above freezing weather. He called the dealer and was told that it was a common problem. The vehicle had not been inspected by the dealer and the manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 95,000.

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2004 Subaru Forester fuel system leak in cold weather.

The contact owns a 2004 Subaru foreseter. When the contact started the ignition there was a strong odor of fuel inside and outside of the vehicle. The failure occur consistently. The engine exhibited an excessive amount of fuel leakage. The vehicle had not been repaired for the malfunctions. The failure mileage was 55,000.

Every time the temperature drops below freezing a strong fuel smell fills the interior. Sometimes the smell goes away when the engine warms up, sometimes it doesn't. Nothing has been done to fix the problem.

Extremely strong fuel odor in the interior of an 04 Subaru Forester.

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.

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Strong gas odor when car is started in cold temperatures.

Fuel smell like raw gasoline. Have been working with dealership for over 6 months to try to resolve these issues. Currently, still replacing valves.

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The contact owns 2007 Subaru Forester. She purchased the vehicle brand new in July 2007 and in August of 2009 she smelled fumes in the vehicle. The dealer replaced the fuel cut roll valve since it was cracked, and the dealer replaced the failed part with the same defected part; therefore she could experience the failure again. She contacted the manufacturer who stated that there were no recalls related to the failure; however, they offered her $2,500 as a down payment towards a new vehicle. She declined the offer and wants the dealer to buy the vehicle back. When the vehicle had 1300 miles on it she had the front axles replaced. She no longer feels safe driving the vehicle. The current mileage was 15,000. Updated 3/12/10 updated 09/28/10.

The contact owns 2007 Subaru Forester. She purchased a brand new vehicle in July 2007 . She smelled gasoline fumes within the vehicle while driving 25 mph. The dealer replaced the fuel cover valve at 13,000 and 15,000 miles; however, some of the parts used during the repair were the faulty parts. The manufacturer stated that they would not issue a recall; although, both fuel cover valves were cracked. The axle was also replaced six months after the vehicle was purchased. The contact is concerned that the failure will recur. The manufacturer advised her that they would pay her $2,500 towards a new vehicle; however, she wants the dealer to replace the vehicle. The most recent failure mileage was 59,000. Updated 09/28/10.

Vehicle: 2009 Subaru Forester limited, on 6/20/09 I experienced an incident of unintended acceleration. Cruise control was on. Before our exit I canceled the cruise control but left it "on". On the ramp, I let the car slow. At about 40 mph I moved the shift lever into sport mode, downshifted to 3rd gear, then 2nd, then braked to a stop. The car was stopped, in gear, idling. My foot was on the brake. Without warning, the engine raced and the car jolted forward about a foot; it would have continued but I increased pressure on the brake and stopped the car. The engine, with the car stopped and in gear, ran up over 2000 rpm. I immediately shifted into regular drive mode and then into neutral. Once in neutral, the engine briefly raced higher but then dropped to idle at about 700 rpm. I switched the cruise control off. Please note: to stop the car I did not move my foot; it was already on the brake, and I merely pressed harder. This is not a case of pedal confusion. The floor mats are in place. This is not a case of a floor mat interfering with the accelerator. At the time of the incident, we were not moving. I was not on the phone. I was not looking over my shoulder. I was not otherwise distracted. I was sitting still, waiting for the light to change, with my focus on the traffic stopped in front of me. In my view, this represents a dangerous defect in the vehicle, and needs to be corrected immediately. Please advise regarding your proposed resolution. I have advised Subaru via their website today but have not heard back. I am happy to be contacted for further details if needed.

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Smelled fuel in passenger compartment. Stopped vehicle and strong odor of fuel under hood. The evening temperatures were below zero and even though vehicle is garaged, temperatures were below freezing. No signs of fuel on floor of garage and could not find leak by observation of running engine. I did research and many Subaru vehicles are having problems with fuel leaks at low temperatures. This is a safety hazard. Dealer says it may take repairs in excess of $500. 00 to resolve faulty clamps and hoses. I am trying to get Subaru of America to work with me. Why has this not been a recall? are we waiting for fires or asphyxiation?.

Today, I started my 2003 Subaru forested, and let the car run with the heat on for about 15 minutes while I scraped the frost off of my windows. When I opened the door to get in, the cabin wreaked of gas fumes. This is the third time this has happened. Once each in Jan 2006 and Jan 2007 I reported this to the dealership. In 2006 they attempted to replace the clamps, in '07 they replaced some hoses. Apparently these fixes are still not sufficient to solve the problem. The only current solution to the problem is to operate the car at warm temperatures or let it warm up before driving. The gas fumes are still getting in to the cabin when it idles, though.

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Check engine light came on. There was corrosion around the gas cap. Shop diagnosed problem as rusted fuel filler neck - replaced at a cost of $330. I had started to notice a fuel smell in my garage, so fumes were leaking out. Mechanic said it was probably a matter of time before gas may have come through. Vehicle is kept in garage when not in use and there is no reason for this pipe to corrode unless the material is defective.

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I have a hesitation when accelerating from a stop caused by my vehicle's drive by wire throttle body. This hesitation is ongoing despite an ecm reprogramming done by the dealer on 12/16/08. It is bad enough that I'm afraid I'm going to get into a collision sometime.

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Vehicle compartment has a strong smell of gasoline. I first noticed this a year ago (vehicle mileage was around 40,000) and the temperature was 20 degrees and lower when this would occur. The smell of gas continued again this winter. I had my mechanic look at it and contacted the Subaru dealership. They could not diagnose the problem, but did state that they have had other customers complain of this extremely strong gas smell as well. It has been so bad that I have had to keep a window open.

Model is a 2004 Subaru Forester xt. Upon startup in cold weather, there is an extreme smell of raw fuel (gasoline) both inside the vehicle and outside as well. I am afraid to drive this car in cold weather.

This problem happened when temperature dropped below about 15 degrees f. There was a very strong gas smell inside car with heater on. There was also a strong gas smell under hood. I drove car the next day at 35 deg f and no smell.

Check engine light came on and after checking/changing gas cap and having light reset, it came on again. I then checked internet sites for possible problems and then noticed corrosion when I removed the gas cap. One area had a small hole starting in the metal. We had the fuel filler neck replaced at a repair shop and they gave me the old one back. It was all corroded and he said it was probably a matter of time before gas may have come through. Vehicle is kept in garage when not in use and there is no reason for this pipe to corrode unless the material is defective.

There are two organic tubes that carry fuel, above the engine. In cold weather, they leak where clamped to metal tubes and fittings. The fuel leaks onto the engine. The indication is a smell of gasoline in the passenger compartment.

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The contact owns a 2003 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle in cold weather temperatures, the vehicle would exhibit an unusually overpowering gasoline fuel odor from the interior. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis yet they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not under recall and was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

I recently had an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous incident with my 2003 Forester, at, of all places, the local Toyota dealership. I had stopped to discuss a service appointment. Upon leaving, my Forester would not start, but exhibited symptoms of initially fuel starvation, and then poor ignition; it ran for 1/2-1 minute, missing frequently and then would die; within a few minutes, it would not run at all, suggesting either complete fuel or ignition failure. The Toyota service department closed at 6, and their suggestion was to tow the Forester to the nearly Subaru dealership, one block away. And suggest that next time I get a rav4. The Subaru service department closed at 5:30, of course, and there were only salespeople present. Their suggestion was to also tow the car to the service department. Finally, the sales manager suggested that it might be the security system. Of course, my Forester did not have that option, but he said that he understood most of the circuitry existed, and that certain combinations of locking/unlocking the door with the key, or the door switch, could activate the ignition cutoff. He told me to shut all the doors and then lock/unlock the doors twice with the remote. I walked back, did that, and the Forester started. After driving back and thanking him, I carefully read both the owner's manual and the separate manual for the remote/security system. There is no mention of this potential problem. Luckily, this happened in daylight, within walking distance of the Subaru dealer, and there also happened to be someone there who could suggest a cure. 1) is this a known fault in the system? 2) if known (and the manager said he had heard of several cases) why is there not some description of the problem and the simple solution.

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.

Vehicle- 2006 Subaru Forester with 5-speed manual transmission. On cold starts, the engine races uncontrollably up to 3500 rpm after the clutch is released. This causes the car to accelerate briskly to 15-20 mph. This has occured repeatedly since the car was purchased new in late September.

Failure of oxygen sensor that was replaced due to recall caused gasoline to be dumped into catalytic converter. Our mechanic said that the converter became red hot and it was an extremely hazardous situation. Parts were replaced and are not now available.

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Consumer complaint concerning 1999 Forester gas mileage. The consumer stated he experienced problems with the transmission, brakes, a knock sensor, a squeak in the cargo panel and the catalytic converter.