Fuel Hoses Lines/piping And Fittings problems of the 2002 Subaru Outback

There is a documented problem with older model Subaru Outbacks (early 2000s) leaking gas into the engine compartment in cold weather. Dealers and repair services cannot fully resolve the issue because it appears to be a design flaw with the fuel lines and clamps. . Read more...

Fuel smell inside and outside of cabin when weather is cold (20' or below). Shop has examined the vehicle and cannot determine cause. Seen references to similar issue with the wrx model and fuel lines/clamp.

Over last few winters, when temperatures drop to freezing there has been a bad fuel smell in cabin. Especially with heater blowing, though it still smells inside and outside the car even with the heat off. Once the weather warms up there is no noticeable smell. I have tried tightening 5 clamps as suggested in an online help page. Not sure if this helped or problem just went away with the cold weather. Local shop couldn't see leak on cursory check while the odor as at it's worse. Maybe only visible if it's freezing and up on a lift. Subaru dealer suggested fuel lines need to replaced as normal process as car ages. Subaru should find solution to this dangerous problem that's obviously common to these vehicles and put out clear instruction on diagnosing and fixing this issue.

Both my 2001 and 2002 Subaru Outbacks had a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin when starting the cars. A check under the hood showed gasoline dripping from several of the rubber fuel lines where they joined metal fuel lines. The fuel was dripping onto the engine and running down to the ground. Upon tightening the fuel line clamps the problem stopped. When I used google to check on the problem there was several 100,000 hits with the same problem. It seems to be related to low temperature <+10f.

My 2002 Subaru legacy Outback wagon, 2. 5 liter engine, leaked fuel from the fuel line. This was most pronounced on a cold day. There are many reports of the same problems. My Subaru dealer told me that this problem is common. Though we smelled the strong fuel odor, fortunately, there wasn't a fire. The car is now being repaired and will be ready 01/21/09. The estimated cost of the repair is $485. Subaru knows about the problem and redesigned the part. They refuse to cover it because they say the service bulletin number 09-36-03, issued 04/01/03 only applies to the wrx, even though the Outback has a similar setup.

2002 Subaru Outback- Dec. 08'- experiencing very strong fuel smell in cabin of vehicle during cold weather. Same scenario unfolded last yr. 07' when it got cold. Last year dealer charged for inspect and tightening of clamps along fuel lines. This is a known problem with the Subaru Outbacks. . Why no recall?. . With fuel line leaks as common as they are with this model I am surprised there is no recall. Is there anything Subaru is offering to help owners recover monies being spent on this fix?.

For the past 2 winters, I have experienced a strong fuel smell in the passenger cabin for the first 20 minutes or so of running the car in temperatures below 25 degrees, including idling at a traffic light. It seems to be getting progressively worse. I brought it to my private mechanic last week, and he was unable to pinpoint the source of the problem. If you do a google search on "Subaru gas smell" you will find 25,800 hits of people reporting the same problem with their Subaru's, for a variety of models/years. Based on those volume of complaints, I'm very surprised that their hasn't been a recall?.

I own a 2002 Subaru legacy Outback wagon. Last winter (2006-07) I started to detect an intense smell of gasoline in the cabin of the car when the temperature dropped below 30 degrees f. Took it to my local repair shop (not a dealer) but they could not find a problem. The same thing is happening this winter (2007-08). I scheduled to bring it in to a local Subaru dealer but then the temp rose above 30 degrees, so there was no point in bringing it in since they would not experience the problem. I am now waiting for the weather to get cold again so I can bring it in for them to check. In the meantime, I got online and found a number of other Subaru owners who are complaining about the same problem. Some of them have had the problem corrected, and it appears to be a fuel line leakage (o rings or clamps or something). They seem to have determined that gas is leaking into the area under the hood. One owner described seeing sparks. I am concerned about the safety of driving the vehicle and wondering 1) under what circumstances a recall is issued, and 2) under what circumstances Subaru would be held accountable for covering the cost for repairs. Also wondering what I should do about transportation until the problem is corrected, as I use the car to transport my children as well as myself and don't want to put us at risk of injury.

I have a Subaru 2002 Outback. The following is what I provided to the dealer in the last visit. Earlier this year, before my warranty period had expired, I had issues with leaking fuel from the fuel lines at the top of the engine under the intake manifold. I tightened the clamps on the fuel line and the leak seemed to stop. There were additional smells of fuel in cold weather so I brought my care in to the dealership. The tightened the clamps and could not find any other leaks and spayed a white leak detector on the fuel lines. I brought the car in a few weeks later and no additional leaks were present. At that time, since the issue only seemed to happen cold weather, if the issue returned I was told to return to the dealer. The gas smell returned and I was not able to id the source. However, during he cold weather last week, I discovered in cold weather shortly after starting the car that the same fuel line connections under the intake manifold were leaking fuel again. After I tightened the clamps, the fuel leak stopped. Several clamps were loose on other parts of the fuel lines. This is the same scenario that took place in February '07. To eliminate any future leaks can I have the TSB 09-36-03 work completed on the fuel lines. The issue in my Outback is the same as the issue noted in the TSB. How can I get the safety issue addressed and repaired by the dealer?.

Repeat fuel line leaks in 2002 Subaru Outback wgn. There are a total of seven flexible rubber hoses that connect the fuel line as it passes through the chassis. When weather is cold, hose clamps/rubber hoses leak. My local dealer seemed to be well aware of the problem, which has not be addressed, and said that Subaru has no planes to fix the problem. Outside of car, passage cabin reek of raw fuel.