Fuel Hoses Lines/piping And Fittings Problems of Subaru Outback

I began to smell the odor of raw gasoline as the temperatures became consistently in the single to sub-zero range. I contacted Subaru of America and set up an appointment with my Subaru dealer for Jan. 3rd. The dealer informed me that the fuel lines and clamps would need to be replaced at a cost of $500 (after an ~ $300 compensation). I rebutted and asked soa to pay for everything as this seems like a fundamental engineering/design flaw and it is also the 2nd time that I have had to make this repair (first time was when the car had ~40,000 to 50,000 miles on it)- had to replace the intake gaskets as well (per dealer). They have declined to compensate me further and claim the issue is age related. When I asked (soa) if this was a known issue for newer Subarus, they said they did not know. I asked if they did not know or couldn't say and the responded "both". Bottom-line: fuel leaks, of this nature due to poor design, should not be something consumers should have to worry about none-the-less pay for.

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Car smells like fuel when idling on a cold day. Rubber fuel lines and fuel filter were loose and after tightening them fuel smell temporarily stopped. Smell has returned and after calling Subaru dealership they acknowledged the issue was related to rubber fuel lines that needed replacing. This is a common problem with Subaru's and needs to be addressed by Subaru. Dealership is asking over $300 to replace four rubber fuel lines located under the manifold and this is at least every year it has to be done that's sounds like a recall issue to me I tigthen the screws a few time and somehow when it's cold weather it tend to get loose and vapor comes out very dangerous I check this issue online using google search and notice this is a known issues and goes back many years there should be a recall just like the 2002 it is the same hose same area. This makes no sense that Subaru would not fix it for free with a better solution than replace the hoses and clamps every year.

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Car smells like fuel when idling on a cold day. Rubber fuel lines and fuel filter were loose and after tightening them fuel smell temporarily stopped. Smell has returned and after calling Subaru dealership they acknowledged the issue was related to rubber fuel lines that needed replacing. This is a common problem with Subaru's and needs to be addressed by Subaru. Dealership is asking over $300 to replace four rubber fuel lines located under the manifold.

2001 Subaru legacy Outback. Fuel vapor smell in cabin when temperatures fall below freezing. This has been a persistent problem for the three winters we have owned the car. This fall I found several comments online which prompted me to tighten the hose clamps on fuel lines running to/from the engine compartment fuel filter. This seemed to help until the last 2-3 days when we experienced prolonged temperatures of 0 to -15f. Now the smell is back and the local Subaru dealer suggests the problem often involves fuel hoses beneath the intake manifold, which they estimate $370 to repair. Based on numerous complaints and comments I have found online, some dating back to 2003, I am shocked that Subaru has been aware of this problem for so long and failed to issue a recall. Gasoline vapor is a significant health hazard. Not only is it a carcinogen and known to cause brain damage, but short term exposure at the very least may contribute to dizzyness and impaired driving ability, leading to possible injury or death. . . Not to mention the risk of fire, also with potentially dire consequences. This is our family's primary vehicle and I cannot in good conscience allow my wife and child to travel under such hazardous conditions. I wish Subaru shared my opinion. We will not use the vehicle until repairs can be performed, albeit at my own cost rather than the manufacturer.

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...

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I have a 2001 Subaru Outback station wagon. On very cold days, there is a strong smell of fuel that pervades the passenger cabin. We had to drive with windows open even when 20-degrees outside or expose my 3yo son to the gagging fumes. This problem is a known issue (there are literally 1000's of posts on Subaru owners web boards) but my local mechanic was initially not able to find the problem. Subaru of America has not issued a technical service bulletin to make owners aware of this common failure in Subaru fuel lines. Once we found explanatory material on the web, we had the local mechanic replace the fuel lines for about $300. Given how common the problem is and how potentially dangerous a fuel line leak in the engine compartment could be, the NHTSA should force Subaru to address this problem. In addition to the immediate danger, their lack of action also is leading to owners exposing themselves to fuel fumes in the passenger cabin as the problem is intermittent and thus hard for mechanics to diagnose and repair.

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.

There is a fuel leak in the engine compartment of my Subaru Outback wagon on cold days and is a potential fire hazard. I have talked to several other people and they have the same problem. I would think there would be a recall since it is fuel related and a serious risk. The fuel leaks from a rubber hose on the left side of the engine that connects two hard gas lines. I tried tightening the clamps and it did not have much affect. The house has no holes or tears in it. Neither do the hard gas lines. So I don't know if it cant hold the pressure or what? I noticed it after driving for a few miles. I stopped for a minute and got a strong gas smell. There was gas in the engine compartment when I checked it when I got home. I drove a total of ten miles maybe.

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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?.

In cold weather our car began emitting a very strong fuel smell in the passenger compartment. Our Subaru dealer denies there is anything wrong that would warrant a safety recall or bulletin. They will not accept it is a design defect when clearly the fuel lines begin to leak in cold (sub-freezing) temperatures. As gasoline is a serious carcinogen and exposure to its fumes causes brain damage, this should be regarded as an extremely serious health issue.

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?.

My 1999 Subaru Outback wagon issued a cel with a 440 code. In finding the source of the problem, I discovered that the gas fill pipe below the gas cap has rotted out and has developed, holes leading to raw gas spillage and failure of the emissions system. The design of the cover around the outside of this pipe caused the accumulation of dirt and debris over the years that has rusted the pipe from the outside in. This is a poor design that allows the dirt to collect here. There is nothing in the manual that indicates any cleaning of this area is required to prevent this from occurring.

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Car is a Subaru Outback 2001. Complaint is strong fuel smell and vapors in the car cabin when outside air temperature falls below 30 degrees or so. Smell permeates our clothing to the extent that when we leave the car and encounter people, they comment that we smell like gasoline. Fuel lines have been checked as have clamps and hoses. No resolution. We must drive breathing strong fumes. Opening windows dissipates fumes somewhat, but not completely. Problem is worse with heater running, so we turn it off. Additional concern is that when driving without heat, the front windshield defroster is not operational, resulting in the windshield being iced over and/or covered with condensation. This causes visual impairment and is a driving hazard.

2001 Subaru Outback leaks fuel in cold weather. Read on the web about hundreds of owners with this complaint. Live in massachusetts and when the weather gets below about 25 degrees fuel smell fills the passenger cabin. Appears to come from under the engine manifold. Hope to not pass out from fuel vapors. Haven't had a fire yet. 2nd issue is head gasket leak which was a $1500 repair. Also appears to be a common issue with Subaru.

The flexible fuel hose connecting the #1 cylinder fuel line leaks. This is located approximately four inches from the #1 cylinder fuel injector. The hose clamp screws/nuts are not self-locking and have loosened over time causing fuel to leak onto the hot exhaust manifold which led to a fire inside the engine compartment.

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.

The consumer states that the 1996 Subaru Outback was having a problem with the gas tank filler guard and pipe. The guard rusted from debris over the years, and dirt and debris were getting underneath the guard. The result was rusting and leaking gas from the gas tank. The gas tank was noticed leaking last week. The owner has contacted the dealer, has e-mailed and contacted Subaru via phone. They seemed not interested in the fact that the car was old.

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