Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Subaru WRX owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Fuel rail on 2002 WRX is leaking heavily on the engine. This is a high fire hazard as well as noxious for passengers in the car as it smells heavily of fuel. Since I live in washington state Subaru of America has not honored the recall they've put in other states for this exact issue. Subaru has denied warranty repair due to the extended warranty expiring for this issue in 2013. I was never notified of this issue. I am the original owner of this car and have taken it in for every other recall issue that I've been notified of. This is reckless and dangerous. The local repair shop has said they don't think it is correct to charge me for labor and parts that should be covered under warranty by Subaru and have directed me to the dealership. The dealership asked me to get authorization from Subaru, which was denied. …
A fuel line under the intake manifold located on the passenger side is leaking gas on cold starts. This is my second time dealing with this issue. As of now, it is only leaking gas when the engine is cold, but the leaking is starting to get worse and faster than before. The first time I had this issue it was leaking gas regardless of engine temperature. It is only a matter of time before it starts to leak at any given moment with a possibility to cause a fire putting my life and others at risk. I live in the state of california and this recall has only been announced for "cold weather" states. It is evident that this fuel line problem has nothing to do with the weather since I live in a warm climate. This probiem is unfixable and time consuming. I had already tried to solve this issue at my local repair shop and it ended up being a waste of time and money. …
When the weather is cold and below freezing there is a gas leak and I can smell gas in the inside of my car as well as outside. It is hard to be able to drive anywhere when it is below freezing. There was a safety recall (http://tinyurl.com/wrxgas) for this situation in 2009, but I was never notified. I discovered this recall when I recently decided to try to research the situation again, although I was turned down for any help from Subaru early in my ownership of the vehicle. I recently took it to my dealership to get the issue fixed, only to be told that this recall expired. I am the original owner and have been trying to get this resolved since I bought the car in May 2001 in mn.
My 2002 model impreza WRX-2.0l experiences a fuel smell in cold weather. Took it to dealer courtesy motors Subaru-chico ca. The service manager said he didn't smell anything so I left mad, but I left. Since then, Subaru has issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) regarding this problem and I still can't get it fixed. It's from a rubber hose connector located under the intake manifold between two direct metal fuel-feed lines to the injectors. (straight off of the TSB) this should be fixed by Subaru or there should be a general recall from fire and fumes raw gas leakage.
There is a constant raw fuel smell when driving, to the point of making me feel sick, cant even drive my car without all the windows down, ive reasurched this issue with other models using the same engine & componints that are on the recall list, but I can not get any help from anyone at Subaru, even with explaining its the exact same problem as ither the forester or outback... Of a raw fuel smell from a fulty gas line under the manifold,,, not cool that they are willing to compromise my safety to avoid doing the fix, or addmiting the defect affects the 2002 WRX
I have the terrible gasoline smell in and outside of the car as a result of a recall that is not valid in the state of ohio. As Subaru thinks ohio is not a cold weather state and has denied the recall on my vehicle. It smells the whole house. It is sickening. I have been putting up for it since I bought the vehicle and am the original owner. According to the recall, it can cause a fire. I cannot purchase another car, and Subaru will not honor the recall because I live in ohio (a very very cold state).
This complaint is consistent with the fuel smell reported in the Subaru technical service bulletin 09-36-03. I have experienced this problem every day this winter (dec 2003-present) that the temperature has been 20 f or below. After at least two prior attempts to get the dealer (goldstein Subaru of central ave, albany, ny) to duplicate the problem, they acknowledged it last week and attempted to remedy the problem by tightening the hose clamps. This did not solve the problem as the fuel smell returned the day after their attempted repair. Each time this car is started and run in cold weather (20f and below) a fuel smell develops under the hood and in the cabin, indicating the presence of a fuel leak. The dealer has not accomodated my request to correct this problem per the service procedure stated in the TSB 09-36-03 and as an item covered under my warranty. …
There is a known internal TSB being circulated by Subaru of America about this very problem. Pricing has ranged from $650.00 and up. This is a hazard and a severe safety issue. I should not be made to pay for a problem that is recurring amongst hundreds of WRX owners. Fuel leaks from a line onto the engine. Two dangers exist, 1)possible ignition of the raw gasoline due to proximity to electrical components in the engine compartment. 2)possible explosion in vehicle cabin due to accumulation of dense gasoline vapors. In any case it would be impossible for a smoker to sustain their habit whilst inside this vehicle. The concentrations of vapor are 10x that of a gas station. Clearly this should at the very least entitle the 10-15% of 2002-03 WRX owners to a free repair. …
2002 Subaru WRX wagon, 71000 miles. I parked my car outside as I usually do.. Only I happened to be parked at marin general hospital, where my wife delivered our first born child! This night was a particularly cold evening for northern california, around 32f. As I pulled out of the parking lot post birth to round up some food, I started to smell gasoline. The smell quickly reached the point where I was forced to roll down the windows to get fresh air. Needless to say I took my car home, and we brought the baby home in my wife's car! After returning to the hospital, I opened the hood, and determined that the smell was coming from around the engine. The next morning as I drove away to get breakfast, I experienced the same over powering gasoline odor. I rolled down the windows, and again opened the hood to try to locate the smell, but couldn't find the source other than around the engine. …
With regards to the investigation listed below, I would like to attest that this problem has not been addressed. As regards the leaking of fuel into the engine compartment, it is a more serious hazard than indicated in your impoverished data. In many cases, the fuel does not cease to leak when the car has warmed up, and will continue to leak fuel steadily. This produces puddles on the hot intake manifold, and toxic conditions for passengers and bystanders. As mentioned in Subaru TSB 09-36-03, under cold weather conditions, fuel will leak from a rubber-metal joint in the fuel line. The reason given is that the stiffening of the rubber in cold weather deprives the material of the resiliency needed to provide strain relief for the high pressure rubber-metal joint, this stressing the joint, and allowing fuel to leak from it. …
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002 and 2003 impreza wrx vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of south dakota, nebraska, north dakota, minnesota, idaho, iowa, montana, colorado, wisconsin, new york, wyoming, michigan, alaska, new hampshire, vermont, and maine.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel line free of charge. The recall began on December 31, 2009. Owners May contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel line leak
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.
Fuel line leakage in engine compartment
Subaru reports that the fuel odor is caused by fuel seepage during cold start of the engine under extremely cold temperatures. The leak occurs in a fuel line in the engine compartment.it reports that the failure is due to the misaligned angle between two fuel delivery lines which resulted in such fuel seepage during the first few seconds of cold engine start during these cold temperatures.Subaru reports that the two…
Fuel line leak
The design of the fuel line (metal rail/rubber hose interface) is susceptible to fuel odor and/or seepage in extreme cold temperature conditions.owners most often noticed fuel odor in the occupant compartment area during initial cold engine start-up.once the engine is warmed, the odor/seepage issue dissipates.from Subaru's data, odi notes that the incident rates are higher in states with colder temperatures.there…
Fuel System complaints in other WRX years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2002 Subaru WRX?
NHTSA has 295 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2002 Subaru WRX, 69% of the model year's 427 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (173 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Subaru WRX fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-468 (fuel pump, Dec 4, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Subaru WRX fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 3 injuries to fuel & propulsion system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.