WITH ONSET OF COLD WEATHER (LESS THAN 25 F) THIS YEAR, MY 2002 SUBURU OUTBACK STATION WAGON (2.5 LITRE) HAS A STRONG GASOLINE ODOR IN THE CABIN WHEN ENGINE IS STARTED. IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME NOW. IT IS VERY STRONG AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A FUEL LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I'M CONCERNED THAT IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE (PARTICULARLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN ACCIDENT OR EXHAUST PROBLEM) OR A FUME RELATED BLACKOUT OF SOMEBODY IN THE CAR. I HAVE READ ON THE ONLINE DISCUSSION THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH SUBURUS IN COLD CLIMATES BUT THAT SUBURU, WHILE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, WILL NOT TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR FIXING IT. MY LOCAL DEALER WILL BE CONSULTED AS WILL SUBURU OF AMERICA. IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL AS I'VE NEVER HAD ANOTHER CAR THAT DID THIS IN 35 YEARS OF OWNING VEHICLES. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE THIS AS IT HAS POTENTIAL TO BE A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
2002 Subaru Wagon
Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › foundation components › disc › rotor. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsWHENEVER THE TEMPERATURE DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY (E.G. BELOW 32DEG), A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL IS EMITTED FROM THE CAR UPON STARTING. IT EVENTUALLY SEEMS TO GO AWAY OVER 10-30MIN, BUT IT CAN BE EXTREMELY STRONG. WE JUST ENCOUNTERED THE PROBLEM TODAY (THE COLDEST DAY IN ALLENTOWN THIS WINTER), BUT WHEN WE HAD THE PROBLEM LAST YEAR, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY ANY CLEAR CAUSE. THEY ALSO CLAIMED THAT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE SMELL.*CN
MY CAR WILL STARTUP JUST FINE. UPON NEAR A STANDSTILL AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN IT WILL HESTITATE OR STALL COMPLETELY. I HAVE TO KEEP MY LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE RIGHT FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP IT GOING. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY IN COLDER THAN HOTTER WEATHER. I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE AT VANBORTEL SUBARU ON 11/1 AND THEY RELEASED IT BACK TO ME ON 11/3/04 SAYING THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. ITS ANYTHING BUT FIXED AND IN FACT GOTTEN WORSE.*AK
I HAVE A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON. WHEN THE VEHICLE REACHED AROUND 31,000 MILES, IT BEGAN TO SHAKE PERCEPTIBLY WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES. THE SHAKING GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND IT WAS FOUND THAT THE ROTORS HAD WORN UNEVENLY. THE ROTORS WERE TURNED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM UNDER THE VEHICLE'S 36,000 MILE/3 YEAR WARRANTY. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE ROTORS SHOULD NOT WEAR THIS QUICKLY IN A VEHICLE (THE BRAKE PADS THEMSELVES WERE OKAY AND NOT REPLACED. *AK
4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2002Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.