2002 Subaru WRX Problems, complaints & recalls

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...

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).

The body is deteriorating so fast. I laugh at the subaru commercial where the parents give their kids the old car. I would not trust the old subaru to keep my children safe. I've had to replace the frame, and am letting the body rust. The sickening smell of fumes like gas in the winter are horrible. When I keep the subaru in the garage, it makes my whole house toxic with fumes. Subaru will not honor the recall on it, because I am in ohio, and ohio is not a "cold-weather" state, but do they realize we have tons of snow and frigid temperatures in the winter. I can't stand by subaru no longer, but cannot afford a new car. When I do, it will not be a subaru.

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...

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

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...

Control arms were recalled in 2011 for rust issues and failure on the hanger brackets. Got the parts checked at the time of the recall by a certified subaru dealership, the dealership sprayed a "rust proofing" agent on the control arms. Three years later I was driving down my road and lost control of the vehicle completely. The driver side lower control arm had rusted through and broken at the hanger bracket. Subaru of america will not cover the repairs as the recall had been performed already (even through it did not prevent the issues from happening). *Js

I'm filing my complaint with all the others about the strong fuel smell during the cold months. I cannot believe ohio is not included in the recall. I've taken my car to the dealer numerous times to be told that the car is okay. Frankly, this past cold winter has been awful. The smell makes it's way into the house. It is awful. I cannot believe subaru does not believe ohio is cold and will not stand by its autos. Also, when I brought the auto in for a recall on the front control arms, they only rustproofed...

When it is cold outside my car smells like raw fuel very strongly in the cabin resulting in headaches and dizziness. This is a common problem among-st these cars and subaru knows about it because they had an extended recall but does not cover the problem now. *Tr

Working night shifts, started my car to let warm up, temperature was 43 degrees fahrenheit at the time. After start up I could smell raw fuel out side the car as well as inside the car through the vents. Also gas mileage has gone down by drastically, normally get 300-330 miles a tank and currently getting barley 200. Noticed car starting to smoke a little as well from under the hood, no fire but not going to keep driving the car. *Tr

Smell of fuel from within the car during cold temperatures. This is a known issue per tsb 01-170-09. Dealership may deny repairs if they can't reproduce the issue. Email from subaru regarding this problem: we welcome your contact, as it relates to the wvk-21 fuel line warranty extension. Your 2002 subaru wrx is affected by the warranty extension for these components. The dealership would need to perform a diagnosis of the current concern. They can then advise you regarding the issue and whether it is the same as the warranty extension. I would recommend that you make an appointment at a subaru dealership, at your earliest convenience. *Tr

I work as a valet attendant. I have parked a large number of vehicles. I had to park this vehicle in a parking spot. To park in this spot I had to make a right to line up for the spot. The car accelerated suddenly. I had all my weight on the brakes to avoid slamming into a wall,i turned hard right and crashed the car against the corner of a concrete column. The airbag deployed during the accident, then I heard a purge and multiple clicking noises. The brakes did not stop the car at all. The breaks felt rock hard...

Reference: recall no. 11V-464, nhtsa campaign no. 11V464000 the corrosion discovered in my subaru 2002 wrx is far more extensive than that covered by the recall resulting in cityside subaru dealership (1-761-641-1900) identifying the vehicle not safe to drive. Their assessment of the dangerous rusting, rotting and necessary repairs is quoted here (i can provide a facsimile of their assessment upon your request). There is extensive rusting and rotting as well as parts that have already broken. The...

Subframe near passenger/right front control arm is rusted through and has holes. Subaru of cherry hill, nj stated that it should be replaced and was at significant risk of breaking when removed for control arm recall (wvx34).Dealership said the case with pictures was reported to subaru headquarters and dealership stated it was the first time they have seen it. I discovered many other cases reported dating back as far as may 2009. Documented with pictures of my own. *Tr

Driving southbound on i-55 for morning commute in the leftmost lane when with no discernible cause the car began to drift back and forth across the center lane and left lane. The car minimally responded to any steering inputs. I had to crank the wheel almost a turn and a half to get my car over to the shoulder. Fortunately, there were no cars near me when this happened so I did not strike any vehicles. I got the car towed to a local shop and the service person quickly glanced around underneath it and immediately...

The passenger side lower control arm on our 2002 subaru wrx wagon snapped rendering the car inoperable. The car has been towed to a mechanic. When I looked under the car you could see the arm was rusted through. Once the car was loaded on the rollback there was a visible pile of rust on the pavement. *Tt

Lower control arm for my 2002 subrau wrx rusted completely and broke, which also caused the sway bar to be ripped off. Thankfully it only happened pulling out of the driveway and not on the highway. *Kb

Strong odor of fuel and/or burnt oil inside the vehicle repeatedly. I contacted subaru long ago about this problem when I got a recall notice from subaru national saying my car "may" be part of this recall. I took the car to a subaru dealer. They said unless they can either smell fuel or find the problem there is nothing they can do for me. Subaru national said the same thing "unless we can smell fuel odor" we will not pay for inspecting and fixing your vehicle. *Tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 subaru wrx. The contact received nhtsa campaign id number: 09v468000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump) and took the vehicle to a local dealer. The dealer stated to the contact part that the part was not available and would be available within three days. The contact stated that was a year ago. The contact called the manufacturer and they stated that the dealer should have the part. The contact continued to search for parts for the vehicle but the dealer still did not have...

Fuel odor interior of vehicle. File complaint under odi number 10380798 need to correct mileage to 107,310 don't know what I was thinking when I filed complaint. *Tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 subaru wrx. While driving approximately 30 mph the contact attempted to apply the brakes and the abs activated. He was unable to bring the vehicle to a rapid stop. He stated that it was luck that the vehicle in-front turned left; and he was able to avoid a crash. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would not assist with the repair, because the abs failure warranty expired at 36,000 miles. The failure mileage was 119,000 and the current mileage was 120,000. Updated 02/09/11*lj updated 02/28/11

I own a 02 wrx I live in armidale australia. I just spent a lot of money fixing this problem. Please be careful when the car heats up it can burn out the exhaust sensor and cause major problems with the turbo.I notice once there was no sensor left it gave my car computer nothing to go off . In result costing me 3000 dollars to fix .Wrx drivers take care and please get your sensors checked to see if they are in anyway faulty. *Tr

Several times (about once a year on average) since I purchased my subaru wrx in 2001 the brakes briefly fail. The description seems identical to that of the 2010 prius in that there is no braking for a brief time when going over bumps, railroad tracks or simply going downhill on a wet road. The most recent incident I would guess happened in the fall of 2009 when going down a hill with sudden braking required on a wet surface. Within the first year of ownership I alerted our subaru dealer of the problem and they did "a firmware update". I don't think this made a difference but since it is a rare but scary occurrence I really could not tell. *Tr

Several times in the winters of 2008 & 2009 (so far) when first starting my car in very cold weather (although the last time in dec. 2009 The temp was cool but above freezing) I would get a strong smell of gas inside the car and had to open the windows until the engine warmed up. Checking your website I found a recall dated dec. 1, 2009 (Nhtsa action number ea09011) that seems to describe what happens. I called subaru and was told my car was not part of the recall and that I must take it to an authorized dealer...

During cold weather, the fuel line leaks gasoline inside the engine compartment. The gasoline pools on top of the engine block, and the gasoline vapor is also pulled into the passenger compartment by the car's ventilation system. There is an obvious risk of fire. *Tr