IllustrationIN COLD WEATHER WE GET A STRONG FUEL SMELL. THE SMELL ENTERS THE CAR AND GIVES EVERYONE A HEADACHE. OTHER SUBARU OWNERS WE KNOW HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SUBARU KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT MAKE A RECALL. ESTIMATES FOR A FIX RUN ABOUT $300. *TR
2001 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2001 Subaru Forester do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 131.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
80–25K
2225–50K
1450–75K
1775–100K
6100–150K
6150K+
73 reports with mileage · 66 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
31 crash reports0 fire reports20 injury reports
Fuel System, Gasoline complaints
4 reportsTHE ISSUE IS IN REGARD TO MY 2001 SUBARU FORESTER, WHEN THE WEATHER COOLS OFF TO BELLOW 0, A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE DEVELOPS INSIDE THE PASSENGER CABIN. I HAVE SMALL KIDS AND ASIDE FROM A POSSIBILITY OF AND ENGINE FIRE AM ALSO WORRIED ABOUT IMPACT OF BREATHING THE STRONG GASOLINE FUMES IN THE CABIN. FROM OTHER SUBARU OWNERS…
Read full complaint
THE ISSUE IS IN REGARD TO MY 2001 SUBARU FORESTER, WHEN THE WEATHER COOLS OFF TO BELLOW 0, A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE DEVELOPS INSIDE THE PASSENGER CABIN. I HAVE SMALL KIDS AND ASIDE FROM A POSSIBILITY OF AND ENGINE FIRE AM ALSO WORRIED ABOUT IMPACT OF BREATHING THE STRONG GASOLINE FUMES IN THE CABIN. FROM OTHER SUBARU OWNERS FEEDBACK (SEE BELLOW FROM SUBARU BLOG), THIS APPEARS TO BE WIDESPREAD ON THE FORESTER MODELS UP TO 2003 AND EVEN IN OTHER SUBARU MODELS, THE SUBARU DEALER AND OTHER MECHANICS HAVE INDICATED THE POSSIBILITY OF FUEL HOSE SHRINKAGE DURING COLD WEATHER AS THE CAUSE FOR SOME FUEL LEAKS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND REPLACEMENT CAN BE EXPENSIVE WITHOUT GUARANTEEING IT WILL CORRECT THE CONDITION. WHATEVER THE REASON MAY BE, THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE WHICH I THINK WARRANTS A FULL INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE DEFECT AND FIND A CORRECTION TO BE PAID BY SUBARU. I COUNT ON YOU FOR SOME HELP ON THIS. THANK YOU. *TR
THERE ARE TWO ORGANIC TUBES THAT CARRY FUEL, ABOVE THE ENGINE. IN COLD WEATHER, THEY LEAK WHERE CLAMPED TO METAL TUBES AND FITTINGS. THE FUEL LEAKS ONTO THE ENGINE. THE INDICATION IS A SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. *TR
2001 SUBARU FORESTER REPEATEDLY DECELERATES AND/OR SPONTANEOUSLY ACCELERATES AT ALL SPEEDS, TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, WEATHER CONDITIONS. POTENTIAL FOR CATASTROPHE. ALREADY SOME NEAR MISSES.*AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.