2002 Subaru Legacy

SMELL OF GASOLINE EVIDENT IN CAR WHEN DRIVING, SMELL WAS VERY STRONG ON FEB. 19,2006. THE TEMP. OUTSIDE WAS 9 DEGREES. THE NEXT DAY ON FEB. 20TH THE FUMES WERE STILL EVIDENT AND STRONG, TEMP. WAS IN THE 20'S. I COULD NOT USE MY HEATER AND WINDOWS HAD TO BE ROLLED DOWN TO DRIVE TO AVOID BECOMING ILL FROM THE FUMES. FUMES WERE APPARENT ABOUT A MONTH PRIOR BUT NOT TO A DEGREE OR LENGTH OF TIME THAT WOULD BE URGENT ( I FIRST ATTRIBUTED THE SMELL TO ANOTHER CARS FUMES). ON FEB. 20TH, 2006 I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND AT FIRST THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND A LEAK OF ANY KIND IN THE FUEL LINE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE GASOLINE WAS PUDDLING AND IF THERE WAS A SPARK COULD HAVE IGNITED THE CAR. I WAS TOLD TO LEAVE THE CAR TO BE FIXED AND IT IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP WAITING FOR REPAIRS AND THE PARTS. THE PROCEDURE FOR FIXING THE PROBLEM IS REFERRED IN THE SUBARU TSB 09-36-03 ISSUED ON APRIL 1, 2003. MY CAR IS NOT A IMPREZA WRX VEHICLE, IT IS A SUBARU LEGACY LIMITED OUTBACK. DURING THE TIME I WAS WAITING FOR THE RESULTS OF MY VEHICLE ANOTHER CUSTOMER CAME IN AND HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ONLY HIS WAS NOT LEAKING AND TO MY UNDERSTANDING WAS NOT AS URGENT AS MY CARS CONDITION. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SLOW DOWN AND MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE BRAKES FAILED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS OCCURRED UNDER NORMAL BRAKING AND ROAD CONDITIONS. THE OCCUPANT WAS WEARING A SEATBELT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A BODY REPAIR SHOP FOR REPAIRS. AFTER BODY REPAIRS WERE MADE, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ALSO, THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP THAT DETERMINED THE MASTER CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

MY SUBARU LEGACY 2002 WAS RECALLED FOR A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IN 2003. THIS WAS REPAIRED IN FEB 2003 BY THE CA DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR. IN JUNE OF 2003 WE WERE TRANSFERRED BY THE US COAST GUARD TO VIRGINIA. ON MAY 12, 2004 I NOTICED A STRANGE WHEEL NOISE AND TOOK IT TO THE SUBARU DEALER IN THE AREA FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. I WAS TOLD LATER THAT THE BRAKES WERE ONLY 50% WORN AND THAT ALL OF THE FLUIDS WERE OK. I WAS TOLD TO PICK UP MY CAR THAT NIGHT AS EVERYTHING WAS FINE. THE PAPER WORK GIVEN TO ME WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR STATED " CHECKED FRONT AND REAR BRAKES; 50% LEFT; HEARD SOME FRONT DIFFERENTIAL NOISE; CHECKED FLUIDS; CHECKED OK." BY MAY 20TH THE NOISE WAS EXTREME AND I MET WITH THE MECHANIC THE NEXT MORNING. HE INSTANTLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE DIFFERENTIAL. I WAS TOLD THAT A PART WOULD HAVE TO BE ORDERED AND I INFORMED HIM THAT THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. ON MAY 24TH I WAS INFORMED THAT THE COST OF THE REPAIR WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $3500 AS A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED AND THAT THE WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER UNLESS I PRODUCE ALL OF MY SERVICE RECORDS. WE AUTHORIZED THE WORK TO BE DONE AS THIS CAR IS OUR ONLY TRANSPORTATION. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE SUBARU TRANSMISSION FOR THE 2002 LEGACY MODEL. I HAVE ALSO HEARD OF A WOMAN WHO HAD RECALL TRANSMISSION WORK DONE AND THEN DROVE TO NEW ENGLAND. WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT HER DESTINATION HER CAR HAD PROBLEMS. WHAT WAS UNCOVERED WAS THAT THE RECALL HAD BEEN REPAIRED WITH USED PARTS AND HAD FAILED! IS THIS A COMMON PRACTICE WITH SUBARU? WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH SUBARU AMERICA AT THEIR 800 NUMBER AND WERE TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY UNLESS THE SERVICE RECORDS SHOWED THAT ALL SERVICES HAD BEEN PERFORMED APPROPRIATELY. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF LOCATING THESE RECORDS BUT ARE VERY UNHAPPY WITH SUBARU'S ATTITUDE REGARDING A CAR THAT IS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD AND IS IN NEED OF A NEW TRANSMISSION. *NM