2001 Subaru Outback

CAR SMELLS LIKE FUEL WHEN IDLING ON A COLD DAY. RUBBER FUEL LINES AND FUEL FILTER WERE LOOSE AND AFTER TIGHTENING THEM FUEL SMELL TEMPORARILY STOPPED. SMELL HAS RETURNED AND AFTER CALLING SUBARU DEALERSHIP THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE WAS RELATED TO RUBBER FUEL LINES THAT NEEDED REPLACING. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH SUBARU'S AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY SUBARU. DEALERSHIP IS ASKING OVER $300 TO REPLACE FOUR RUBBER FUEL LINES LOCATED UNDER THE MANIFOLD AND THIS IS AT LEAST EVERY YEAR IT HAS TO BE DONE THAT'S SOUNDS LIKE A RECALL ISSUE TO ME I TIGTHEN THE SCREWS A FEW TIME AND SOMEHOW WHEN IT'S COLD WEATHER IT TEND TO GET LOOSE AND VAPOR COMES OUT VERY DANGEROUS I CHECK THIS ISSUE ONLINE USING GOOGLE SEARCH AND NOTICE THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUES AND GOES BACK MANY YEARS THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL JUST LIKE THE 2002 IT IS THE SAME HOSE SAME AREA. THIS MAKES NO SENSE THAT SUBARU WOULD NOT FIX IT FOR FREE WITH A BETTER SOLUTION THAN REPLACE THE HOSES AND CLAMPS EVERY YEAR. *TR

CAR SMELLS LIKE FUEL WHEN IDLING ON A COLD DAY. RUBBER FUEL LINES AND FUEL FILTER WERE LOOSE AND AFTER TIGHTENING THEM FUEL SMELL TEMPORARILY STOPPED. SMELL HAS RETURNED AND AFTER CALLING SUBARU DEALERSHIP THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE WAS RELATED TO RUBBER FUEL LINES THAT NEEDED REPLACING. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH SUBARU'S AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY SUBARU. DEALERSHIP IS ASKING OVER $300 TO REPLACE FOUR RUBBER FUEL LINES LOCATED UNDER THE MANIFOLD. *JS

I PURCHASED A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS BELOW FREEZING AROUND 28 DEGREES OR LOWER, THERE IS A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE INSIDE THE PASSENGER AREA. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A SUBARU DEALER FOR JANUARY 5TH, HOWEVER I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON WITH NO CLEAR FIX. I DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER IF THIS PROBLEM ISN'T GOING TO BE FIXED. WHAT REMEDY HAS SUBARU OFFERED FOR THIS PROBLEM? *KB

2001 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK. FUEL VAPOR SMELL IN CABIN WHEN TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING. THIS HAS BEEN A PERSISTENT PROBLEM FOR THE THREE WINTERS WE HAVE OWNED THE CAR. THIS FALL I FOUND SEVERAL COMMENTS ONLINE WHICH PROMPTED ME TO TIGHTEN THE HOSE CLAMPS ON FUEL LINES RUNNING TO/FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FUEL FILTER. THIS SEEMED TO HELP UNTIL THE LAST 2-3 DAYS WHEN WE EXPERIENCED PROLONGED TEMPERATURES OF 0 TO -15F. NOW THE SMELL IS BACK AND THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER SUGGESTS THE PROBLEM OFTEN INVOLVES FUEL HOSES BENEATH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, WHICH THEY ESTIMATE $370 TO REPAIR. BASED ON NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND COMMENTS I HAVE FOUND ONLINE, SOME DATING BACK TO 2003, I AM SHOCKED THAT SUBARU HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR SO LONG AND FAILED TO ISSUE A RECALL. GASOLINE VAPOR IS A SIGNIFICANT HEALTH HAZARD. NOT ONLY IS IT A CARCINOGEN AND KNOWN TO CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE, BUT SHORT TERM EXPOSURE AT THE VERY LEAST MAY CONTRIBUTE TO DIZZINESS AND IMPAIRED DRIVING ABILITY, LEADING TO POSSIBLE INJURY OR DEATH... NOT TO MENTION THE RISK OF FIRE, ALSO WITH POTENTIALLY DIRE CONSEQUENCES. THIS IS OUR FAMILY'S PRIMARY VEHICLE AND I CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE ALLOW MY WIFE AND CHILD TO TRAVEL UNDER SUCH HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. I WISH SUBARU SHARED MY OPINION. WE WILL NOT USE THE VEHICLE UNTIL REPAIRS CAN BE PERFORMED, ALBEIT AT MY OWN COST RATHER THAN THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

I HAVE A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK STATION WAGON. ON VERY COLD DAYS, THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF FUEL THAT PERVADES THE PASSENGER CABIN. WE HAD TO DRIVE WITH WINDOWS OPEN EVEN WHEN 20-DEGREES OUTSIDE OR EXPOSE MY 3YR SON TO THE GAGGING FUMES. THIS PROBLEM IS A KNOWN ISSUE (THERE ARE LITERALLY 1000'S OF POSTS ON SUBARU OWNERS WEB BOARDS) BUT MY LOCAL MECHANIC WAS INITIALLY NOT ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS NOT ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO MAKE OWNERS AWARE OF THIS COMMON FAILURE IN SUBARU FUEL LINES. ONCE WE FOUND EXPLANATORY MATERIAL ON THE WEB, WE HAD THE LOCAL MECHANIC REPLACE THE FUEL LINES FOR ABOUT $300. GIVEN HOW COMMON THE PROBLEM IS AND HOW POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS A FUEL LINE LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT COULD BE, THE NHTSA SHOULD FORCE SUBARU TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. IN ADDITION TO THE IMMEDIATE DANGER, THEIR LACK OF ACTION ALSO IS LEADING TO OWNERS EXPOSING THEMSELVES TO FUEL FUMES IN THE PASSENGER CABIN AS THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND THUS HARD FOR MECHANICS TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR. *TR

I OWN A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK, THAT WHEN THE WEATHER GETS COLD, SOMEWHERE AT AND BELOW 30 DEGREES, I GET A GAS ODOR IN AND OUTSIDE THE CAR. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS IS AN *EXTREMELY* COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CAR'S GAS LINES AND THAT SUBARU IS ONLY ACKNOWLEDGING THE ISSUE ON 2002 AND NEWER MODELS. HAVE YOU RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE BEFORE AND CAN YOU TELL ME WHY NO RECALL ON 2001S WAS EVER DONE? THANK YOU. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILED DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED AN ODOR INSIDE THE VEHICLE. ALL THE PASSENGERS COMPLAINED OF A HEADACHE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO REPAIRED A LEAKING FUSE HOSE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN AND WAS NO LONGER DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AGAIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 113,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.