NHTSA Complaint #10144860 — 2002 SUBARU WRX

IN REGARDS TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE04002 I HAVE A 2002 SUBARU WRX WITH 34000 MILES AND LIVE IN HOUSTON, TX. I FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE PROBLEM WHEN VISITING MY FAMILY IN FT. WORTH SEVERAL YEARS AGO. IT WAS NOT VERY COLD, BUT THERE WAS SNOW ON THE GROUND. I STARTED THE CAR AND TURNED ON THE HEATER TO LET CAR WARM UP. WHEN I RETURNED ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER, I DETECTED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE BEFORE GETTING IN. THE FUMES INSIDE WERE UNBEARABLE AND I HAD TO AIR OUT THE CAR BEFORE DRIVING, BUT THE ORDER PERSISTED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I LEFT FOR HOUSTON THAT EVENING AND THOUGHT THE FUMES WERE JUST A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE. LAST NIGHT I VISITED A FRIEND FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS. IT RARELY GETS VERY COLD IN HOUSTON, BUT AT 9 P.M. LAST NIGHT WHEN I LEFT THE TEMPERATURE WAS PROBABLY JUST A LITTLE ABOVE FREEZING. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR ALL APPEARED NORMAL, BUT WHEN I TURNED ON THE HEATER, THE SMELL OF GAS WAS OVERWHELMING. I AIRED OUT THE CAR WHILE DRIVING, BUT THE GOT THE SAME RESULT EVERY TIME I TRIED TO USE THE HEATER. THE CAR REEKED OF RAW GASOLINE WHEN I PARKED IT AFTER THE 1.5 MILE DRIVE HOME. I GOT ON-LINE AFTER I GOT HOME AND FOUND OUT THIS WAS A VERY COMMON COMPLAINT AND THAT TSB HAD BEEN ISSUED. I ALSO SAW YOUR ACTION AND BELIEVE SUBARU OF AMERICA MAY HAVE GIVEN YOU THE IMPRESSION THAT THE DEFECT IS THE RESULT OF "VERY COLD CONDITIONS." FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN ON THE INTERNET, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT TO BE THE CASE. HTTP://FORUMS.NASIOC.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=675874&HIGHLIGHT=FUEL+LEAK HTTP://WWW.WRXFORUM.COM/CGI-BIN/ULTIMATEBB.CGI?UBB=PRINT_TOPIC;F=3;T=008039 HTTP://WWW.DAYTONSUBIES.COM/FORUMS/INDEX.PHP?ACT=ST&F=3&T=185 HTTP://64.119.173.9/FORUMS/PRINTTHREAD.PHP?T=81610 HTTP://CLUBWRX.NET/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=48256 ANYWAY, I BELIEVE RAW GASOLINE LEAKING ONTO THE TOP OF THE ENGINE IN THE QUANTITIES THAT WOULD CAUSE THAT STRONG OF ODOR HAS TO CREATE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD; AND THAT IT HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN SOA HAS ADMITTED. *JB