NHTSA Complaint #10255215 — 2002 SUBARU WRX

PROBLEM MY 2002 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX WAGON WITH VIN CURRENTLY HAS 89,000 MILES. I STARTED GETTING A STRONG SMELL OF FUEL THROUGH THE VENTS IN NOVEMBER WHEN THE TEMPERATURE STARTED COMING DOWN. LOOKING UNDER THE HOOD, I FOUND NO APPARENT LEAKS BUT THE SMELL WAS STRONG. LOOKING ONLINE FOR SOLUTIONS, I CAME ACROSS NUMEROUS FORUMS ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. MOST NOTABLY THIS ONE: HTTP://FORUMS.NASIOC.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=&THREADID=138069&HIGHLIGHT=FUEL+SMELL. I ALSO FOUND SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN 09-36-03 DATED 04/01/03. SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN 09-36-03 THIS BULLETIN STATES: SOME 2002 MODEL IMPREZA WRX (2.0L TURBO) MAY EXPERIENCE A FUEL SMELL IN COLD WEATHER (TEMPERATURE <14 DEGREES F) FROM THE RUBBER HOSE CONNECTOR, LOCATED UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, BETWEEN TWO DIRECT FUEL-FEED METAL LINES TO THE INJECTORS. THE CHANGING OF THE PIPE AND HOSE SIZE WAS ADOPTED, STARTING WITH ENGINE NUMBER 673467 TO BETTER ALIGN THE TWO FUEL LINES. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY SHORTENING THE FUEL PIPE AND LENGTHENING THE HOSE BOTH BY 30MM. TO COMPLETE THIS SERVICE PROCEDURE, YOU MUST REPLACE THE FUEL PIPE ASSEMBLY AND HOSE AS A SET. READING THIS IT IS EVIDENT OF THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN SOME 2002 MODEL IMPREZA WRXS THIS DESIGN FLAW IS EVIDENT IN THE FACT THAT IT WAS APPARENTLY CHANGED FOR FUTURE MODELS AFTER THE PROBLEM WAS REALIZED. USING THE SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN AND THE ONLINE FORUMS, I WAS ABLE TO LOCATE A FUEL LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AT THE LOCATION DETERMINED. THIS FUEL LEAK WAS FURTHER CONFIRMED BY A SUBARU DEALER AFTER ASKED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA TO GET IT LOOKED AT BY ONE OF THEIR DEALERS FOR THEM TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS ISSUE WHILE I WAS STILL WORKING WITH THEM TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. THIS FUEL LEAK POSES AT LEAST 2 THREATS: 1 FOR A FIRE, AND 2 FOR EXPOSING PASSENGERS TO HAZARDOUS FUMES. *TR