NHTSA Complaint #10256397 — 2002 SUBARU WRX

THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO SUBARU ISSUED TSB 09-36-03 TITLED: "FUEL SMELL IN COLD WEATHER.". THIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO KILL SOMEBODY UNLESS YOU MANDATE A RECALL. I REPORTED THE ISSUE A FEW YEARS AGO AND YOUR INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED IT WAS NOT A SERIOUS PROBLEM. SINCE THEN I'VE DEALT WITH THE FUEL ODOR ON COLD DAYS. THE ODOR NOW OCCURS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 35 F. A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, THE TEMPS WERE IN THE TEENS F AND THE ODOR GOT REALLY BAD. AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, WHITE FUMES STARTED POURING OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HOOD AND FROM THE SCOOP. THERE IS SO MUCH FUEL LEAKING NOW THAT IT'S BEING VAPORIZED INTO A WHITE SMOKE AND SPEWS OUT OF THE ENGINE FOR ABOUT 1 OR 2 MINUTES. I OPENED THE HOOD TO CONFIRM THERE IS NO FIRE, WHICH THERE WAS NOT. BUT THERE WAS AN IMPRESSIVE AMOUNT OF WHITE FUMES WHICH RESEMBLED SMOKE BUT AGAIN, NO FIRE. A FRIEND WHO WAS DRIVING IN ANOTHER CAR, 3 CARS BEHIND ME, REPORTED THAT THE GAS SMELL FROM MY CAR WAS SO BAD THEY HAD TO PULL BACK. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, VAPORIZED FUEL WILL IGNITE AT 536 DEGREES F. IT IS VERY POSSIBLE FOR THE TURBO CHARGER ON THIS CAR TO GET THAT HOT AFTER SOME DRIVING. WITH THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FULL OF WHITE GAS FUMES AND THE CABIN FILL OF A POWERFUL RAW GAS SMELL, IT ONLY STANDS TO REASON THAT THIS COULD CATCH FILE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE PASSENGER CABIN. AFTER DOING A SIMPLE SEARCH ON THIS (ODI) WEBSITE FOR BOTH SUBARU WRX, AND SUBARU IMPREZA, LOOKING AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT CATEGORIES (FUEL SYSTEM, FUEL DELIVERY, FUEL RAILS, ECT) I FOUND 286 COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. ON THE NASIOC SITE, THERE ARE 97 PAGES OF PEOPLE LISTING THE SAME PROBLEM WHICH IS ~1800 POSTS (HTTP://FORUMS.NASIOC.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=131755&PAGE=97). THE TSB MENTIONED ABOVE MINIMIZES THE ISSUE BY STATING FUEL LEAKS WITH TEMPS UNDER 14 F. IN MY CAR IT HAPPENS UNDER 35 F FOR THE LENGTH OF MY DRIVE. THIS ISSUES IS GOING TO KILL SOMEBODY AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. *TR