2003 SUBARU FORESTER Engine Problems

WHEN AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE IS COLD (BELOW ABOUT 20-30 F), THE VEHICLE GIVES OFF A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL. THIS IS CAUSED BY THE FUEL RAIL CONTRACTING TO THE POINT THAT SOME FUEL IS SPRAYED ONTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A FIRE RISK.

THE HEAD GASKET FAILED IN A MANNER WHICH CAUSED ENGINE OIL TO LEAK ONTO THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD. A STRONG BURNING ODOR IS PRESENT AFTER THE ENGINE WARMS UP COMPLETELY.

WE PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW AND MAINTAINED IT ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. HOWEVER, AROUND 75,000 MILES THE HEAD GASKETS STARTED LEAKING. AFTER EACH USE OF THE CAR, OIL WOULD LEAK ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND PRODUCE A BURNT OIL SMELL IN THE GARAGE; NOT GOOD. THE LEAK REMAINED LIMITED AND OUR SERVICE TECHNICIAN (AAA-APPROVED), ADVISED US TO NOT MAKE ANY REPAIRS RIGHT AWAY, BUT TO MONITOR THE LEAK. THE LEAKING BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND AFFECTED BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE OF THE BOXER CYLINDER HEADS. AT 90,000 MILES, THE LEAKS REQUIRED A FULL HEAD GASKET REPAIR, NECESSITATING EXTRACTION OF THE ENTIRE ENGINE. WHILE THIS WORK WAS DONE, TIMING BELT, WATER PUMP AND OTHER UNRELATED MAINTENANCE ISSUES WERE PERFORMED. THE MAIN COMPLAINT WE HAVE IS WITH THE PREMATURE FAILURE OF THIS BOXER ENGINE'S HEAD GASKETS. SUBARU *KNOWS* THERE IS A PROBLEM AS IT RECOMMENDS AN COOLANT ADDITIVE FOR...

ON WINTER DAYS, WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE NOT UNUSUALLY LOW FOR A NORTHERN STATE, THE FUEL LINES ON THE FORESTER WILL SHRINK AND CONTRACT. THE RESULT IS THAT FUEL WILL LEAK OUT OF THE LINE RESULTING IN TWO THINGS, FUEL VAPORS IN THE CABIN AND FUEL PUDDLING ON THE ENGINE. FUEL PUDDLING ON THE ENGINE REPRESENTS ON OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE. THE HEAVY FUEL VAPORS AND ODOR IN THE CABIN CAUSED ME TO BECOME NAUSEOUS AND LIGHT HEADED. IN ORDER TO DRIVE HOME SAFELY, THE WINDOWS HAD TO BE OPENED ALMOST COMPLETELY. LUCKILY THEY WERE NOT FROZEN UP, WHICH IS ALSO COMMON IN WINTER MONTHS. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN SEVERAL DAYS WHERE WIND CHILL ALONE COULD RESULT IN FROST BITE IN ONLY A FEW MINUTES. I COULD NOT HAVE ROLLED DOWN MY WINDOWS SAFELY ON THOSE DAYS OR IN SIMILAR TEMPS BECAUSE OF THE ADDED VEHICLE...

A RUBBER HOSE CONNECTING TWO METAL GAS LINES HAS STARTED TO LEAK. THIS IS DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER. SUBARU ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS ON THE WRX MODELS OF THE SAME YEAR. THIS ENGINE IS THE SAME ENGINE AS IN THE WRX. IT IS THE 2.5 N/A. WHY ARE OUR MOTORS NOT BEING FIXED AS WELL? THIS IS A MAJOR FIRE HAZARD. IT IS NEAR THE IGNITION SYSTEM AND ABOVE THE EXHAUST PIPE. *JS

WE WERE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE TRAVELING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN MY HUSBAND NOTICED THE BACK WINDOW HAD A GREASY FILM THAT THE WIPER ONLY MADE WORSE. WE PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY TO A GAS STATION TO TAKE A LOOK AND NOTICED SMOKE BILLOWING FROM THE HOOD. AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES HE RAISED THE HOOD TO MORE SMOKE. HAVING JUST HAD AN OIL CHANGE TWO DAYS PRIOR, I RECALLED THAT THE SERVICE PERSON MENTIONED SLIGHT TRANSMISSION AND OIL LEAKS THAT WERE NOT MAJOR CONCERNS AND THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AND COULD BE ADDRESSED LATER. TURNS OUT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE PIPING DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE BATTERY, WHICH WAS CAUSED BY BATTERY ACID DRIPPING DIRECTLY ONTO THE METAL PIPING CAUSING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID TO LEAK OUT. AFTER REMOVING THE BOLTS FROM THE PLASTIC APRON UNDERNEATH THE CAR TO TAKE A BETTER LOOK, IT APPEARED TRANSMISSION FLUID...

AS I WAS DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE FIRST TIME - IT IS NOW ON CONTINUOUSLY DUE TO FUEL CAP. I PULLED OVER AT A SERVICE STATION ONLY TO REALIZE MY OIL WAS NEXT TO EMPTY. I PROMPTLY FILLED AND CONTINUED THE FINAL HALF HOUR TO MY DESTINATION. UPON ARRIVAL I INSPECTED THE ENGINE FROM UNDER THE HOOD & BELOW THE CAR. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I NOTICED BUILD UP AND FLUID AROUND BOTH HEAD GASKETS. INITIALLY THERE WAS OIL RESIDUE ONLY, NOW, 18 MONTHS LATER I HAVE COOLANT AND OIL LEAKAGE & CANNOT AFFORD TO SPEND THE $1800 I HAVE BEEN QUOTED TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKETS. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN SUBARU FOR NOT HANDLING THIS IN A BETTER WAY. MY BROTHER HAS THE SAME CAR (YEAR MAKE & MODEL) AND HAS SIMILAR ISSUES AT FEWER MILES. MY PARENTS HAVE A 2008 OUTBACK AND HAD...

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER NOTICE STRONG FUEL SMELL COMING IN CAR. *TR

AT COLD TEMPERATURES, FUEL LEAKING SOMEWHERE FROM VEHICLE, CAUSING STRONG ODOR INSIDE AND OUT OF CABIN. CONCERNED THAT THIS AMOUNT OF FUEL COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO BREATHE AND/OR CAUSE RISK FOR FIRE. NEED MORE PROACTIVE RESPONSE FROM SUBARU ON THIS MATTER, AT THIS POINT 26 OF 115 COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR ARE FOR THIS ISSUE. *TR

2003 FORESTER HAS EXTREMELY STRONG AROMAS OF FUEL WHEN STARTING & DRIVING IN COLD WEATHER. FUEL VAPORS ARE VERY DANGEROUS, HERE ARE SIDE EFFECTS OF INHALATION: INHALING GASOLINE FUMES BRINGS CONCENTRATED HYDROCARBONS INTO YOUR LUNGS AND BLOODSTREAM. SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS IN GASOLINE ARE EXTREMELY TOXIC AND ARE MUTAGENS. LIVER DAMAGE AND PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE ARE POSSIBILITIES. THE SIDE EFFECTS CAUSED BY THE INHALATION OF GASOLINE CAN RANGE FROM CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) DEPRESSION, WHICH CAN INCLUDE: EYE AND THROAT IRRITATION, MILD OR PRONOUNCED DIZZINESS, HEADACHE, LACK OF APPETITE, DROWSINESS AND IN-COORDINATION. IN MORE SERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, IT CAN CAUSE UNCONSCIOUSNESS, PULMONARY EDEMA, AND DEATH. SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND ADDRESS THE ISSUE, BECAUSE THEY INSTALLED A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT! *TR

UPON STARTING AND RUNNING THE VEHICLE IN TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING (32 DEGREES F), THE FUEL LINES NEAR THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IN THE ENGINE BAY LEAK GASOLINE, TRANSMITTING AN UNBURNT FUEL SMELL TO THE CABIN VIA THE HVAC SYSTEM AND BLOWER FAN. THESE FUMES ARE TOXIC AND THEREFORE HAZARDOUS TO MOTORIST AND PASSENGER HEALTH. ALSO, FUEL DRIPPING NEAR A HOT INTAKE MANIFOLD IS A FIRE HAZARD. THE LINES APPEAR CORRODED IN SPOTS AND THE FUEL LEAK IS VISIBLE AND APPARENT. THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. HOWEVER, BASED UPON THE INSPECTION, THE APPARENT FUEL LEAK IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE HOT ENGINE IS A MAJOR HAZARD FOR THE MOTORIST OF THE FORESTER AND OTHER MOTORISTS ON THE ROAD - THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED AND SUBARU SHOULD ANNOUNCE A RECALL ON ALL (2003) FORESTER MODELS. *TR

STARTED AND DROVE VEHICLE APPROX. 1 MILE IN 20 DEGREE WEATHER WHEN I BEGAN TO SMELL AN EXTREMELY STRONG RAW GASOLINE ODOR. THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WAS INUNDATED WITH THE ODOR. I CHECKED FOR LEAKS BUT DID NOT SEE ANY(IT WAS AT NIGHT). I SLOWLY DROVE HOME WITH MY PASSENGER-SIDE WINDOWS OPEN. HAVEN'T DRIVEN THE VEHICLE SINCE.... *TR