2002 and 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX Recall

December 10, 2009

Vehicle Make / Model:		Model Year(s):
SUBARU / IMPREZA WRX		2002-2003
Manufacturer: SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.		Mfr’s Report Date: DEC 01, 2009
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V468000		EA09011 NHTSA Action Number: EA09011

Component: FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

Potential Number of Units Affected: 5724

Summary: SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2003 IMPREZA WRX VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF SOUTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, MINNESOTA, IDAHO, IOWA, MONTANA, COLORADO, WISCONSIN, NEW YORK, WYOMING, MICHIGAN, ARKANSAS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, VERMONT, AND MAINE. DURING COLD STARTS, TYPICALLY UNDER EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES, FUEL LEAKS IN THE FUEL DELIVERY LINE COULD OCCUR WHERE THE LINE CONNECTS WITH A RUBBER HOSE.

Consequence: FUEL LEAKS, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LINE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

Notes: SUBARU RECALL NO. WVK-21. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

Were you affected? Click Here for a free case evaluation!

Comments

7 Responses to “2002 and 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX Recall”

David Runion on December 23rd, 2009 12:52 am

I have this issue and recieved a letter from Subaru today informin me of the recall. I am very happy to see they are finally owning up to their responsibility here. The head has to come off and it would take me (untrained owner) several frustrating hours to deal with, not to mention over $100 in replacement parts.

The fuel leaks out and evaporates and is then sucked into the car’s interior, and it’s horrible!

It has been a known issue for some time now. I believe I read that they corrected this mid-2003, so Subaru themselves have known about it even before this TSB.

From http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov

Make : SUBARU Model : WRX Year : 2002
Manufacturer : SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
Service Bulletin Num : 1101200
Date of Bulletin: NOV 01, 2004
NHTSA Item Number: 10014461
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
Summary:
FUEL ODOR IN COLD WEATHER. *EH

I know what I’m doing on my christmas break!
mike femenia on December 23rd, 2009 8:26 pm

i had the fuel rail and hose replaced dec of 07′ after moving to Idaho.
the cabin does fill with the fuel smell, subaru charged us $430 so I;m going to try and get that back from them. when i had the work done i asked if subaru knew this was happening and that this seemed like a serious risk to all those that chose to ride in the car….so wish me luck with the subaru reimbursement……
merry christmas
Marty Hamilton on January 12th, 2010 7:14 pm

I just developed this same problem and I live in Tampa Florida. Of course we have had the recent record cold weather. Fortunately when I took it into the dealership they discovered the recall and are going to cover the cost of repair and give me a rental vehicle for the next 5 weeks which is when they estimate they can get the parts. I hate being w/o my Rex for that long but at least Suby is doing the right thing.
Tim J on March 9th, 2010 6:51 pm

I just took my wrx down to Rafferty Subaru off of west chester pike and they told me that they could not fix it because it because it is not registered in a “cold state”, I live in PA and I can tell you it stays well below freezing throughout the winter, I guess it might have been to much of a hassle to fix. They did fix a cruise control cable clip and a rail in my driver side seat. What happens if something does go bad with it?
Tim J on March 9th, 2010 6:52 pm

oh yeah, and I have smelled fuel during startups in really cold weather…
Mustafa on March 22nd, 2010 7:03 pm

I have just made a call to Ramsey Subaru here in Des Moines Iowa and they got me scheduled right away and they will fix everything without any charge. The service was good they got me scheduled and got the job done.
Anthony K on March 26th, 2010 6:46 pm

I have two 2002/2003 WRX and I brought both of them to the dealership to do the recall. (I’m in Texas, but due to the Arctic Blast, I smell the fuel smelt during winter last year). They performed the recall at no charge. However, within 15mins after I picked up my first WRX, a boost leak occurred. They fixed it and said it is caused by the removal of the old hose and it is related to the recall. On my 2nd WRX, when I drove the car home, smoke starts coming out from my hood. The check engine light came on and I brought it back to the dealership. They said it smells like a coolant leak. It is still at the shop at this point. Since there are 2 different side effects happened after the recall in 2 different cars. i called Subaru to replace all the hose which was suggested by the dealership. This is some kind of preventive action I think they should take. However, they rejected my request. They just said, they will fix the problem when it appears. They will not do any preventive action for all other hose. This is very disappointing. Also, the recall took 3 days to finished for each WRX. Very very disappointed.