2001 Subaru Forester

WHEN IT IS BELOW 25 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, FUEL LINES AND RELATED COMPONENTS (INCLUDING RETAINING CLIPS AND FITTINGS) LEAK GASOLINE, CAUSING GAS FUMES TO ENTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THIS PROBLEM IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS A FUEL LINE SEEP. FUMES THEN ENTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT VIA THE HEATING VENTILATION SYSTEM OR THROUGH GENERAL AMBIENT ENTRY. EVEN WHEN THE HEAT IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT IS OFF, FUMES ENTER THE COMPARTMENT. THIS EXPOSES PASSENGERS TO HARMFUL CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROCARBONS AS WELL AS POSING A FIRE RISK. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS FROM STAND-STILL TO 75 MPH. IN MODERATE COLD (25-15 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT), THE LEAKING STOPS AFTER THE ENGINE HAS WARMED. IN COLDER TEMPERATURES, THE LEAKING CONTINUES NO MATTER HOW LONG I DRIVE THE CAR. THE PROBLEM CAN BE TEMPORARILY SOLVED BY TIGHTENING THE HOSE CLAMPS ON THE FUEL LINES, BUT WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPS AGAIN, THE HOSE CLAMPS MUST AGAIN BE TIGHTENED. SOME OF THE CLAMPS ARE UNDERNEATH ENGINE COMPONENTS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE, SO THE PROCESS IS VERY TIME INTENSIVE AND DOES NOT ALWAYS STOP THE FUMES. THIS IS A COMMONLY DISCUSSED TOPIC IN AUTOMOTIVE DISCUSSION BOARDS ONLINE. THEREFORE, I BELIEVE IT IS WIDESPREAD. HERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES: HTTP://WWW.SUBARUFORESTER.ORG/VBULLETIN/F88/GASOLINE-ODOR-INSIDE-CABIN-45495/ HTTP://WWW.SUBARUFORESTER.ORG/VBULLETIN/F87/SMELL-GAS-COLD-STARTS-41319/ HTTP://COMMUNITY.CARTALK.COM/DISCUSSION/1986611/COLD-WEATHER-GAS-SMELL-2003-SUBARU-FORESTER. *TR

WHEN IT IS BELOW 25 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, FUEL LINES AND RELATED COMPONENTS (INCLUDING RETAINING CLIPS AND FITTINGS) LEAK GASOLINE, CAUSING GAS FUMES TO ENTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THIS PROBLEM IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS A FUEL LINE SEEP. FUMES THEN ENTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT VIA THE HEATING VENTILATION SYSTEM OR THROUGH GENERAL AMBIENT ENTRY. EVEN WHEN THE HEAT IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT IS OFF, FUMES ENTER THE COMPARTMENT. THIS EXPOSES PASSENGERS TO HARMFUL CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROCARBONS AS WELL AS POSING A FIRE RISK. BOTH MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED HEADACHES AND NAUSEA FROM THE FUMES SINCE WINTER 2012 WHEN OUR FORESTER FIRST STARTED LEAKING. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS FROM STAND-STILL TO 75 MPH. IN MODERATE COLD (25-15 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT), THE LEAKING STOPS AFTER THE ENGINE HAS WARMED. IN COLDER TEMPERATURES, THE LEAKING CONTINUES NO MATTER HOW LONG I DRIVE THE CAR. THE PROBLEM CAN BE TEMPORARILY SOLVED BY TIGHTENING THE HOSE CLAMPS ON THE FUEL LINES, BUT WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPS AGAIN, THE HOSE CLAMPS MUST AGAIN BE TIGHTENED. SOME OF THE CLAMPS ARE UNDERNEATH ENGINE COMPONENTS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE, SO THE PROCESS IS VERY TIME INTENSIVE AND DOES NOT ALWAYS STOP THE FUMES. THIS IS A COMMONLY DISCUSSED TOPIC IN AUTOMOTIVE DISCUSSION BOARDS ONLINE. THEREFORE, I BELIEVE IT IS WIDESPREAD. HERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES: HTTP://WWW.SUBARUFORESTER.ORG/VBULLETIN/F88/GASOLINE-ODOR-INSIDE-CABIN-45495/ HTTP://WWW.SUBARUFORESTER.ORG/VBULLETIN/F87/SMELL-GAS-COLD-STARTS-41319/ HTTP://COMMUNITY.CARTALK.COM/DISCUSSION/1986611/COLD-WEATHER-GAS-SMELL-2003-SUBARU-FORESTER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING, IT ACCELERATED WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR BEING DEPRESSED INTERMITTENTLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT ALSO CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE FIFTEEN FEET AWAY AND ALMOST HIT A PEDESTRIAN WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS UNKNOWN. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND STATED THAT THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 178,000. UPDATED 1/7/14*CN

ON MONDAY AT 4:50 PM I WAS DRIVING N A SCHOOL ZONE AND REALIZED THAT I WAS HAVING TO RIDE MY BRAKES I ALSO THOUGHT THERE WAS SOME FUNNY NOISE FROM THE ENGINE. I ROLLED DOWN MY WINDOW AND COULDN'T HEAR ANY THING. AS I APPROACHED THE STOP SIGN MY CAR WOULD NOT STOP AND I PRESSED MY BRAKES ALL THE WAY DOWN. THE RPMS WENT ALL THE WAY INTO THE RED AND MY CAR CONTINUED ABOUT 4 TO 6 FEET WITH BRAKES ALL THE WAY DOWN. WHEN CAR FINELY CAME TO A STOP I PLACED IT IN PARK BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS MY STOP MY CAR FROM GOING INTO GEAR AGAIN AND THE RPMS CONTINUED TO RISE MORE INTO THE RED. I WAS AFRAID AND PLACED IT IN DRIVE WITH FOOT ON BRAKE TO GET IT INTO THE PARKING LOT I TOOK A RIGHT. WHEN I HAD TO STOP IN THE LOT THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP AND THE RPMS WENT UP ALL THE WAY AS MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE IT WENT ABOUT 3 EXTRA FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. I PLACED IT IN PARK AND QUICKLY TURNED THE CAR OFF. I TURNED THE CAR ON TO SEE IF IT WOULD RESET BUT THE RPM WENT ALL THE WAY UP AGAIN. A MAN CLAIMING TO BE A MECHANIC LOOKED AT MY THROTTLES TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE NOT STUCK AND TOOK ONE FINGER AND TAPPED ON THE THROTTLE SENSOR. I STARTED THE CARE AGAIN AND THE RPMS WERE BACK TO A NORMAL AMOUNT. THE DEALERS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPLICATE AND HAVE FOUND NO FAULT IN THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT NIGHT WHEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG NOISE AND LOOKED BEHIND ME AND SAW BLACK SMOKE AND HAD LOST ALL POWER, NO POWER STEERING, NO BRAKES AND NO LIGHTS I HAD TO TRY TO CROSS 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET MY CAR TO THE SHOULDER WHILE IT WAS DECELERATING. I GOT THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, AND WAS WORRIED OF A POSSIBLE FIRE. I GOT OUT AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD IT TOWED. THE RESULT WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET THAT HAD BLOWN THE ROD THROUGH THE BACK PILLAR AND SPRAYED OIL OVER EVERYTHING CAUSING THE BATTERY TO SHORT OUT WHICH LED TO THE POWER LOSS. THE WHOLE ENGINE ON THE CAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME. BOUGHT CAR WITH A REBUILT ENGINE FROM SAME PROBLEM AT 141,000 MILES. *TR

DRIVING N ON I5 HIGHWAY WHEN CAR MADE NOISES, PULLED OVER & WOULD NOT START AGAIN. TOWED IN. WAS TOLD THAT ENGINE WAS DEAD. CAR HAD JUST BEEN SERVICED BY DEALER. HAD TO BUY NEW ENGINE. SUBARU WOULD NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY. CAR HAD VERY LOW MILEAGE & WAS IN GOOD SHAPE. WHEN DOING RESEARCH, FOUND THAT THIS WAS AN ONGOING AND COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL VEHICLES WITH 2.5L ENGINE AND DUE TO DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET. *TR

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 75 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET. TRIED TO CANCEL CRUISE CONTROL WITH STALK, IT DID NOT DISENGAGE. TRIED REPEATEDLY, IT DID NOT DISENGAGE. HIT THE BRAKES TO CANCEL CRUISE CONTROL, IT DID NOT DISENGAGE (BRAKES ONLY SLOWED CAR DOWN). STEPPED ON THE CLUTCH TO CANCEL CRUISE CONTROL, IT DID NOT DISENGAGE. WHEN I STEPPED ON THE CLUTCH AND SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, THE ENGINE REVVED ALL THE WAY TO REDLINE AND REMAINED THERE (MEANING THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS STILL ENGAGED). COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD WITH CLUTCH IN, ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV AT REDLINE... CONTINUED HITTING CANCEL ON THE STALK, EVENTUALLY REVS SETTLED DOWN TO IDLE. MANUAL TRANSMISSION WAS NON-OPERATIONAL AFTER THIS INCIDENT.

THE ISSUE IS IN REGARD TO MY 2001 SUBARU FORESTER, WHEN THE WEATHER COOLS OFF TO BELLOW 0, A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE DEVELOPS INSIDE THE PASSENGER CABIN. I HAVE SMALL KIDS AND ASIDE FROM A POSSIBILITY OF AND ENGINE FIRE AM ALSO WORRIED ABOUT IMPACT OF BREATHING THE STRONG GASOLINE FUMES IN THE CABIN. FROM OTHER SUBARU OWNERS FEEDBACK (SEE BELLOW FROM SUBARU BLOG), THIS APPEARS TO BE WIDESPREAD ON THE FORESTER MODELS UP TO 2003 AND EVEN IN OTHER SUBARU MODELS, THE SUBARU DEALER AND OTHER MECHANICS HAVE INDICATED THE POSSIBILITY OF FUEL HOSE SHRINKAGE DURING COLD WEATHER AS THE CAUSE FOR SOME FUEL LEAKS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND REPLACEMENT CAN BE EXPENSIVE WITHOUT GUARANTEEING IT WILL CORRECT THE CONDITION. WHATEVER THE REASON MAY BE, THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE WHICH I THINK WARRANTS A FULL INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE DEFECT AND FIND A CORRECTION TO BE PAID BY SUBARU. I COUNT ON YOU FOR SOME HELP ON THIS. THANK YOU. *TR