2002 Subaru Impreza Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a raw fuel smell in and around the cabin during cold starts, and separately a pattern of brake complaints where the pedal goes low and stopping feels reduced. Many of the fuel complaints come from cars covered by a regional cold-weather fuel-line recall or from cars that were not included in it; brake reports cluster at low mileage, while corrosion-related suspension and structure reports appear on higher-mileage cars.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Fuel smell in cold weather (cold-start fuel leak)

   • 95 complaints (33%)
   • median 60,000 mi at 4.4 yrs old (75 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2019

   Owners describe a strong raw gasoline smell inside the cabin and under the hood when starting the car in cold weather, in some cases with visible fuel pooling on the engine beneath the intake manifold. Complaints say the odor comes through the vents with the heater on and can be strong enough that people drive with the windows open. Several owners report that the dealer could not duplicate the smell or declined coverage, and some note their vehicle was not included in recall 09V468000 because of where it was registered; a service bulletin addressing cold-weather fuel seepage is referenced in several complaints. Mostly reported at cold starts when outside temperatures drop below freezing, commonly between roughly 20,000 and 70,000 miles.

   Recall 09V4680003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the cold-weather fuel line and hose work described in the service bulletin was performed and keep the paperwork. On a cold morning, start the car and check under the intake manifold for wet fuel or a strong smell inside the cabin.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Extreme fuel odor inside passenger cabin of my 2002 Subaru Impreza wrx,especially in cold weather conditions for the last four months. I have only 29000 miles on the odometer presently. I have noticed increased fuel consumption recently may be because of a possible fuel leak somewhere -please enquire and advise-thanks, anil sekhar.”

   NHTSA complaint #10054306, filed 2004-01, 25,000 miles

   “My Subaru 2202 wrx has a strong smell of gas in the passenger compartment everytime it is cold out. They have a TSB to fix the issue but will not cover the repairs in all cases. The TSB is 09-36-03. I would think they would care about a manufacturer defect that involves fuel. This should have been recalled.”

   NHTSA complaint #10252564, filed 2008-12, 60,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front lower control arm and subframe corrosion

   • 55 complaints (19%)
   • median 127,750 mi at 11.0 yrs old (48 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2009–2021

   Complaints describe front lower control arms cracking or breaking at the bracket area, sometimes at low speed in a driveway and in other cases while driving at highway speed with a loss of steering control. Owners frequently say the subframe or frame rails were also heavily rusted and that those parts were not covered by the control-arm campaign. Several report the failure happening after the vehicle had been inspected or undercoated under the recall, and some say they never received notice of the recall. Typically on higher-mileage cars, often above 75,000 miles and commonly past 150,000, mostly in areas that use road salt.

   Recall 11V4640002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the car put on a lift and inspect the front lower control arms, their mounting brackets and the subframe for rust or perforation. Ask for the recall inspection and any undercoating paperwork for campaign 11V464000.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I took my 2002 Subaru Impreza for its yearly new york state inspection. At this time we were told the subframe is rusted beyond repair. And it is un safe to even drive the car. The car is otherwise in great shape. It does have 170,000 miles but other than that the car has given us no problems.”

   NHTSA complaint #10669737, filed 2015-01, 170,249 miles

   “Safety recall: wvx34 I had this work done at a dealership. They did a punch test.the lower control arms passed on july 9, 2019 and were undercoated at 192630 miles. Today august 10, 2019 the passenger side control arm broke while driving at 70 MPH. I was able to safely get the vehicle home and towed to the dealership. They were unable to tell me if this would be covered or I will have to pay for the repair. I am concerned Subaru's actions regarding this issue are inadequate.”

   NHTSA complaint #11242967, filed 2019-08, 195,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake pedal drops and stopping feels reduced (ABS)

   • 64 complaints (22%)
   • median 25,688 mi at 2.1 yrs old (26 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2019

   Owners report that the brake pedal can drop close to the floor with little or no normal ABS pulsing, particularly when braking over bumps, dips or low-traction surfaces such as snow and ice. Complaints describe the car continuing forward and stopping distance increasing compared with expected ABS behavior. Some say dealers could not find a problem or declined to replace the ABS computer, while a few report screeching front brakes that returned after pad replacement and lubrication. Widely reported at low mileage, often under 25,000 miles, and described as repeatable at specific road locations or in winter conditions.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the brakes over uneven pavement at low speed and ask whether anyone has inspected the ABS system or replaced the ABS computer. Check front pad wear and whether the caliper and pad-clip lubrication described in the service bulletin was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “It was raining. I was turning left at a light, saw another car coming towards me. I applied brakes and there was a hesitation of braking power due to the ABS system. This also happens when driving in low traction conditions or over bumps. I went to the dealer and they said that the same year similar model had problems with the ABS computer and that they replace the ABS computers for that one but they said they wouldn't for my car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10250511, filed 2008-12, 70,000 miles

   “With my alloy wheels on two of my Subaru cars, the snow gets lodged in the break pads\rotors and it takes pumping the breaks to force the snow out before the breaks will engage. Subaru denies it is a problem. This happens every winter on both cars, but I have learned to be extra cautious coming to a stop in already wintry conditions. This year my breaks did not engage, went through a stop into a busy intersection, luckily no oncoming traffic.”

   NHTSA complaint #10261956, filed 2009-03, 15 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Manual transmission gear grinding and hard downshifts

   • 21 complaints (7%)
   • median 19,750 mi at 1.8 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2001–2008

   Complaints describe grinding when shifting, most often going into a lower gear or between third and fourth, beginning as a mild noise and becoming louder over time. Owners say dealers initially could not find anything wrong or attributed the grinding to the driver, and one complaint describes being asked to sign an agreement limiting further warranty coverage before the transmission was opened. A longstanding bulletin on a high-pitched sound from the transmission extension housing area is also referenced in the same component category. Reported from low mileage, typically between about 13,000 and 45,000 miles.

   Recall 02V2820007 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the car and shift through all gears, listening for grinding on downshifts into first and second. Ask about any prior transmission repairs and whether the clutch release bearing or extension housing updates were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2002 Subaru wrx - I took the car in for 30,000 mile service, car was running fine, no complaints. When I got the car back, I noticed that it was difficult to downshift into first gear, and I was sometimes missing the shift - grinding gears. I have never had a problem like this in any car before. The problem is more severe at higher speeds, and is getting progressively worse over the last 5000 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10088885, filed 2004-08, 30,000 miles

   “Differential fluid out; Subaru blames a non-dealer oil change error for problem hence not covered under warranty. Owner had to spend over $350 for replacement auto rental. Owner drove car for 1,700 miles after disputed non-dealer oil change to date when differential fluid outage discovered.”

   NHTSA complaint #10069824, filed 2004-01, 6,351 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection on a lift is the most useful step for this model year, focusing on corrosion of the front control arms and subframe and on the condition of the fuel lines. Ask for recall and service-bulletin paperwork, since several of the recurring symptoms have documented service procedures but coverage depends on the individual vehicle.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.