2002 Subaru WRX Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2002 Impreza WRX most often describe two things: a raw fuel smell and fuel leaks in the engine bay when temperatures drop near or below freezing, and anti-lock brake behavior over bumps where the pedal goes soft or low for a moment. The fuel complaints arrive across a wide mileage range, from a few thousand miles to well past 100,000, while the brake complaints cluster at lower mileage.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Raw fuel smell / fuel line leak in cold weather

   • 305 complaints (71%)
   • median 48,000 mi at 3.2 yrs old (237 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $475 (median of 35 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2018

   Owners describe a strong raw gasoline smell in the cabin and under the hood, most often on cold starts or shortly after starting, sometimes with visible fuel dripping or pooling on top of the engine near the intake manifold. Several say the smell enters through the vents and fades once the engine warms up, while others report leaks that continue. Complaints mention dealers quoting several hundred dollars to replace fuel lines or pipes under the manifold, tightening hose clamps as a first attempt, and in some cases telling owners the car was out of warranty; one owner reports the leak returned after a clamp tightening. Reported from a few thousand miles up to well past 100,000 miles, and consistently tied to cold ambient temperatures, often below freezing.

   Recall 09V4680002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel line under the intake manifold was replaced under the cold-weather fuel smell program, and start the car cold to look and smell for fuel around the passenger-side fuel rail and manifold.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “There is a very strong fuel smell that comes through the vents whenever I start the car in cold temperatures (10 degrees fahrenheit or below). The smell will linger until the car has been moving for fifteen minutes or so. This would happen when the car would sit overnight in cold temperatures it would also happen after it had been sitting in the parking lot at my work during the day time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10052938, filed 2004-01, 36,000 miles

   “Several times in the winters of 2008 & 2009 (so far) when first starting my car in very cold weather (although the last time in dec. 2009 the temp was cool but above freezing) I would get a strong smell of gas inside the car and had to open the windows until the engine warmed up. Checking your website I found a recall dated dec. 1, 2009 (NHTSA action number ea09011) that seems to describe what happens. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10310073, filed 2010-02, 88,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   ABS engages on bumps; pedal goes soft or low

   • 71 complaints (17%)
   • median 21,500 mi at 2.0 yrs old (55 state mileage)
   • 13 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2010

   Owners report that the anti-lock system activates over bumps, rough pavement, potholes, railroad tracks or metal covers even when braking is mild, and that afterwards the pedal drops toward the floor or feels hard, with braking weak for a few seconds before returning. Complaints describe this happening at low speeds approaching intersections as well as in panic stops, and some say dealer inspections found nothing wrong or that the manufacturer declined assistance once the vehicle was past the ABS warranty mileage. Mostly reported under about 45,000 miles, typically at low speeds on uneven or bumpy road surfaces.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive the car over broken pavement or speed bumps at low speed and note whether ABS pulses unasked and whether the pedal recovers promptly; ask whether the ABS control unit was ever serviced under the customer satisfaction program.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Antilock brake failure caused accident. A vechicle in front of me stopped quickly so I applied the brakes with moderate to heavy pressure. Although I was going only 30-35 MPH and had several car lengths to stop, the brakes locked and the pedal went soft and I was unable to control the car causing me to rear-end the vechicle in front of me. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10043811, filed 2003-10, 21,500 miles

   “Whenever I brake over uneven (jiggly) terrain, the ABS on my 2002 WRX kicks in and braking is reduced and braking distance is lengthened. No other car that I have owned with ABS over the past 15 years has had this problem. No accidents or injuries, but numerous scary moments when braking was diminished while going over bumps.”

   NHTSA complaint #10028489, filed 2003-07, 100 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Fuel pump recall part availability / campaign coverage

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   A small number of complaints concern the fuel pump recall itself rather than a symptom: owners describe being told the replacement part was unavailable for an extended period, or that the campaign did not apply because of where the car was registered or where they now live, even though they still notice fuel odors. Reported at widely varying mileage, from near-new to over 95,000 miles.

   Recall 09V468000

   What to check: Check with a dealer whether the fuel delivery line recall was completed for this vehicle, and confirm it applies to the state where the car is registered and used.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have the terrible gasoline smell in and outside of the car as a result of a recall that is not valid in the state of ohio. As Subaru thinks ohio is not a cold weather state and has denied the recall on my vehicle. It smells the whole house. It is sickening. I have been putting up for it since I bought the vehicle and am the original owner. According to the recall, it can cause a fire. I cannot purchase another car, and Subaru will not honor the recall because I live in ohio (a very very cold state).”

   NHTSA complaint #10965915, filed 2017-03, 50 miles

   “I bought a 2002 Subaru WRX in september and didn't notice the raw fuel smell until it started getting cold. I noticed it every time I started the car when the temperature was below 30 degrees f. One night I let is run to warm up and saw a large puddle of what appeared to be oil/gas mixture coming from underneath the car. From research I understand that many other 2002 WRX owners seem to have this same problem due to a fuel line leak. I believe that Subaru should have a recall to fix this dangerous problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10252525, filed 2008-12, 81,000 miles

Buying note. On this model year, start the engine from cold and inspect the fuel lines under the intake manifold, and confirm whether the cold-weather fuel line and fuel pump campaigns were completed. Budget for a brake system inspection and a clutch check, since both come up repeatedly in owner complaints.

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.