no report yet
Delivery: fuel pump
Risk. FUEL LEAKS, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
2002 Subaru WRXProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 427 owner complaints about the 2002 Subaru WRX, most often about the fuel system, gasoline. It is covered by 1 safety recall.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 6, 2018. Updated daily.
Complaints by system
Where the 2002 Subaru WRX has problems
427 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
266Fuel system, gasoline5 crash/fire/injury
64Service brakes, hydraulic11 crash/fire/injury
25Fuel system, other
16Power train
16Engine and engine cooling
15Service brakes, air
8Visibility
6Fuel/propulsion system
6Suspension
2112 other systems
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel system, gasoline | 266 | 5 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 64 | 11 |
| Fuel system, other | 25 | 0 |
| Power train | 16 | 1 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 16 | 0 |
| Service brakes, air | 15 | 3 |
| Visibility | 8 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 6 | 0 |
| Suspension | 6 | 0 |
| 12 other systems | 21 | 6 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
1 recall
2002 Subaru WRX recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Subaru.
Mileage at failure
When do fuel system, gasoline problems start?
49kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 209 fuel system, gasoline complaints. 94% were reported before 100,000 miles.
35under 30k miles196under 100k miles13100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Fuel system, gasoline
33 owners mentioned a cost$500median
Middle half: $400 – $600
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2002 vs. every other WRX year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the WRX median. How we score
'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
5 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2002 Subaru WRX, and the recalls they led to.
- EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCESNo recall
- FUEL LINE LEAKLed to recall 09V-468
- BRAKING SYSTEM/ABSNo recall
- FUEL LINE LEAKAGE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENTNo recall
- FUEL LINE LEAKNo recall
In owners' words
What WRX owners report
Recent fuel system, gasoline complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
I'M FILING MY COMPLAINT WITH ALL THE OTHERS ABOUT THE STRONG FUEL SMELL DURING THE COLD MONTHS. I CANNOT BELIEVE OHIO IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I'VE TAKEN MY CAR TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES TO BE TOLD THAT THE CAR IS OKAY. FRANKLY, THIS PAST COLD WINTER HAS BEEN AWFUL. THE SMELL MAKES IT'S…
WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE MY CAR SMELLS LIKE RAW FUEL VERY STRONGLY IN THE CABIN RESULTING IN HEADACHES AND DIZZINESS. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG-ST THESE CARS AND SUBARU KNOWS ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY HAD AN EXTENDED RECALL BUT DOES NOT COVER THE PROBLEM NOW. *TR
WORKING NIGHT SHIFTS, STARTED MY CAR TO LET WARM UP, TEMPERATURE WAS 43 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AT THE TIME. AFTER START UP I COULD SMELL RAW FUEL OUT SIDE THE CAR AS WELL AS INSIDE THE CAR THROUGH THE VENTS. ALSO GAS MILEAGE HAS GONE DOWN BY DRASTICALLY, NORMALLY GET 300-330 MILES A TANK AND CURRENTLY…
Own a 2002 WRX?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.