[Annat]

I have the same problem. 2021, 2k miles. Dealer says there isn’t a problem. Subaru stands w the dealer. This may be my first and last Subaru.

Me too! This is my first Subaru and probablylast as well. I've always had Hondas and drove them till the end. I'm waiting on Subaru to get back to me with an update. I'm going to request a new car. We'll see how that goes. I'm really disappointed.

 

[vitenite]

Other than opening a case how are they communicate with you? Did they cal and let you know or email you?

 

[richardrocks]

I have a very strong gas odor on mine as well (2020, 10k miles) and slightly rising oil levels. I just bought my first house with a garage and I don't park in it because it reeks. I also keep the air recirculate on full time now even though I now live in a region with light traffic and plenty of fresh air. Standing within 10 feet of the car I can smell it, whether it's on or off. I do live in a cold climate now but I never let the thing idle or warm up for more than 30 seconds to a minute whereas some people idle their cars for 10 - 15 minutes, which I know can be detrimental to an engine.

Dealer had it for a few days, corresponded with a field engineer, and wrote the following on the paperwork:
Test drove vehicle and recorded fuel trim data...
Sent data to FSE as requested...
Oil change performed...
Trace amounts of gasoline in the oil is normal for these engines as they are DIT (direct injection turbo) while the engine is cold, the fuel injectors are unable to atomize the fuel entirely and some of it sticks to the cylinder walls and gets washed back into the oil.
FSE will analyze fuel trim data and contact us if anything is abnormal.
Smelled oil and compared to another Ascent, both have a slight gasoline smell to them.

Rep mentioned that the FSE is dealing with these complaints. He asked me to drive it 2,000 miles and bring back. I'm at a 1,000 and oil level is about 1/4 - 1/2 inch above the full line but perhaps they overfilled it slightly... I'll keep monitoring.

So! Has anyone had a successful resolution or do I just need to live with it for now? Is it worth my time to keep taking it in when there may not be a fix yet (or for whatever reason it really is a characteristic of this engine in cold weather)?

 

[packout]

Get it in right away, be very persistent, and document everything- everything in writing.... I have a 2019 with the same problem..been trying to resolve it for a year...EXTREMELY Frustrating...we have lemon laws in WI....I am currently looking into this option as Subaru has not provided a solution to this issue.

Raw gas vapor in the cabin of the vehicle- or on the outside of the vehicle is a DEFECT- I don't care what they say.

Love the vehicle, but customer support has been and continues to be a 100% disappointment. They also say fuel in your oil is normal-----really? It is amazing they continue to produce a vehicle that has these issues- now in its 3rd model year.

A small amount of fuel in the oil is in fact normal. It really depends on how much.

"Symptoms of oil and fuel mixture beyond the normal amount

If you are unsure whether the mixture of gas and oil isn’t normal, here are a few symptoms and signs you can look for that can tell you whether there’s a problem with the car or not.

• You can smell a strong odour of fuel as you are driving the car
• Your car emits an opaque white smoke from the exhaust rather than a clear smoke
• Your dipstick shows that your oil is either overflowing or the level is increasing without actually adding any oil
• Your dipstick smells more like gasoline than oil
• The oil on your dipstick drops off like water droplets
• The oil pressure gauge shows low oil pressure
• You notice that, while changing the engine oil, the oil seems not so viscous

If you encounter any of these symptoms, it may be that there’s an excessive amount of gas getting into the oil in your engine which isn’t normal. A rather easy way to tell if your car is using too much fuel is that your car will emit thick white smoke.


That is due to the fact that fuel that is not burnt properly during the combustion cycle will tend to ignite later when on its way out of the cylinder. Also, since oil is viscous and gasoline is not, if you realize that your engine’s oil is thinner than it should be, even after a long time of use, there’s a high chance that it’s the gasoline that is changing the viscous properties of the oil."

 

[vitenite]

A small amount of fuel in the oil is in fact normal. It really depends on how much.

"Symptoms of oil and fuel mixture beyond the normal amount

If you are unsure whether the mixture of gas and oil isn’t normal, here are a few symptoms and signs you can look for that can tell you whether there’s a problem with the car or not.

• You can smell a strong odour of fuel as you are driving the car
• Your car emits an opaque white smoke from the exhaust rather than a clear smoke
• Your dipstick shows that your oil is either overflowing or the level is increasing without actually adding any oil
• Your dipstick smells more like gasoline than oil
• The oil on your dipstick drops off like water droplets
• The oil pressure gauge shows low oil pressure
• You notice that, while changing the engine oil, the oil seems not so viscous

If you encounter any of these symptoms, it may be that there’s an excessive amount of gas getting into the oil in your engine which isn’t normal. A rather easy way to tell if your car is using too much fuel is that your car will emit thick white smoke.


That is due to the fact that fuel that is not burnt properly during the combustion cycle will tend to ignite later when on its way out of the cylinder. Also, since oil is viscous and gasoline is not, if you realize that your engine’s oil is thinner than it should be, even after a long time of use, there’s a high chance that it’s the gasoline that is changing the viscous properties of the oil."

True, I mean its combustion afterall, so there is a chance for the mix to happen...but when you start seeing levels like 1" above high mark on dipstick (near the twist almost), that should not be normal IMO.

 

[D Rose]

Rochardrocks
Annat
Vitenite
Update on my 2021 w/ fuel smells. I picked it up today after being out of town, dealer said no problems, and he's keeping it "on his board" for monthly meeting calls with district techs. That doesn't help me at all. I logged on to justanswer.com who has certified Subaru technicians who answer directly. He said it could be the evap cannister, as it does not trigger an error code, but have to remove the differential and suspension to get to it. I feel certain dealer isn't going to do that. SOA case opened, they are following the lead of the dealer who claims they've never heard of it, even in the 2019 recall, I'm finding that hard to believe.
1. Please document this with SOA by opening a case.
2. Please file with the following link to show that you/I am not the only one with the problem. As others see this on a good search, they too will be able to file their claim. This should lead to recalls, hopefully.

File a Vehicle Safety Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA

3. Please let me know how any resolution to your problem proceeds so we can all repair or move forward for resolution. Many thanks!

 

[D Rose]

At around 2000 miles, I smell raw gas in the garage a few min after car cools down from driving. Also, I was idling for 10 min and smell started entering inside through the vents.
I'm taking it in tomorrow to the dealer. Any other 2021 makes out there with this issue?

I have NOT found anyone on old forums with a solution. Is there one?

Annat, have you progressed in a resolution? Have you opened a case at SOA? I was told today that mine is the only 2021 w an open case for this issue at SOA. Also told there were no engine changes from 2020 to 2021. There are plenty of 2020’s w this problem. But somehow SOA lumps complaints into model years. Let me know how/if you’ve proceeded forward in any way. Thank you.

 

[D Rose]

I have a very strong gas odor on mine as well (2020, 10k miles) and slightly rising oil levels. I just bought my first house with a garage and I don't park in it because it reeks. I also keep the air recirculate on full time now even though I now live in a region with light traffic and plenty of fresh air. Standing within 10 feet of the car I can smell it, whether it's on or off. I do live in a cold climate now but I never let the thing idle or warm up for more than 30 seconds to a minute whereas some people idle their cars for 10 - 15 minutes, which I know can be detrimental to an engine.

Dealer had it for a few days, corresponded with a field engineer, and wrote the following on the paperwork:
Test drove vehicle and recorded fuel trim data...
Sent data to FSE as requested...
Oil change performed...
Trace amounts of gasoline in the oil is normal for these engines as they are DIT (direct injection turbo) while the engine is cold, the fuel injectors are unable to atomize the fuel entirely and some of it sticks to the cylinder walls and gets washed back into the oil.
FSE will analyze fuel trim data and contact us if anything is abnormal.
Smelled oil and compared to another Ascent, both have a slight gasoline smell to them.

Rep mentioned that the FSE is dealing with these complaints. He asked me to drive it 2,000 miles and bring back. I'm at a 1,000 and oil level is about 1/4 - 1/2 inch above the full line but perhaps they overfilled it slightly... I'll keep monitoring.

So! Has anyone had a successful resolution or do I just need to live with it for now? Is it worth my time to keep taking it in when there may not be a fix yet (or for whatever reason it really is a characteristic of this engine in cold weather)?

Richardrocks, have you found a resolution to your oil smell? Mine came back from the dealer with no resolution. I chased the smell in the engine to dip stick. It smells of raw fuel. It's over full, over 1/2 way from fill mark to the twist. I called the dealer yesterday and they said they checked it and it was fine. I've only driven about 5 miles, so how does it go from "fine" to over full and smells like fuel? SOA called me and continues to parrot what the dealer says ... that if they can't replicate it they can't do anything. My point is, believe the customer and keep the vehicle until you find the problem, rather than doing a very basic check and having me pick up the vehicle. So much for the reputation of exceptional customer service. Any insight yet, Richardrocks?

 

[vitenite]

I dont have a resolution yet...unfortunately...

 

[packout]

Richardrocks, have you found a resolution to your oil smell? Mine came back from the dealer with no resolution. I chased the smell in the engine to dip stick. It smells of raw fuel. It's over full, over 1/2 way from fill mark to the twist. I called the dealer yesterday and they said they checked it and it was fine. I've only driven about 5 miles, so how does it go from "fine" to over full and smells like fuel? SOA called me and continues to parrot what the dealer says ... that if they can't replicate it they can't do anything. My point is, believe the customer and keep the vehicle until you find the problem, rather than doing a very basic check and having me pick up the vehicle. So much for the reputation of exceptional customer service. Any insight yet, Richardrocks?

I suggest you have the oil analyzed to determine any contaminations and at what levels. If it comes back showing levels too high you can ask SOA for test cost reimbursement and for appropriate contamination resolution.

 

[richardrocks]

Richardrocks, have you found a resolution to your oil smell? Mine came back from the dealer with no resolution. I chased the smell in the engine to dip stick. It smells of raw fuel. It's over full, over 1/2 way from fill mark to the twist. I called the dealer yesterday and they said they checked it and it was fine. I've only driven about 5 miles, so how does it go from "fine" to over full and smells like fuel? SOA called me and continues to parrot what the dealer says ... that if they can't replicate it they can't do anything. My point is, believe the customer and keep the vehicle until you find the problem, rather than doing a very basic check and having me pick up the vehicle. So much for the reputation of exceptional customer service. Any insight yet, Richardrocks?

It's been about 1500 miles since they changed the oil -- they told me to return in 2,000. Oil is about 1/4 - 1/3 inch above the top notch and reeks of gas. I can even smell gas when approaching the car in a parking lot. I plan to take it back in the next few weeks. I was hoping someone else on here would have success in finding a solution. I assume that they won't be able to do much given what they said previously and what others have stated in the forums.

Is this potentially a safety issue?