Alleged 'swamp water' gas tested for contaminates after car malfunctions on Bay Area freeway
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A scary situation for any driver: your car starts malfunctioning on the freeway.
The reality is this could happen to any of us.
A Bay Area woman contacted 7 On Your Side after her car began having such problems after filling up.
The cause was uncertain on why her car malfunctioned, but she believed it was tied to an issue with the fuel in her tank.
"It hopped like a bunny. I mean, it wasn't funny at the time. I was terrified," said Sabina James.
James said she filled up her tank at a Bay Area gas station on her way home from work. A few days later, she got on Interstate 580.
"When I was driving on the freeway, my car started losing power and the RPM started dropping. Then the car started hopping. I don't know how else to explain it. It literally hopped!" James recounted.
James said her car slowly started shutting down, but she managed to get off the freeway and make it home before it died.
"It was very scary. I was grateful it was a Sunday and the freeway wasn't that busy," James said.
Her car was towed to Ocean Honda dealership in Burlingame because she has a membership there to help with service repairs. There, a technician inspected and took a sample of her fuel.
"'Found fuel contaminated,'" said Ocean Honda's Service Director Lisa Mendez as she reviewed the vehicle service report.
"So, first of all, it smells like it has something else in it. It doesn't smell like full gasoline," Mendez said.
A bottle of fuel was sampled from James's car. Mendez says the technician's report indicated the sample contained water and sediment. She says that can happen for a variety of reasons, including material from the bottom of a storage tank or condensation buildup, adding that this would be the case unless James' fuel was tampered with by a third party.
"If they don't have pure fuel, then your engine can't run correctly. Then it starts to hop. That, to me, is like running out of gas. If you ever feel that jerking, it's a sign you're running out of gas or something is wrong with the fuel system," Mendez said.
"Unfortunately, this... it's a fluke. It's not that common," Mendez stated.
But common or not, after seeing the fuel sample:
"This is not gasoline. This is the worst kind of swamp water," Mendez said.
If this happens to you, you can report a complaint to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Inspectors can come out to test whether the fuel is safe.
That's what James did.
According to public records, the state's Division of Measurement Standards later conducted an unannounced inspection and tested several fuel samples. The results listed no water or sediment.
"I feel like my going in and talking to them may have alerted them," James said.
7 On Your Side reached out to the gas station and its parent company, BP, for further comment. We were told:
"We are currently investigating the viewer's complaint. We require our sites to have safeguards, such as filter and detection systems, to prevent fuel issues. Consumers who suspect fuel issues can contact the customer care line."
In the meantime, James got her fuel drained and changed out.
Now, the problem is fixed.
"I wanted to get the word out. Be careful where you fill up your gas," James said.
Another tip from service technicians: If you notice any large fuel tanks present at the gas station before you fill up, it's best to wait until they're gone in order to limit your chances of getting gas from the bottom of the barrel.
7OYS's consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. If we are able to assist you, we will reach back out.
