Bad gas?

[Buck531]

Buddy of mine sent this from where he lives in Louisville, KY.

 

Running on empty

05:56 PM EDT on Monday, May 17, 2004

By TONY HYATT / WHAS11 News

It’s been busy at Neil Huffman’s service department since last week. Cars are coming in with the same problem: Their gas gauges show half-full, yet the cars run out of gas.

“It’s an electronic transmitter and it transmits up to your dash or wherever how much fuel’s in the tank of the vehicle. And when it fails, it’s gonna have a false reading on the dash of the vehicle,” says Service Manager Jim Webb. “You’re not gonna be aware that you’re out of fuel until it’s too late.”

More than 30 cars have rolled in because of the gas gauge. Other shops in town are reporting the same thing. On average, it costs anywhere form $300 to $500 to repair.

Right now, it’s a mystery as to why it’s happening – but it is happening.

“I give ‘em gas and maybe put a little in their carburetor and they would fire right up and go, even though their gauges were showing half tanks, quarter tanks,” says Larry Trowbridge of Freeway Friends.

Marc Breit is driving a loaner car. His Cadillac Escalade quit running Friday afternoon. But that’s only half of his problem.

“The very next day, our Chrysler van, which is three years old, died the very same way, and apparently it’s been diagnosed with the same problem” Breit says.

“Numbers that are generating currently are so high in such a short period of time, which suggests that something is being introduced into vehicles that’s actually causing the problem,” says Assistant Kentucky Attorney General Harold Turner.

By noon, the attorney general’s office had about 25 calls concerning this problem. The Kentucky Agricultural Department, which regulates the quality of gasoline in the state, is planning on doing spot checks on Jefferson County stations in the next 24 hours, wanting to know where some of these cars have been.

[nurkvinny]

Very interesting. I figured it was an internet spoof, but there is actually a link to the story on whas11.com, a Louisville, KY channel.

[Buck531]

Yep. I had my friend email it to me because I couldn't view it (not a member).

[BiG BeN]

maybe some stickygoo in the fuel supply.i would think they'de be coming in for fuel filters though.

[Ambrosia]

Thats crazy!!! They better hope they keep there receipt for that gas, and sue for the repair cost!

[lcz06]

i'm always worried about getting bad gas so I stear clear of certin gas pumps..

[Buck531]

My friend actually told me what it was. They found sulfur in the gas from Ashland Marathon... so.. I won't be buying gas from them in the future....

[nurkvinny]

Associated Press Newswires - © 2004. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. - 19 May 2004 - By JOE BIESK

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Gasoline tainted with elemental sulfur was responsible for damaging hundreds of fuel sensors in vehicles around the Louisville area, officials announced Wednesday.

 

Marathon Ashland Petroleum acknowledged it sent out a batch of gasoline containing "trace amounts" of elemental sulfur. It was enough to damage some cars' gas gauges, the company said in a statement.

 

"Although the company says that the gas passed industry standards, the sulfur is known to affect gas gauge readings," Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo said, "creating the exact problem that consumers in Louisville faced when the gas gauge says there's gas in the tank, but the car is on empty."

 

The gas has been sold since May 3 in Jefferson, Oldham and Bullitt counties in Kentucky, and in Floyd and Clark counties in Indiana. Officials believe only regular and mid-grade gasoline were affected.

 

However, they were not sure exactly which stations received the gas and were still investigating, said Linda Casey, a Marathon Ashland Petroleum spokeswoman. The company also sells its gasoline at wholesale, Casey said.

 

The tainted gasoline came out of the company's Kramer's Lane Distribution Terminal in Louisville. The problem stemmed from contaminated tanks, Casey said.

 

"We will return the product to the refinery and re-refine it," she said.

 

Vehicles that run the gas are only susceptible to gas gauge problems and not engine damage, Casey said. Customers whose vehicles were damaged from the gas can get reimbursed, Casey said.

 

The company has set up a number for people to call for reimbursement, 1-888-263-3778.

 

Elemental sulfur damages the sensor in the gas tank, causing the gauge to improperly measure the amount of fuel in the vehicle.

 

"It's important that people know that if they notice any malfunction with their gas gauges, they need to monitor their mileage and fill their tank up," Casey said.

 

The average cost of fixing the problem is about $400 a vehicle, she said.

 

To be eligible for reimbursement, a person has to have had a gas gauge problem and bought regular or mid-grade gas since May 3 in the affected counties, Casey said.

 

Stumbo said company officials have agreed with the state that it would reimburse consumers whose vehicles were damaged by the gasoline.

 

"We have, at this point, every reason to believe that Ashland Marathon wishes to be a responsible corporate citizen," Stumbo said.

 

By Wednesday afternoon, the attorney general's office had received 400 to 600 complaints, said Harold Turner, a consumer protection lawyer in the attorney general's office.

 

Speedway and Marathon gas stations were among the retailers supplied with the faulty gasoline, Casey said. It was unclear how much gasoline was sold.

 

Still, Turner said complaints received by the attorney general's office were from people who bought gas at various retail outlets.

 

"We've received complaints on virtually every type of retailer ... it's been pretty much across the board," Turner said.