NHTSA Complaint #11453639 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

I TRIED TO GET FUEL LATE AT NIGHT IN WINTER WARNING AFTER WORK AND UPON DOING SO, THE NOZZLE AT THE GAS STATION WOULD NOT FIT PROPERLY TO FUEL THE TANK. GAS BEGAN TO LEAK OUT AS I WAS FUELING THE VEHICLE, SQUIRTING UP ONTO MY BODY AND CLOTHING. I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE NOZZLE DID NOT FIT, HOWEVER I NEEDED DESPERATELY TO GET GAS SO THAT I COULD RETURN HOME IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA WHERE I LIVE. I TRIED FILLING THE GAS TANK SLOWLY TO NO AVAIL. THEN I PROCEEDED TO ANOTHER GAS STATION AS THERE ARE NOT MANY AROUND, AND AGAIN NOZZLE WOULD NOT ENTER THE TANK. THIS TIME I COULDN'T EVEN TURN ON THE PUMP. AFTER INSPECTING THE SITUATION, I COULD SEE THAT THE FUEL TANK AREA LOOKED AS THOUGH THE HOLE FOR THE TANK NO LONGER ACCEPTED NOZZLES, THE FUEL FILLER AREA SEEMED TO HAVE SLIPPED AND I NOW I AM UNABLE TO GET GAS AT ALL. THERE WAS NO WARNING- THIS JUST HAPPENED SUDDENLY, PUTTING ME IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION, WITH GASOLINE ON MY CLOTHING, FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND NEARLY STRANDED. LUCKILY I HAD ENOUGH GAS TO GET HOME, HOWEVER I CAN NOT FUEL MY TANK AND THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DIRE STRAIGHTS EMERGENCY.