NHTSA Complaint #766957 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2002, AS CONSUMER WAS LEAVING WORK, HE SMELLED GASOLINE AND THE CAR HESITATED WHEN HE ACCELERATED. CONSUMER PULLED INTO A GAS STATION TO GET GAS SINCE THE GAS GAUGE READING WAS BETWEEN 3/8 AND 1/4 FULL. CONSUMER LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND SAW SOME GAS LEAKING FROM THE CAR. CONSUMER THOUGHT MAYBE THE GAS AND THE SMELL WAS THE RESULT OF SOME SORT OF PRESSURE BUILDUP CAUSING AN OVERFLOW.) HOWEVER, AFTER HAVING THE CAR FILLED UP, HE THEN STARTED THE CAR AND WENT TO PULL AWAY. CONSUMER COULDNOT EVEN PULL AWAY FROM THE PUMP, WHEN HE STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL, GASOLINE WOULD POUR OUT UNDER THE CAR FROM THE GAS TANK. CONSUMER HAD THE CAR TOWED TO PACIFICO MARPLE FORD (BROOMALL, PA). THEY DETERMINED THAT THE LEAK PROBABLY WAS DUE TO THE TUBE ASSEMBLY BECOMING DISCONNECTED FROM THE FUEL PUMP. (THAT DIAGNONSIS WAS LATER CONFIRMED.) A NEW TUBE ASSEMBLY WAS INSTALLED AND THE CAR SEEMS TO BE RUNNING JUST FINE, CONSUMER IS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT.*JB