Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site

Fuel pump failure

Most reported: 2018 Honda Accord with 154 reports. Across the 255 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 4,028.

4,028owner reports
255model years affected
60,598median miles
28involved a crash
30involved a fire

A lot of fuel pump complaints are tied to a recall. Owners describe a car that stalled or wouldn't start, sometimes at highway speed, and many mention that a recall covers it and the part isn't available yet. Others paid for the pump themselves before a recall existed, or on a car the recall didn't include.

Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do

The 25 vehicles with the most reports

Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of fuel pump reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.

1
2018 Honda Accord2 crashesrecall
1548% of its complaints92k mi
2
2018 Honda CR-V1 crashrecall
894% of its complaints78k mi
3
2022 Chevrolet Equinoxrecall
7644% of its complaints24k mi
4
2021 Chevrolet Tahoerecall
7416% of its complaints37k mi
5
2019 Honda CR-Vrecall
706% of its complaints54k mi
6
2019 Honda Accord1 crashrecall
659% of its complaints85k mi
7
2019 Honda Pilot1 crashrecall
576% of its complaints76k mi
8
2014 Ford Taurus1 firerecall
5626% of its complaints82k mi
9
2016 Ram 1500recall
503% of its complaints91k mi
10
2019 Honda Odyssey2 crashesrecall
505% of its complaints79k mi
11
2015 Ram 1500recall
463% of its complaints106k mi
12
2014 Ram 1500recall
443% of its complaints95k mi
13
2019 Honda Civicrecall
4310% of its complaints48k mi
14
2014 Ford Focusrecall
412% of its complaints53k mi
15
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokeerecall
412% of its complaints88k mi
16
2018 Honda Odysseyrecall
414% of its complaints88k mi
17
2018 Toyota Camry1 crashrecall
405% of its complaints40k mi
18
2015 Ford Taurusrecall
3914% of its complaints80k mi
19
2019 Toyota Highlanderrecall
378% of its complaints13k mi
20
2018 Honda Civicrecall
365% of its complaintsfew mileages
21
2021 GMC Yukonrecall
3611% of its complaints57k mi
22
2023 Chevrolet Equinox
3638% of its complaints39k mi
23
2014 BMW 328d1 crashrecall
3523% of its complaints92k mi
24
2014 Ford Flex1 crashrecall
3514% of its complaints69k mi
25
2016 Honda Pilotrecall
342% of its complaints115k mi

Where it dominates the complaint file

Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe fuel pump. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).

1
2022 Chevrolet Equinoxrecall
7644% of its complaints24k mi
2
2023 Chevrolet Equinox
3638% of its complaints39k mi
3
2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia1 crashrecall
2626% of its complaintsfew mileages
4
2014 Ford Taurus1 firerecall
5626% of its complaints82k mi
5
2014 BMW 328d1 crashrecall
3523% of its complaints92k mi
6
2021 Chevrolet Tahoerecall
7416% of its complaints37k mi
7
2014 Ford Flex1 crashrecall
3514% of its complaints69k mi
8
2015 Ford Taurusrecall
3914% of its complaints80k mi
9
2020 Ford F-250 Super Dutyrecall
3413% of its complaints98k mi
10
2018 Toyota Tacomarecall
2613% of its complaints36k mi

By model, every year together

The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.

When it happens

1,803 of the 4,028 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 33,179 and 91,000 miles; the median is 60,598. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.

Reports by model year

Every report of fuel pump, grouped by the model year of the car. 28 involved a crash and 30 a fire. 36 people were hurt.

What owners describe

Share of the 4,028 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.

there is a recall for it56%

it happened at speed46%

the car stalled or would not start39%

I paid for the pump12%

the recall part was not available10%

What got replaced

Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.

the fuel pump4,028

the high-pressure pump327

the fuel pump relay49

What it is and what to do

What the pump does

The Car Care Council describes the fuel system as moving fuel from the tank through a filter to the injectors, with a pressure regulator keeping the pressure right for the engine's speed and load. Delphi, which makes fuel pumps, adds a detail that matters to owners: the pump relies on the fuel flowing through it for lubrication and cooling. Running the tank empty can overheat and damage it, and regularly running very low can let debris from the bottom of the tank clog the pump's strainer. Owners in these reports name the fuel pump, the fuel pump relay and, on direct-injection engines, the high-pressure pump.

What a shop checks first

Delphi's advice to technicians is blunt: replacing a fuel pump can be a costly mistake if it isn't the real cause, so test the system for pressure, volume and electrical integrity first and compare each result with the manufacturer's specification. Ask the shop which of those tests it ran. If the pump is replaced, Delphi also recommends cleaning the tank first, because contamination left behind can take out the new pump.

When to stop driving

A pump that fails while you're driving stalls the engine. If your car is under a fuel pump recall, or has already stalled once, keep off highways where you can and don't let the tank run low. If it stalls, get off the road and have it towed. If a recall letter includes interim instructions, NHTSA's advice is to follow them until the repair is done.

What to tell the mechanic

Describe what happened: a stall while moving, a long crank before starting, or a no-start. Say how full the tank was. Bring any recall letter you've received and the VIN, and mention if a pump has been replaced before.

Recalls, bulletins and warranty

Look up your VIN at NHTSA's recall page before paying for a pump. Recall repairs are free by law, unless the car was first sold more than 15 years before the recall notice. Keep the invoice for any pump you've already paid for. Also search your year, make and model to see manufacturer communications. Fuel system parts can fall under EPA's emissions warranty, which covers emission-related parts, including fuel metering, for 2 years or 24,000 miles.

Sources

Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.