Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Fuel smells, leaks, or the gauge reads wrong
Most reported: 2018 Honda CR-V with 77 reports. Across the 85 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 1,024.
- 1,024owner reports
- 85model years affected
- 34,000median miles
- 3involved a crash
- 13involved a fire
This group mixes an annoyance with a hazard. On the annoying side, the pump at the gas station keeps clicking off before the tank is full, or the fuel gauge jumps around and reads wrong. On the hazardous side, owners smell gas in or around the car or see fuel dripping underneath. Some say it only happens right after filling up.
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 tank problems 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.
- 1774% of its complaints4k mi
- 2563% of its complaints10k mi
- 3546% of its complaints1k mi
- 42014 Ram 15001 fire523% of its complaints60k mi
- 5324% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 62014 Ford Focus1 crash301% of its complaints70k mi
- 7279% of its complaints83k mi
- 8274% of its complaints1k mi
- 9264% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 102016 Ram 15001 fire252% of its complaints50k mi
- 112320% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 12205% of its complaints51k mi
- 132015 Ram 15001 crash201% of its complaints62k mi
- 14185% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 152014 Mercedes-Benz E3501 fire145% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 162015 Chevrolet Suburban1 fire143% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 17142% of its complaints52k mi
- 18142% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 19145% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 20133% of its complaints4k mi
- 211210% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 22119% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 23111% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 24115% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 252017 Volkswagen Jetta1 fire117% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe fuel tank problems. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 1279% of its complaints83k mi
- 2546% of its complaints1k mi
- 3324% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 4274% of its complaints1k mi
- 5264% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 6774% of its complaints4k mi
- 7563% of its complaints10k mi
- 82014 Ram 15001 fire523% of its complaints60k mi
- 92016 Ram 15001 fire252% of its complaints50k mi
- 102014 Ford Focus1 crash301% of its complaints70k 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.
- Honda CR-V151
- Ram 1500118
- Kia K523
When it happens
448 of the 1,024 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 6,000 and 62,000 miles; the median is 34,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of fuel tank problems, grouped by the model year of the car. 3 involved a crash and 13 a fire. 8 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 1,024 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
What is usually involved
The parts owners name here are the fuel level sender, the fuel pump module, the filler neck and the fuel lines. Delphi describes the sender as a float on an arm connected to a variable resistor; as the fuel level changes, the float moves and the resistance changes, and that is what the dash gauge reads. On some cars the sender is part of the fuel pump assembly, and on others it stands alone. It calls a bad sender the most common reason a gauge reads wrong.
Filling problems and fuel smells can also involve the evaporative emission controls that handle vapor from the tank. EPA lists that system among those covered by the federal emissions warranty, and a fault in it is the kind of thing the check engine light exists to flag.
When to stop driving
A smell of gasoline inside the cabin, or fuel you can see dripping, is a reason to stop driving and have the car inspected before you use it again. Federal standard 301 exists to reduce deaths and injuries from fires caused by fuel spills, and the U.S. Fire Administration found that flammable liquids in the engine area were among the items most often ignited first in highway vehicle fires. A gauge that reads wrong is less urgent, but Delphi warns that running out of fuel can overheat and damage the fuel pump, so fill up by the odometer until it's fixed.
What to tell the mechanic
Say whether the smell is inside, outside or both, and whether it's worst after filling. Describe what the gauge does: stuck, jumping, or reading empty with fuel in the tank. Mention whether the check engine light is on, and how full the tank was when a leak appeared.
Recalls, bulletins and warranty
A fuel leak can be recalled as a safety defect, so check your VIN at NHTSA's recall page first; recall repairs are free. Then search your year, make and model for service bulletins, which manufacturers must file with NHTSA whether or not the defect is safety-related. Under EPA's emissions warranty, emission-related parts, evaporative controls included, are covered for 2 years or 24,000 miles.
Sources
- Delphi Technologies: What's wrong with my fuel gauge?
- 49 CFR 571.301, Standard No. 301, fuel system integrity (eCFR)
- U.S. Fire Administration: Highway Vehicle Fires (2014-2016)
- EPA: Emissions Warranties for 1995 and Newer Light-duty Cars and Trucks
- NHTSA: Check for Recalls
- 49 CFR 579.5, manufacturer notices and bulletins (eCFR)
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.