Gas Tank

[Woah322]

Probably not the right category but couldn't find one that fits . So I bought a 2015 Dodge Journey SXT AWD Blacktop back on Aug 29,2015 this was to replace another Journey as this being my 3rd one and quite happy with Dodge and the Journey line. The truck was back twice in the first month as the air conditioning would drain into the cabin of the vehicle and flood out the carpet and mats, but my issue now is a fuel leak. I was driving on the BQE in Queens, heard a loud pop, didn't think much of it, kept driving and when I parked at my job there was gas leaking from under the vehicle. I called to have it towed, wouldn't tow till the fire department came and made it safe as it was a fuel leak,the fire department came along with the hazmat team and drilled a hole in the tank to drain it and thus make it safe to be towed. Truck was towed from Queens, NY to Sansone Dodge in Jersey and after sitting there a few days was told the tank suffered impact damage and it's my problem, not under warranty and want 1,500 go fix it. I never hit anything or ran anything over. Also telling me the gas tank is plastic (polymer) and it appears to have cracked from impact. I'm not one to complain but this is a 2 month old truck and it could have easily blew up with me driving cause the gas was leaking all over the place as I was driving and I had to pay for a tow, plus the Haz Mat clean up costs and best yet, won't give me a rental. I really am out of words for Dodge on this one.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Woah322

[jkeaton]

Check and see if your insurance will cover it.

[bramfrank]

Yup - sounds like the tank was hit by something as you drove along. There are three avenues - it is either a defect, in which case the warranty covers it. Or it is impact damage, in which case that should be covered by your insurance. Of course you could just pay the bill from your pocket.

But you may get a bill from the fire department at some point, so you are much better off to let your insurance deal with it since the warranty wouldn't pay for 'consequential expenses'.

[Woah322]

The dealership told me to go through insurance,I just feel like they just looking to not warranty it. My deductible is 1,000 so even if I went through insurance they only going to pay the remaining 500. Still the fact I didn't hit anything on the road and that's it's brand new I guess don't matter

[bramfrank]

When you looked at the damage, did it SEEM to have impact damage? Or was there simply a straight crack of some sort?

Deductibles may (or may not) apply, by the way (at least that's how it works where I come from) - here it is based on responsibility - so, for example if I am the victim of a hit and run, or if an accident is not my fault I don't have to pay the deductible.

Then again, we also have a no-fault system, so my insurance won't go after yours to recover their loss - the concept being that it all averages out in the end.

[jkeaton]

Same here, it would be covered by comprehensive. Like getting a cracked or broken windshield driving down the road. No deductible.

[dhh3]

Wouldn't the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty cover this?

[bfurth]

If the damage was done by impact, there is no chance FCA is going to warranty the repair. It's physical road-side damage, and not something the warranty would cover. Insurance (comprehensive, as it was not the result of a collision with another vehicle) will cover it, if you report it. The only way FCA would ever cover this is under repeated incidents of the same issue, an NHTSA investigation, and proof that the fuel tanks are built of insufficient strength, or a specific production run of the tanks were built at less than specified strength.

You do have on other option, should you be brave enough - DIY. Fuel tanks, especially with a de-pressurized system such as the one you already have, are not difficult to remove (typically only have some straps holding them to the undercarriage. If the Journey is anything like the Grand Caravan, the fuel filter is probably integrated into the pump. That means the only lines you have to worry about are the purge canister and the two fuel lines (supply and return) and the filler tube. Drop the tank, remove the fuel pump and the wiring harness, re-install, and you're done. Without having access to a service manual, I would assume you need to cycle the ignition to "run" 3 times before actually starting the engine (press the ignition button twice to go from off to Acc, then Run, wait a few seconds, then press again to reset to Off, and repeat 3 times) to pressurize the fuel system.

Also, I am not a mechanic. This is basic information from when I replaced the fuel pump on my old Malibu. Your mileage may (and probably will) vary. Also, you'd be stuck with the cost of towing the vehicle from the dealership back to your driveway, plus the cost of obtaining a new tank, and the concern of working with (what little is left) gasoline.

[Woah322]

I just can't believe how a 2 month old car with 6k miles and under full warranty and even bought the Maxuim care extended warranty brought to the dealership for a fuel leak is going to result in a comprehensive claim. My auto insurance policy doesn't currently doesn't even have glass coverage and my comprehensive is a 1k deductible. But like @bfurth it's probably something I could change on my own but for the year and to buy a fuel tank probably going to be a result of having to get the part from the dealership anyways. I find it perplexing how something supposedly so big and massive to impact the fuel tank and pop it (even though I never hit or ran anything over) and not cause damage to any other part of the vehicle like oil pan, exhaust etc.

[bfurth]

Did the tank split open on a seam? Does it look like stressed plastic? If no, then it's road side damage and definitely not covered. If yes, call Dodge Cares. It's still not a guarantee.

[bigtsr]

Perhaps a black tire iron as a friend of mine did.

Went from right front tire thru oil pan jammed the crankshaft

and destroyed his Camaro Z with 1400 miles on it.

[Lobitz68]

I just can't believe how a 2 month old car with 6k miles and under full warranty and even bought the Maxuim care extended warranty brought to the dealership for a fuel leak is going to result in a comprehensive claim. My auto insurance policy doesn't currently doesn't even have glass coverage and my comprehensive is a 1k deductible. But like @bfurth it's probably something I could change on my own but for the year and to buy a fuel tank probably going to be a result of having to get the part from the dealership anyways. I find it perplexing how something supposedly so big and massive to impact the fuel tank and pop it (even though I never hit or ran anything over) and not cause damage to any other part of the vehicle like oil pan, exhaust etc.

I understand your frustration, but an automobile warranty is a promise by a manufacturer or dealer that it will repair or replace defects in your vehicle. Unless you can show that this is the result of a defect (which will be pretty difficult as impact is usually pretty obvious and not a claim that would typically be made when unsure) you're kind of SOL. This is very standard across the industry...

Have you seen the damage? Seems to me impact would show the damage going into the tank whereas if the tank gave out to pressure the damage would be going out of the tank.

[Woah322]

Finally picked up the vehicle today, almost two weeks later. Dealer wouldn't even give me a loaner and now got a 1,500 dollar bill to pay. There statement is vague " Tech verified fuel leak. Inspected and found fuel tank damage due to impact causing fuel to leak. Remove and replace fuel tank assembly and road test ok at this time". Parts 1085, labor 332.80, tax 96.62, shop materials 12.50= 1,526.92 dollars.

Referring to @bfruth I never got to see the old tank and the dealer isn't going into much detail.

[bramfrank]

Sorry to hear about how this all played out.

If you had concerns you probably should have insisted that the dealer show you the damage before the repairs were done. And, of course, if your insurance would have covered the damage under comprehensive coverage without deductible (assuming it was caused by a road hazard) the time to file a claim was before the repair was authorised. I hope you discussed the possibility of a claim with your insurer before authorising the work.

Two weeks might seem like a lot, but the warehouse almost certainly does not keep gas tanks lying around since the only reason to replace one would normally be due to an accident.

At least you have it back and running.

[jkeaton]

Did you ever contact insurance?

[Billy Billy]

So you believe the tank was defected but you never try to have it checked out by a third party to prove as much and now you just flat out blame dodge for this , you can't blame Dodge unless you have complete proof and not just a assumption . You should had taken it to another repair shop besides the dealer to have it checked if you truly believed it was defected.

You are upset about the hazmat fees , towing fees and repair costs you paid but you must have insurance that should cover that so you could had avoid those charges if you had contacted your insurance agent but you seem dead sit on blaming dodge for this without proof so IMO You got what you deserve !

stop whinnying to us and call your insurance agent before it is too late to try to recover those costs you paid out of pocket that could be paid though a claim !

as for the dealer not letting you see the Original tank with the damage, you can damn well believe I would not be told no when I own it !

I am not saying a defected tank is not possible but you failed to prove it by going to a third party so you don't have a leg to stand on and you are out of money for all those fees cause you didn't contact your insurance agent

Edited November 22, 2015 by Billy Billy

[dhh3]

My Dealer would have shown me the defect, whether I asked to see it or not. The old gas tank is yours and you have a right to see it.

[Woah322]

No I never contacted insurance, I verified though that I do have a comprehensive deductible of 1K so it didn't seem worth it. They only thing they said about specific detail was that there was some sort of line down the tank and then said it was punctured.

Update- 3 days later took it on a road trip, was suprised at the gas mileage, long behold I was wrong, the fuel gauge doesn't work now. I found out the hard way, went to the gas station and said fill it up and it took over 19 gallons and it was still reading half on the gauge and even the digital display showed 192 miles to empty. Next day CEl lights on P0461- did some research and it comes up at Fuel Level Sensor Circuit. Seems quite coincidental, contacted Dodge again, told me to bring it in, but the holiday and all it going to wait to Monday, so for now I drive around with the CEL light on and put gas everyday till I find out what the dealership has to say this time.

[jkeaton]

Unless you drive 300 miles a day, I'd say you don't have to put gas in it every day. 1000 deductible is less than the repair cost, no? I'm about to say "nah, nah, nah, I can't hear you anymore" cause your complaining just to be heard complaining.

Edited November 26, 2015 by jkeaton

[2late4u]

me thinks he likes to exaggerate things a little.

[xcaliber81]

Nevermind

Edited November 26, 2015 by xcaliber81

[jkeaton]

Nevermind

No, please go ahead.

[Dusty256]

I find this strange , the first thing I would have done is to contact my insurance company . New car or sometimes you hit things (same reason you buy the road hazard warranty on tires ) . Never ever heard of a gas tank just popping open , a lot of testing goes in to gas tanks . The polyvinyl tanks are pretty tuff so you must have hit something with out knowing it .

gas gauge problem is most likely just a loose wire (happens). Just figure avg 20mpg and watch your odometer till you can bring it in .

If I was driving and heard a loud pop , com mom sense would tell me to pull over and see what caused it .

Edited November 26, 2015 by Dusty256

[Woah322]

@jkeaton- I'm not on this forum to complain or exaggerate things, just explaing and trying to get feedback on my problem. I appreciate all the feedback received so far.

@Dusty256- yes I know things can get hit on the road( hence reason I did take the optional road hazard warranty when buying the car) and like you said there probably is a lot of testing that goes into the tank itself, when I looked into the location of the tank itself doesn't have any protection or shield and hangs lower then the rest of the car, probably cause of the rear storage bins, making it more prone to damage.

As far as the gas gauge, after another week in the shop was told needed new fuel pump, sending unit and float assembly. Seems odd to be changing all that now with only 6k miles

[Lobitz68]

As far as the gas gauge, after another week in the shop was told needed new fuel pump, sending unit and float assembly. Seems odd to be changing all that now with only 6k miles

Wonder if it got damage during the impact... I didn't want to start at the beginning of the thread and I don't remember all of the details from the first time I read it, was this happening before the tank was damaged?