BP began a recall of regular unleaded gasoline that was shipped from their Whiting, Indiana fuel storage terminal between August 13-17th due to several reports of car problems after using their fuel.
The company said it believes the fuel stored in a tank at the Whiting, Indiana storage depot could cause hard starting, stalling and other issues relating to drivability, as reported in Business Week.
BP spokesman Scott Dean said that he has heard from about 10,000 customers possibly needing repairs due to the high level of polymeric residue in the gasoline and that the oil company had begun paying claims.
BP estimates that about 200 gas stations in the northwest Indiana and Chicago area, as well as another 20 gas stations in the Milwaukee area, were supplied with 2.1 million gallons of gasoline that has been recalled because it contained residue that can damage cars.
After thousands of consumers contacted the attorney general’s office looking for claim process information or complaining that they were having trouble with their vehicles, an investigation began to ensure BP’s prompt response.
The Chicagoist reported that a dozen cars complained to a Merrillville, Indiana car dealership after the bad fuel prevented their cars from starting. The average cost to repair the problem was approximately $1,200. A GMC dealership in Merrillville also reported 30 vehicles complaining about problems from BP gas.
There were other reports of consumer complaints following use of BP gas from Crown Point, Valparaiso, Indiana and New Buffalo, Michigan. Many cars showed up at repair shops and dealerships with complaints of starting issues.
BP is going through its shipping records on the recalled gas and is contacting customers who may have loaded tanker trucks from the terminal with the bad gas during the affected period.
The recall was limited to regular unleaded gasoline sold at retailers before sales were halted. There may have been some tankers who delivered fuel, crossing the state line into Illinois, which, Dean says, may also have involved premium and mid-grade gasoline, as well.
For more information, contact one of our Gacovino Lake attorneys at 1-800-246-HURT (4878).
