Customer: Hudson Valley Gas Station Fills Up Gas Tanks With Water
A woman says a Hudson Valley gas station was filling up cars with water instead of fuel.
Sarah Toman said she spent $45 filling her car with fuel at Stewart's Shops on Tower Drive in Middletown Tuesday morning around 9 a.m. and then drove to work.
Hours later, when she started her 3-month-old 2019 Jeep Wrangler, she knew something was wrong.
"Trying to leave the parking lot my car would not drive correctly," Toman wrote on Facebook.
She then took the car to a local automotive repair shop, got a rental, and hoped whatever was wrong would be covered by her warranty.
Instead, the dealership said the issue won't be covered by warranty, because her "gas tank was filled completely with water and 2% gas," she said.
According to Toman, she then called Stewart's who admitted they had a problem Tuesday with their fuel tanks and mentioned they've received a number of complaints.
A spokesperson from Stewart's Shops later confirmed to Hudson Valley Post there was a problem on Tuesday.
"We did have a quality issue with the Regular Unleaded gas at this shop that occurred during a very isolated period of time on Tuesday. We are working with the gas supplier to identify the cause of this issue and rectify the situation for our impacted customers. To help service our customers while Regular Unleaded 87 octane gasoline is unavailable, we are selling the 93 Premium gas at the Regular Unleaded price," Stewart’s Shops Public Relations Specialist Erica Komoroske told Hudson Valley Post in an email. "Customers are being instructed to contact our Consumer Affairs department with any concerns. 518-581-1200 extension 2130."
Toman says she was told Stewart's would cover her damages and rentals if their investigation finds them at fault.