PUNTA GORDA, Fla. -- A Southwest Florida mother says she fueled up her new car at a gas station in Punta Gorda, but when she drove away, her brand new car started making all sorts of noises.
"My check engine light automatically came on and it was blinking," said Shea Louis after she fueled up her 2017 Nissan Altima at the Sunoco on the corner of US 41 and Burnt Store Road. "My car was very sluggish, it wouldn't go over 35 miles per hour, so it took a while to get home," she added.
Louis called the gas station immediately.
"They told me on the phone that I'm not the first person who has had that same problem with the gas," said Louis.
Her car needed to be serviced for two days.
"I took it in to the dealership and it did severe damage to my vehicle, stuff the warranty didn't even cover," said Louis. "The parts that weren't covered under the warranty and to drain the gas tank was in the high hundreds, close to a thousand dollars," she added.
4 In Your Corner called Sunoco's corporate office to see what was going on in that particular store. A spokesperson says once they caught wind of Shea's message, the gas station was shut down. They discovered the problem, drained the tanks, and fixed the issue. The Sunoco passed a state inspection and drivers that fueled up today had no problems at the pump.
Louis got her Nissan's keys back Wednesday, but to some mixed news. "My car still has two cups of water in the tank," she said.
Her Altima was in the shop for two days. The service department had to drain her tank and put in the new parts. "The technician told me my car is going to sound bad for the next two weeks and the check engine light is going to remain on until that is completely out of there," she said.
4 In Your Corner reached out to the Sunoco gas station because it is an independently owned and operated store.
Louis and other drivers that were impacted by that window need to contact the store manager.
The Nissan dealer has billed the gas station for Louis's repairs.
