"I filled up $90 worth of 92 octane gas. About two miles outside of Haleiwa my van started running really weird," Smith said.
Smith made it all the way to town and then…
"Then it got really bad and it was pretty much dead," Smith said.
But Smith was even more surprised when he heard what the tow truck driver had to say.
"It happened to like 10 other people, where it was bad gas, and he traced it to that gas station in Haleiwa," Smith said.
KHON2 confirmed with the tow company and a Haleiwa mechanic that at least five other drivers reported the same problem.
Tesoro Hawaii said they received reports of possible water in the premium gas and shut it down later that day as a precaution.
Now Smith’s van sits at a local dealership waiting to be repaired.
The mechanic who will be working on the van says that if water in the tank is the problem, they will likely have to lower the fuel tank, drain the gas, possibly change the fuel pump, which could cost upwards of a $1,000 in labor and parts.
Tesoro Hawaii issued a statement saying, "We are committed to addressing this issue… A full investigation is underway to determine the exact cause."
The Department of Health says that it could be a leak in the underground fuel tank, which would be cause for even bigger concern.
"A leak from this same tank was reported in 2010," Health Department Deputy Director Gary Gill said. "They’re responsible under our law to investigate the source of the contamination or the leak, to fix it and to do monitoring around the tank to ensure that no petroleum product has entered into the soil or the ground water."
Tesoro Hawaii says they believe this is an isolated incident.
They urge anyone who may have been affected to call them at 877-876-5383.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
