Table 1 shows two common gasoline fuel system related problems of the 1999 Mercury Mountaineer.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Fuel Hoses Lines/piping And Fittings problems | |
| Tank Filler Pipe And Cap problems |
Engine oil leak or possible fuel leak leading to vehicle fire, total loss. Driver escaped injury.
Check engine light was on. Ran diagnostics to determine the fuel tank was not pulling a vacuum. Determined the fuel filler neck pipe was cracked at the top of the line near the tank cap. Went to replace the fuel filler neck pipe and found out where the pipe meets the tank, more than 1/2 of the diameter of the connection was missing (rusted thru) and broke off while trying to remove the hose (the metal attachement from the tank is stuck in the filler neck hose). The outside of the tank was wet with fuel. The rest of the tank is solid with no thin walls. Replaced tank and filler pipe with new.