Cambridge driver warns of contaminated gas at Hespeler Road Shell station

A driver who filled up at a Shell gas station on Hespeler Road claims her car had to be serviced the very next day. CTV’s Alexandra Holyk her story.

A woman from Cambridge, Ont., is warning drivers after her pickup truck was allegedly filled with contaminated fuel.

Krissie Allen said her husband fueled up at a Shell station on Hespeler Road Sunday night, but by Monday morning, the truck had trouble starting.

“There’s obviously an issue with the gas,” said Allen.

Allen’s family fuels their vehicles at the Hespeler Shell twice a week, every week.

“I didn’t know until my husband came home that he had trouble starting the car yesterday,” she said. “And then he said it was rough. The engine light came on, something that a 2022 truck should not be doing.”

Allen said her husband took the pickup truck into the shop. In the meantime, she turned to social media for answers.

“I can’t believe the amount of people that have said that, ‘Yes, we’re doing the same thing you’re going through right now.’ The car’s in the shop or has been in the shop to have the fuel drained out, because that was the issue,” she said.

Mechanics at Columbia Auto Group in Waterloo said they don’t often see fuel contamination, but it can be a pain for drivers as soon as they leave the pump.

“It’s really difficult to say what it looks like. It’s more of how it performs in the vehicle,” said technical operations manager Kevin Seifried. “You can have something as simple as an engine misfire, check engine light or up to and including drivability concerns or no starts, where the vehicle just won’t start.”

Allen said it’s more stressful knowing the situation could’ve been much worse.

‘Potential fuel quality concerns’

On Tuesday, pylons blocked vehicles from pulling up to the pumps as crews investigated the possible contamination.

CTV News spoke with the family that owns the station off camera. They confirmed the gas was contaminated, but were still in the process of figuring out what happened.

“I just want the station to hold up to their name,” said Allen. “You’re the one that caused this issue, fix it.”

In a statement to CTV News, a Shell spokesperson said the company is aware of “potential fuel quality concerns” at the Hespeler Road location.

“We have suspended gasoline sales as a precautionary measure, and initial testing has not identified any issues,” the spokesperson said.

“There is no impact to other Shell stations. The site will resume gas sales once we are confident the fuel meets Shell’s quality standards.”

When Allen complained, Shell advised the issue would be addressed through insurance providers. But Allen believes more needs to be done.

“No apology, no nothing, ‘Sorry this happened,’ no. Nothing,” Allen said.

For those who may have fuel contamination concerns of their own, mechanics recommend taking their vehicles into the shop right away so the problem can be dealt with as soon as possible.