Weird behavior

[vxarctic]

At first I thought it was a fluke, but this is happened six times now. When I go to this one particular gas station my Bronco has weird electrical errors. My radio will just be dead, the car will start with the message that car needs to restart, the remote and easy access on the door handle won't work and I'll have to open with the key. Just really weird stuff and it's only when I fill up at this one gas station.

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[rocks]

Weird!
I would just go to other stations.

 

[Dude]

I think more investigation might be needed as to the actual cause but it’s an interesting scenario you described

Probably more info to the story to be uncovered

 

[gatornek]

How old is your battery since the last time you changed it?

 

[jkeaton]

 

[davidg4781]

I used to work at a gas station. It was interesting how many cars would die after pumping gas. More than I thought there should be. I always wondered if there was some sort of electrical field issue. I've since learned it could also be caused by the filled tank causing an issue with the pump.

Either way, it definitely wasn't water or stale gas. We received at least one tank a day and not enough water in the tank to be meaningful.

 

[Dude]

How old is your battery since the last time you changed it?

Basically vxarctic said his battery ( and everything else ) is strong/young enough to work at every gas station except 1 and vxarctic’s battery (or something else) is too weak/old for that 1 and only 1 gas station. It’s a good puzzle!

 

[vxarctic]

How old is your battery since the last time you changed it?

It's a 2021 I haven't changed the battery yet.

 

[vxarctic]

Basically vxarctic said his battery ( and everything else ) is strong/young enough to work at every gas station except 1 and vxarctic’s battery (or something else) is too weak/old for that 1 and only 1 gas station. It’s a good puzzle!

Yeah, it's super weird. I don't have any issues in the mornings or evenings. I've gone to other gas stations. It's just this one that it happens consistently at. It's cheap gas too, so I really end up going to them often.

 

[Colonel Angus]

Do you have the Area 51 color Bronco?

 

[RushMan]

At first I thought it was a fluke, but this is happened six times now. When I go to this one particular gas station my Bronco has weird electrical errors. My radio will just be dead, the car will start with the message that car needs to restart, the remote and easy access on the door handle won't work and I'll have to open with the key. Just really weird stuff and it's only when I fill up at this one gas station.

Overfilling, or splashing can cause the vapor recovery system to cause starting problems.
You can try filling more slowly at the station where you have the problem. Use a lower notch on the pump handle instead of squeezing the handle fully.
I had a similar problem in a different car, and the attendent would flip the handle upside down before setting the fill lock on the pump handle to resolve the issue.

 

[Dude]

Yeah, it's super weird. I don't have any issues in the mornings or evenings. I've gone to other gas stations. It's just this one that it happens consistently at. It's cheap gas too, so I really end up going to them often.

Since this is so consistent and involves electrical issues that I summarized below, perhaps could you please provide that gas station cross streets and city? We can use google maps etc. to see if there are any obvious transmitters or if you prefer not to provide location, perhaps look around the area for obvious electrical interference sources (maybe 5G towers? Satellite dish farm? Etc.).

Edit: as mentioned earlier, your 12V battery might be a cause so may as well rule that out by getting a thorough battery test including a load test. There is much posted on this forum regarding the proper tests to have run (not the simple voltage check).

One more question: did you install any added accessories (electrical or mechanical)?

radio will be dead,
car will start with the message that car needs to restart,
remote and easy access on the door handle won't work and has to be open with the key.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

At first I thought it was a fluke, but this is happened six times now. When I go to this one particular gas station my Bronco has weird electrical errors. My radio will just be dead, the car will start with the message that car needs to restart, the remote and easy access on the door handle won't work and I'll have to open with the key. Just really weird stuff and it's only when I fill up at this one gas station.

Hey there! I can take a closer look into these electrical error concerns if you'd like. Can you send us a direct message with your VIN and the dealership details? To send a private message, just click on our username and select "Start Conversation".

 

[vxarctic]

Do you have the Area 51 color Bronco?

I totally do!

 

[vxarctic]

Overfilling, or splashing can cause the vapor recovery system to cause starting problems.
You can try filling more slowly at the station where you have the problem. Use a lower notch on the pump handle instead of squeezing the handle fully.
I had a similar problem in a different car, and the attendent would flip the handle upside down before setting the fill lock on the pump handle to resolve the issue.

That's interesting I'll try that next time.

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