FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Drivers are stuck with vehicle issues after a Fayetteville Sam's Club gas station put the wrong fuel in the wrong holding tank.
The company directs drivers filling up from Friday, April 21, to Monday, April 24, to make a claim if they've experienced issues.
Brock Bowen filled his 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Fayetteville Sam's Club gas station on Friday night, April 21.
"Got out the next morning, and it wouldn't go anywhere, it would just start up die, a lot of white smoke blowing out the back of it, had to get it towed to a shop," Bowen explained. "They gave me a sample of diesel running through my unleaded tank."
Bowen had $6,000 in debt for the SUV which he planned to pay over one year. He said it's now considered a mechanical repo. Working seven days a week and making an average of $200 daily, the Fayetteville resident immediately bought himself a new truck.
"They got me into a truck, I filled that truck up Sunday at Sam's Club again. And now it's at the shop, doing the same stuff," he said. "I just figured they would have fixed it by then."
5NEWS followed his truck to Wrenches and Whips located in Rogers. Owner and mechanic Chris Wages confirmed that the truck has diesel in its engine as well. He estimated that in his over 20 years as a mechanic, gas station mishaps happen every six to eight months.
"The minute you notice the check engine light starts flashing and the car is not running like it's supposed to, if you suspect that you got diesel in it, you should get it towed to a mechanic," Wages advised. "It's somewhat simple to remedy, but the longer you continue to drive it like that, the more damage you can do."
"I've tried renting a vehicle up here so I could work at least, and every single place is rented out," Bowen said. "my rent is due this week, and at this rate, I don't even know if I'll make that money this week. So it's been rough the last few days. It's really stressful."
Bowen estimated he's lost $2,000 between the payment of his truck and days lost working.
5NEWS reached out to Sam's Club for further clarification on the type of fuel put into the wrong tank, and we've also asked about how many could be impacted by this, but as of the airing of the story, 5NEWS has yet to hear back from them.
The company says customers that got gas from the Fayetteville location between 7 p.m. on April 21 and the morning of April 24 and are "experiencing fuel-related issues" can contact Sam's Club to file a claim by calling 866-227-9711.
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