Some Illinois and Milwaukee drivers now have to worry about what they put in their gas tank.
BP officials confirmed Tuesday that contaminated gas was also likely delivered to some stations on the Illinois sides of the border and a "small quantity of premium and mid-grade fuel trucked to the Milwaukee area and sold between 10 p.m. Monday evening (Aug. 20) and 6:45 am Tuesday (Aug. 21) morning."
Officials initially believed the gas had only been delivered to BP gas stations in Northwest Indiana, causing stations to shut down their pumps Monday.
BP officials say reports of the tainted gas being sold in southwestern Michigan are unlikely because the area does not sell reformulated gas.
The residue that contaminates the gas has been identified, NBC 5's Phil Rogers reports. BP Says they've received about 4,500 complaints to their hotline and another 800 emails concerning the issue.
HAVE A CLAIM? VISIT THIS WEBSITE: www.bpresponse.com
The fuel being recalled is from the company's Whiting, Ind., storage facility. It was sold to a number of distributors and may have been purchased by motorists at BP and other retailers during the past seven days.
"When I turned it on, there's a loud ticking," said one customer who had filled up her car at a BP in Hammond, Ind. just hours after the recall was issued Monday. "Like tick tick tick tick. And I didn't hear that before."
The fuel stored in the tank could cause hard starting, stalling and "other drivability issues," the company said in a statement.
"BP is committed to fuel quality and guarantees every gallon of gasoline we sell. Any customer whose vehicle has experienced these symptoms during this period should contact BP’s customer hotline at 1-800-333-3991," the company said.
Some mechanics have already noticed customers coming in with problems before the recall was issued, costing customers between $200-$400 to change out plugs, wires and to clean fuel injectors.
Only regular unleaded gasoline is being recalled and includes gas purchased in the last seven days that was delivered by trucks last week.
