Colorado says it received over 200 complaints about contaminated fuel; Customers could see high repair costs
Colorado state officials say they have received over 200 complaints from drivers who purchased tainted gas amid a recent alert from Colorado’s Division of Oil and Public Safety about gas stations in the Denver metro area receiving contaminated fuel.
The gas was delivered to Costco, Murphy Express, and King Soopers gas stations. Some of those customers told CBS News Colorado that they were among the drivers who purchased the gas, and mechanics and gas station owners say these customers could face a costly bill ahead of them.
State officials say the fuel was sold between 2 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.
At Christian Brothers Automotive in Parker, general manager Aason Monie said the cost to affected car owners could rise quickly.
“Drop the fuel tank, flush everything,” Monie said. “Anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500. If you need injectors, fuel pumps, it goes up significantly from there.”
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In a news conference late Friday, Cher Haavind, deputy executive director for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, which oversees the state’s Division of Oil and Public Safety, said the agency had received over 200 complaints. She referred people to the operators of the filling stations, where people got their gasoline.
“The call to action for consumers is to contact the retailer,” Haavind said. “The point of purchase retailer. Notify them of the suspected contamination. And more information will be coming out from the supplier and the retailers.”
Zach Hope, manager of the state’s Storage Tank Program, said fines against Sinclair, which somehow shipped out diesel fuel as regular unleaded gasoline, were not likely: “It doesn’t seem like it was done with an intent to defraud consumers. That’s a major factor for us when we’re looking at fines or enforcement for fuel quality issues.”
The mix-up reportedly occurred at Sinclair’s facility near Brighton.
Hope said Sinclair would be looking into how it happened: “Sinclair’s investigation should point to the root cause. And we will work with them to make sure that they take some steps to alleviate the possibility of that ever happening again.”
State regulators said they did not have a list of affected gasoline stations to share.
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“Everybody should be hearing quite a bit more from them, I hope. Not to speak for them, but that is their intent,” Hope said.
Sinclair later sent a statement to CBS Colorado, urging impacted customers to contact the gas station where they purchased the gas, but also didn’t provide a list of affected gas stations.
“Carriers collect products from our terminal and deliver them to their respective customers and sites,” wrote a Sinclair spokesperson. “Because we do not maintain direct access to third-party customer lists, communication is being coordinated through established distribution channels to ensure timely outreach. We continue to work with our distributors to rectify the situation.”
King Soopers said the following locations were impacted:
- 14967 Candelas Pkwy., Arvada
- 25701 E Smoky Hill Rd., Aurora
- 17000 E Iliff Ave., Aurora
- 3050 S Peoria St., Aurora
- 1045 S 1St St., Bennett
- 12167 Sheridan Blvd., Broomfield
- 2355 W 136Th Ave., Broomfield
- 7284 Lagae Rd., Castle Pines
- 750 N Ridge Rd., Castle Rock
- 5125 W Florida Ave., Denver
- 1611 Pace St., Longmont
- 12959 S Parker Rd., Parker
- 17761 Cottonwood Dr., Parker
The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety is also encouraging impacted customers to contact them by submitting a complaint online or calling 303-866-4967 if they would like State assistance.
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