2022 Hybrid Fuel Tank Leak

[HeyBales]

I discovered the exact same issue on my 2022 XLT this week. My son has been driving the vehicle and always parks outside here in Arizona. He came home for the holidays and parked in our garage and we noticed a strong smell of gasoline. I have older vehicles in a motorcycle in the garage so figured it was one of those. After an extensive search, I realized it was fuel leak leaking out of the inlet of the tank on the Maverick. I checked the hose clamp, which was tight. From what I can tell it looks like it’s leaking from the white or rubber gasket between the flange and the tank. I am curious if that flange is something that can be replaced or is attached to the tank? I have included some pictures that were taken after I cleaned the area up. There was black gunk around the white flange and a stream of fuel leaking down the bottom of the tank We were going to take it into the dealer but if they’re gonna charge me 1100 bucks for a new tank and I might as well put it on myself. I am not a mechanic, but I can’t understand why you would put a fuel inlet in the middle of a tank. Every tank I’ve seen has the inlet on the top. This of course, makes it difficult to attach the hose, but makes much more sense to help prevent leaks.

If the fuel level is above the intake port - you auto-block fumes from escaping.
Well, except the minor surface area of the fill tube.
Where the charcoal canister is attached.

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[Master Blaster]

Do you top-up at the pump, or stop at the first click-off like the manual states?

 

[HeyBales]

I wouldn’t doubt it. I’m not 100% sure but I think that the ecoboost also has the fill come in from the top, not the side like the hybrid. I could be wrong on that but I believe that’s what I saw on the ford parts catalog. Dealer also tells me that the condition worsens in cold weather, which explains why I never saw it in the summer and it gets very bad in the winter (I live in MI.)

The tanks are actually the same, on the pre-25MY anyway.
Ebay has some great photos from many angles - I posted in another thread.
See how easy Google can find them.
Not as quickly as I'd have thought.

Here are 2 tanks - notice the model numbers actually on the tank are the same. You can look at many listings for sale, and see the same thing.
The attached stickers say the difference - FT Shell for P758 FHEV or ICE. That probably makes the difference for the pump to insert, or something else.
But the tank is the same - they list both applications on the molded imprint.
NZ61 9002A
NZ68 9002B


https://ebay.us/m/KN5Byv - ICE

https://ebay.us/m/wyZQkb - FHEV

 

[icegradner]

Do you top-up at the pump, or stop at the first click-off like the manual states?

If someone overfilled enough to make it leak from the evap system, they would have a check engine light. The dealership would have caught that, not the issue being discussed here.

 

[kbuchle2]

Do you top-up at the pump, or stop at the first click-off like the manual states?

I fill the tank until it clicks, and if I say put $21 on my pump and it clicks off at $20.75, I put the last $.25 in the tank. Probably shouldn’t do that (especially going forward) but it’s a hassle to go back in for the quarter and if I click off at some random amount, I don’t want to go and get all of the random change. So I “top off” to the nearest dollar but never put anywhere even close to 1/3 a gallon in if that happens. Gas has typically been $3/gallon plus here and I wouldn’t have thought $.50 would’ve been hurting it, but won’t do it from here on out.

 

[kbuchle2]

The tanks are actually the same, on the pre-25MY anyway.
Ebay has some great photos from many angles - I posted in another thread.
See how easy Google can find them.

Not as quickly as I'd have thought.

Here are 2 tanks - notice the model numbers actually on the tank are the same. You can many for sales, and see the same thing.

https://ebay.us/m/i4xRc3

https://ebay.us/m/wyZQkb

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I thought they were different since the hybrid (I thought) had a smaller fuel capacity than the ecoboost. If they use the same design just with a different capacity, would make sense from an engineering perspective.

 

[kbuchle2]

If someone overfilled enough to make it leak from the evap system, they would have a check engine light. The dealership would have caught that, not the issue being discussed here.

Totally agree. I’ve never had fuel spill out on the ground while filling up with the method I mentioned, have done it for years on different cars but won’t do it anymore on the maverick.

 

[Timothyd]

Hi Maverick Truck Club,

I’ve been dealing with a gas tank leak since the fall of 2024 when I started noticing a gasoline smell coming out of my garage when I opened the overhead door. Thought that it may have been a gas can or something causing the smell, but noticed a leak coming from the fill pipe inlet when I had it up on the lift at home at the end of the year. Took the vehicle under warranty to the ford dealer, and was told that the hose clamp was loose connecting the fill pipe into the fuel tank itself that they confirmed was fixed wire a smoke test. Truck had 18000 miles and was just a couple months shy of 3 years old.

Was sent on my way with the vehicle, and noticed a smell of gasoline and fuel not even two months later (at this point out of bumper to bumper warranty.) Took it back to the dealer and was told that they were unable to replicate any leaking detectable by their smoke test, and that I was good to go. I didn’t see any evidence of a leak nor did I smell any gas from April to November (warmer months in Michigan.)

Once the weather got cold again, took the vehicle back after noticing a much larger leak and smelling fuel during an oil change on the lift again, and am now being told by ford that the fuel tank does in fact need to be replaced as the tank is leaking from the fill pipe inlet. I am no longer under warranty and was quoted $1100 for this repair. Dealership is telling me that the leak was hard to detect as it weeps fuel from that area of the tank in the cold weather (which explains why I was seeing this last winter before the warranty was up and why I wasnt noticing it over the summer when it was warmer.)

I tried to include a pic a took from the rear of the truck, looking at the fill pipe inlet between the torsion beam.

Anybody else running into this problem? I found an old thread from 2022/2023 from someone with a hybrid like me that seemed to have the exact same issue, but it is seeming to not be very widespread.

Also, anyone that has experience wirh ford customer support - is there anyway to get this covered? I feel like this was misdiagnosis on my dealers part when it was under bumper to bumper and since it’s a fuel tank leak, I can’t just let this go without resolving it. It sounds like I may qualify for some “financial assistance” per the dealership but they said it will not be covered 100%, which I feel it should - between misdiagnosis and me bringing it in now for the 3rd time for this issue.

My Lariat got delivered to a lot outside of Chicago but they wouldn't release it because of a 'possibility' of a leak and wouldn't release it till it got a new tank. They said that there was a problem with the "pinch seam welder" on about 36 Mavericks. I immediately ordered another Maverick and it came in before the gas tank did.

 

[kbuchle2]

My Lariat got delivered to a lot outside of Chicago but they wouldn't release it because of a 'possibility' of a leak and wouldn't release it till it got a new tank. They said that there was a problem with the "pinch seam welder" on about 36 Mavericks. I immediately ordered another Maverick and it came in before the gas tank did.

Sounds like what I and a few others in this thread were seeing. I take it that was a 2022?

 

[Timothyd]

Sounds like what I and a few others in this thread were seeing. I take it that was a 2022?

It was a '23. But, because of the wait (which drove me effing crazy) I ended up with the '24 I have now.

 

[HeyBales]

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I thought they were different since the hybrid (I thought) had a smaller fuel capacity than the ecoboost. If they use the same design just with a different capacity, would make sense from an engineering perspective.

You'll see the posts in threads - same size.

Claimed is indeed smaller though - in use though - easy to get 14.8 gal or more at 1st click.

 

[Master Blaster]

I fill the tank until it clicks, and if I say put $21 on my pump and it clicks off at $20.75, I put the last $.25 in the tank. Probably shouldn’t do that (especially going forward) but it’s a hassle to go back in for the quarter and if I click off at some random amount, I don’t want to go and get all of the random change. So I “top off” to the nearest dollar but never put anywhere even close to 1/3 a gallon in if that happens. Gas has typically been $3/gallon plus here and I wouldn’t have thought $.50 would’ve been hurting it, but won’t do it from here on out.

The problem with overfiĺing like that is that the filler-to-neck seal is then under the fuel level, and will degrade.

 

[kbuchle2]

It was a '23. But, because of the wait (which drove me effing crazy) I ended up with the '24 I have now.

I sort of wish I had a 23. I ordered July of 21 and waited until March 22 for delivery, so I have a very Mav. I’ve certainly learned my lesson of “don’t buy the first model year.”

 

[HeyBales]

The problem with overfiĺing like that is that the filler-to-neck seal is then under the fuel level, and will degrade.

It is already though, appears by design.

Must create a slight pressure in the tank for air pocket remaining as level keeps going up, until the pressure is great enough the level can't be maintained between tank & fill pipe - then just pipe goes up.
This is probably why the PID for fuel level states the tests for pressure can only be between certain % - I posted that pic in another thread. Can't test pressure if too full as cutoff from filler, and too much space to pressurize if too low.

 

[First Sergeant]

Totally agree. I’ve never had fuel spill out on the ground while filling up with the method I mentioned, have done it for years on different cars but won’t do it anymore on the maverick.

I cheated on the math here (AI), but if gas was $3/gallon and you added .25 cents, you added 0.0833 gallon, or 10.66 ounces. Not a lot of extra there. I do like you, round up to next buck, have never had an issue. If my math is bad let me know. My wife of 52 years did ALL my algebra homework in high school. I barely passed the tests though! I paid her back, don't ask how! Merry Christmas!

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