Saskatoon gas station fills multiple cars with diesel instead of regular gas

A mix-up at a Saskatoon gas station led to some customers filling up with diesel instead of regular gas.

Barb Risdale filled her car at the Husky-Esso station at 315 Marquis Drive, near SaskTel Centre on Monday.

At first, her car sputtered, coughing out black smoke, and began to lose power. Risdale made it to work but after her day the vehicle would not start.

"At ten when I got off work my car wasn't working from the command start. When I restarted it, black smoke came out of it and it just died," Risdale said.

Risdale and numerous others had unknowingly filled their vehicles with diesel.

Filling a gas car with diesel is harmful to the engine, and will require a fuel tank flush, if not more expensive engine repairs, According to Jae Malinowski with Tirecraft in Saskatoon.

"First thing that happens is you start to clog up the fuel pump, fuel injectors gonna start to clog up as well as the intake in your vehicle. Your engine will start running rough, potentially causing catastrophic damage to the engine," Malinowski said.

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Risdale found out on her own through social media what had happened to her vehicle.

"At around five o'clock I opened my phone and there was a post on Facebook," said Risdale.

An anonymous user had left a post on a Saskatoon Facebook traffic group, telling affected drivers to contact the gas station.

"If anyone with a gas vehicle fueled up at the Husky by SaskTel Center in Saskatoon yesterday and your vehicle isn't running right, it is because you now have diesel in your tank. Call Husky and get your name added to the list," the user said in the Facebook post.

Risdale has since been in contact with a manager at the station and yet she is awaiting a call from corporate on compensation.

"Well, I definitely want my car fixed. They can cover my tow bill and my inconvenience, and I also feel that people need to be aware of what has happened because I have not gotten fuel there," Risdale said.

CTV attempted to reach out to the gas station, which was unwilling to give a response. It is as of now unknown how long the gas pumps were pumping diesel, or how many vehicles were affected.