Fuel Door Open - But it's not...

[BrentR01]

I recently started getting a message on my dash telling me that my Fuel Door is open. However, it's clearly NOT. I've tried opening and closing the fuel door multiple times, thinking it was just acting weird. Also cleaned the plunger on the door, thinking that something might be causing it to stick. But none of that fixed the issue. The message pops up randomly and inconsistently. I can clear it by hitting OK on the steering wheel, but that doesn't make the issue any less annoying. Has anyone experienced this? Any simple fixes out there?

 

[Rick]

I haven't seen this issue before. I would have tried the same thing you did. Perhaps the switch is bad internally. You should be able to pop the connector off and check continuity with a VOM.

 

[BrentR01]

I haven't seen this issue before. I would have tried the same thing you did. Perhaps the switch is bad internally. You should be able to pop the connector off and check continuity with a VOM.

I'll just add it to the ever growing list of issues for my warranty repair appointment. I think it would be tough to diagnose with a voltage meter since the issue is so inconsistent.

 

[peterk9]

I haven't seen this issue before. I would have tried the same thing you did. Perhaps the switch is bad internally. You should be able to pop the connector off and check continuity with a VOM.

Apparently, this warning message is only on the PIU, not the retail unit.

Peter

 

[BrentR01]

Apparently, this warning message is only on the PIU, not the retail unit.

Peter

Interesting. I wonder why. Seems like it would be a useful message (when working properly) for all Explorers.

 

[peterk9]

Interesting. I wonder why. Seems like it would be a useful message (when working properly) for all Explorers.

I checked both manuals and could only find a reference to it in the PIU manual.

Peter

 

[Spacey]

I thought pretty much all cars were required to report this as an emissions issue. The OBD identifies it as a vacuum issue with the vapor recovery system

 

[BrentR01]

I thought pretty much all cars were required to report this as an emissions issue. The OBD identifies it as a vacuum issue with the vapor recovery system

I doubt that it's required for the PIU. I'm not sure what the Civilian Explorer's have, but the PIU doesn't have a gas cap that twists off. You just stick the nozzle in and start filling the tank. But the outer cover is what has the issue.

(side note - the issue resolved itself. Hasn't happened in the past 2 days now. Hopefully I'm in the clear!)

 

[Dale5403]

I thought pretty much all cars were required to report this as an emissions issue. The OBD identifies it as a vacuum issue with the vapor recovery system

I doubt that it's required for the PIU. I'm not sure what the Civilian Explorer's have, but the PIU doesn't have a gas cap that twists off. You just stick the nozzle in and start filling the tank. But the outer cover is what has the issue.

(side note - the issue resolved itself. Hasn't happened in the past 2 days now. Hopefully I'm in the clear!)

The fuel door would have nothing to do with emissions. The civilian models have the same fuel fill as the PIU that you are describing. That would impact emissions but that is not the fuel door. Hope it keeps working for you. Sounds like it might have been a contact on the switch for it.

 

[peterk9]

I was going to post that the fuel door is not an air-tight seal until I went out and looked at mine. It does appear to seal the opening when closed.

Checking the 2021 Explorer manual I also saw this interesting item.

Peter

 

[Pedro504]

I was going to post that the fuel door is not an air-tight seal until I went out and looked at mine. It does appear to seal the opening when closed.

Checking the 2021 Explorer manual I also saw this interesting item.

View attachment 433910

Peter

My 2021 Platinum has a gasket beneath the painted exterior fuel door which seals when the fuel door is closed.

 

[RickyG]

My 2021 Platinum has a gasket beneath the painted exterior fuel door which seals when the fuel door is closed.

My 2020 Limited has the same