CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Auto repair shops along Groesbeck Highway say they’ve been flooded with calls after Meijer confirmed that regular gasoline sold at a Clinton Township Meijer Express station was accidentally mixed with diesel fuel.
Meijer says the issue happened at the Meijer Express located at 40445 S. Groesbeck, and could impact anyone who filled up there between 6 a.m. Tuesday, March 17, and 1 p.m. Thursday, March 19.
Around Van’s Auto Service, employees say the problem has kept them busier than usual.
“Today, especially, the phone has not stopped ringing with bad gas issues,” said Nicole Cichowlas of Van’s Auto. She said the shop had roughly a dozen vehicles in on Monday, alone, for what customers believe is related to the contaminated fuel.
Darryl Clay, who said he filled up on St. Patrick’s Day and spent about $83, said his brand-new truck soon started experiencing problems.
“The symptoms I’ve noticed is rumbling, hesitation on acceleration, and a little bit of smoke out of the tailpipe,” Clay said.
Other drivers reported similar issues. Addison Sauve said their car began feeling “off” while driving, including trouble accelerating—then an email from Meijer helped explain why.
“That the gas was insufficient fuel or something. And later found out it was mixed with the diesel,” Sauve said.
Meijer says a third-party fuel provider is responsible, and that diesel fuel was mixed into the station’s regular unleaded and mid-grade tanks.
The company says it is actively reaching out to customers who may have been affected and will reimburse expenses related to the issue, though some drivers say repair costs are adding up.
“They need to get that together and make sure everything is taken care of,” Clay said. “It’s very much an inconvenience.”
Meijer says it has expressed disappointment with its vendor and is taking steps to prevent something like this from happening again.