UK Car Recalls For Fuel Leaks And Fuel Pumps: Affected Models, The Risks And What To Do If You Smell Fuel

Fuel recalls fix pipes, pumps, injectors and tanks that can leak fuel, which is a fire risk, or fail and stall the engine. DVSA lists 494 UK car recalls involving the fuel system, 148 of them since 2020. If you smell fuel, don't start the car; check your registration and call the dealer.

Latest Fuel Recalls

These are the newest UK car recalls involving the fuel system, newest first.

Open any reference for the full DVSA wording, the build dates covered and the fix. Fuel leak recalls are graded urgent because of the fire risk. See how we grade recalls.

If You Smell Fuel

Don't start or drive the car, don't smoke near it, open the doors or windows, and call the dealer or breakdown service.

1. Don't start the engine or switch on the ignition. If you're driving, pull over somewhere safe and switch off.
2. Keep flames and sparks away. No smoking, and don't use a lighter to look underneath.
3. Air the car by opening the doors or windows.
4. Look for drips under the car without touching anything, and note where they come from.
5. Call the dealer or breakdown service and have the car taken in.

A smell of fuel inside the car is never normal. Even if it fades, get the car checked before driving again. See car recall symptoms.

Fuel Pump Recalls

Faulty fuel pumps usually make the engine stall or lose power rather than leak. Honda, Ford, Toyota and Mazda have all recalled pumps in the UK.

A fuel pump sends fuel from the tank to the engine. If it fails, the engine can lose power or cut out without warning, sometimes at speed, which is the safety risk. For example, Honda's 2020 recall of low-pressure fuel pump modules, R/2020/186, covered the Civic, CR-V, HR-V and Jazz and 76,887 vehicle-records. Pump recalls are usually fixed by fitting a new pump or pump module. If your car has stalled, see loss of power and stalling recalls.

Where Fuel Leaks Come From

Most fuel leak recalls involve chafed or misrouted fuel lines, cracked pipes, leaking injectors, tank defects or evaporative emission canisters.

1. 1
   Fuel tankCracks or faulty seals.
2. 2
   Fuel pumpIn the tank; failure can stall the engine.
3. 3
   Fuel lines and pipesLeaks at joints and connectors.
4. 4
   Injectors and railLeaks in the engine bay, near hot parts.
5. 5
   Evaporative canisterHolds fuel vapour; faults can cause a fuel smell.

Fuel near a hot exhaust or electrical part is the main danger, which is why many fuel recalls are also listed among fire risk recalls. In 2025 Stellantis recalled about 72,000 vehicle-records across Peugeot, Vauxhall, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Jeep for a high-pressure fuel pipe.² See PureTech recalls.

The Biggest Fuel Recalls

The largest recent fuel recalls are Ford's 2025 fuel line recall for the Puma, Fiesta and Courier, covering about 137,530 vehicle-records, and Nissan's Qashqai fuel pipe recall, covering about 101,557.

Both are recent, which means many affected cars are still in their first or second ownership and likely to be on the road for years. If you are buying a 2019 to 2025 Puma, Fiesta or Qashqai, check the registration before you pay. See the Ford recall check and the Nissan recall check.

How Soon Fuel Problems Lead To A Recall

Half of UK fuel recalls arrive within 22.3 months of the first affected car being built, and 16% arrive five or more years later.

Early recalls usually follow a part fitted wrongly on the production line, such as a fuel line routed too close to another component. Later ones tend to involve wear and ageing: plastic pipes and canisters that crack after years of heat cycles, or lines that slowly rub through. This is why a fuel recall can reach a car that is many years old and has had several owners.

Diesel, Petrol And Hybrid Cars

Fuel recalls affect petrol, diesel and hybrid cars alike. Petrol leaks carry the higher fire risk because petrol vapour ignites easily. Diesel leaks are less likely to catch fire but make roads slippery and can still ignite on a hot exhaust. Hybrids add a further risk, because fuel and high-voltage parts sit close together.

Which Makes Have The Most Fuel Recalls?

Since 2020, Vauxhall, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and Ford have the most UK fuel system recalls.

Vauxhall

14

Toyota

12

Mercedes-Benz

12

Ford

11

Citroën

9

Peugeot

8

Fiat

7

Hyundai

6

Kia

5

Suzuki

5

BMW

4

Renault

4

DS

4

Lexus

3

Mazda

3

These are raw counts and include vans. For rates adjusted for cars on the road, see which car makes have the most recalls.

Getting The Fix

Fuel recall repairs are normally free at a franchised dealer.³ Most replace or reroute a line, pipe, injector or pump, and very few are software updates. If you can smell fuel, ask the dealer to collect the car rather than driving it in. See manufacturer recall helplines and how long a recall repair takes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is A Fuel Leak An MOT Fail?

Yes. A fuel leak is a defect at the MOT, whether or not there is a recall. The recall itself is shown for information only.⁴ See recalls and the MOT.

Does A Fuel Recall Affect My Insurance?

It doesn't usually change your premium, but driving with a known fuel leak could affect a claim. See recalls and car insurance.

Is A Fuel Gauge Recall A Safety Recall?

It can be, when the gauge could show fuel in a nearly empty tank and the car could run out without warning.¹

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Data: DVSA vehicle recall data (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 15 October 2026. Fault groups are our classification (methodology).