On the scale of all the things that annoy you about car ownership, the actual act of refueling your car probably isn’t high on the list, and twisting off the gas cap isn’t on it at all. Well, except when it gets really tight for some reason, and you have to pry it open like one of those jars that’s been in the fridge too long. Or when you accidentally forget to screw it back on afterward, and you drive off with it still open; ugh, that’s the worst. You know what? Maybe it is a little way up the annoyance scale.
Ford agreed when it debuted the Ford Easy Fuel capless system in the 2009 Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer. All you had to do was open the fuel door and stick in the gas nozzle straight in. No need to get your hands oily, fidget with placing the cap somewhere, or forget to put it back on. Plus, for drivers with joint problems who might genuinely have difficulty with the cap, it’s really pretty nice.
Not a surprise, then, that old-school gas caps are one of those features that don’t come in as many new cars, and that capless fuel systems are getting more popular. Ford has them on a number of its vehicles now, as do Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. Honda is getting in on the act as well. That said, the capless system does have a few drawbacks that might slow down its adoption.
The issues with capless fuel systems
While they’re called capless, these systems do still have a flap to seal the filler neck shut. It’s spring-loaded, so you just push the fuel nozzle through it and it folds away, then pops back into place once you remove the nozzle after it miraculously knew how to stop pumping. That’s all great and very easy — if you’re using a gas station nozzle, that is. If you’re off in the wilderness and need to refuel with a gas can, however, you’ll have to use a special funnel or else risk damaging the seals on the flap. These cars should come with the funnel tucked away somewhere, but digging it out (or worse, losing it) cuts against the system’s purported convenience.
For the exact same reason, these systems make siphoning gas back out of the car much more difficult. That’s great if you’re worried about theft, but not so great if you’re trying to help out a stranded friend.
Most drivers probably won’t run into these situations, so for them these are moot points. If you do drive off-road a lot, though, they may come up more often. Given that the capless fuel system debuted on an SUV literally named the Explorer, and is now found on GMC vehicles as well, that could be a real issue.
