| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 007112445 | Incident Date: Jul, 15 2007 |
| Consumer's City: FORT COLLINS | Consumer's State: CO |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: MAN | Manufacturers Name: Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA |
| Model Name: FJR1300 | Model Year: 2005 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Fuel system, gasoline:delivery |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Jul, 18 2007 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Oct, 13 2004 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 4 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Gas tank on a 2005 yamaha fjr1300a erupted in a geyser of gasoline. what happened?: on monday 7-16-07 i stopped for fuel. it was about 95 degrees, and the bike was hot. it was not outside of normal operating temp. - i had two bars on the temp gauge. i opened the fuel cap/door and liquid gasoline sprayed up in the air about 5 feet, it looked like old faithful. liquid gas rained down on the fjr and soaked the tank, fairing and seat, and it cracked both my headlamp lenses instantly. the event voided the tank of most of the gas - it was instantly empty. it did not catch fire. after regaining some composure, i washed the bike off with water, moved it away from the gas puddle before starting it, and drove home (2 blocks away). why did it happen?: i live at approx. 5,000 feet. i had been riding at 10,000 feet all morning. i came down from that altitude in about 1 hour. altitude lowers the boiling point of liquids. i had purchased the morning's tank of gas at safeway (which i had never done before), it has a higher percentage of oxygenates (mtbe, methanol) than other brands. the tank was super-heated since it was close to empty (at '3-bars' on the display), and it was obviously super-pressurized by the heat. when i released the gas cap, the instant lowering of the pressure inside lowered the boiling point, and the gasoline expanded rapidly (it 'boiled') and ejected from the tank. since gas evaporates quickly, when it touched the hot headlight lenses it's evaporative cooling removed heat too quickly , causing the spider cracking across the lenses. it all happened in about 5 seconds. this series of events is a new occurrence for all of us because our gasoline quality is changing, it's getting worse to make a profit and appease the 'green' contingent. the 'hot' fjr syndrome is now a concern beyond just body comfort! worst case i could have been burned alive if the gas had ignited. i know of no way to correct this until i talk to a service rep. |
