Fuel prices always seem to be on the rise, but so too is the theft of fuel through siphoning.
However Ford tells us that owners of its cars can feel secure thanks to the company’s easy fuel cap-less fuel system.
Easy fuel features an advanced filler neck design that makes it difficult to insert any object other than a standard fuel pump nozzle. The design is primarily to prevent customers from pumping diesel into a petrol tank, but it has the additional benefit of discouraging thieves wielding a siphoning hose.
"The first goal of the easy fuel system is to make the refuelling process as simple and risk-free for the customer as possible,” says Eddie Murphy, managing director of Ford Ireland. “But we’re pleased if it also slows down would-be thieves. We are hearing from our dealers on the ground of an increased incidence of fuel siphoning, particularly from older model cars.”
With the easy fuel system, a spring-loaded door within the fuel filler neck is held closed by latches that can only be released by a standard-size fuel nozzle, eliminating the need for a fuel tank screw cap. When the proper nozzle is inserted, the latches release, and the nozzle pushes the spring-loaded door to the open position. When the nozzle is removed, the door is automatically forced closed by the spring. Makeshift siphoning devices are unlikely to be able to bypass the system. If a nozzle or tube of a different size is placed in the filler neck of a petrol-powered vehicle, the latches will not release.
“Unless they understand how the mis-fuelling inhibitor works and come prepared, many would-be fuel thieves are unsuccessful in siphoning fuel from Ford vehicles,” said Murphy.
With the exception of the Ka, the easy fuel system is available as standard on all Ford passenger models sold in Ireland.
