‘Water in the gas’: Drivers report issues after fueling up at south Edmonton Circle K

Multiple drivers say their vehicles have been damaged after they filled up at a Esso Circle K gas station in south Edmonton.

Multiple customers of a south Edmonton Esso Circle K gas station say they have experienced issues with their vehicles after filling up.

Dan Brault says his family’s vehicle wouldn’t start the morning after filling up at the Circle K at Ellerslie Road and Summerside Drive.

“Monday night, my wife fueled up, and when she came home, said, ‘I just got gas and the car’s running funny.’ I didn’t really pay much attention, but the next morning, it wouldn’t start,” he told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

He said he had the car towed to the dealership.

“They did a full diagnostic check, and so far, they’ve found that the spark plugs are fouled, and it seems that there’s water in the gas.”

Brault went online and found that other people were also reporting issues after fueling up at the same Circle K station.

“Twenty or 25 other individuals have fueled up there and posted that they’re having the same issues.”

He says it’s going to cost $3,000 to fix his vehicle, and he wants compensation.

Janelle Doerr says her vehicle is also no longer running after filling up at the same Circle K on Wednesday morning.

“Pulled up at the Esso over by my house and put some gas in, and didn’t even make it 10 blocks before my car started shaking and finally just stopped on the side of the road and broke down,” she said.

“It seemed like it was running out of gas. I was confused, because obviously I had just put gas in, and I was a little bit panicked because I was in the middle of the road, I couldn’t even get into a parking lot.”

Doerr had her SUV towed to her home, but she’s still trying to figure out what to do next.

“I’m a single mom. Not sure how I’m going to get to work now, because my car is not working. It won’t drive forward. It won’t start.”

She said she also saw posts online from people who reported getting bad gas from the Circle K station.

“If I hadn’t seen the post, I wouldn’t have known.”

“It’s pretty frustrating. I should be at work right now, so I’m frustrated, and I’m pretty worried and confused about my next steps.”

Couche-Tard, the company that owns Circle K sent the following statement to CTV News Edmonton about the situation.

“We are aware of a small number of customer concerns related to this location and are taking the matter seriously. As part of our standard procedures, fuel quality is closely monitored, and we have initiated additional checks at the site to verify the integrity of the fuel system,” Amine Ndamama wrote.

“We have not identified any confirmed issues with the fuel supply. That said, we are continuing to review the situation and are working with the appropriate partners to ensure everything meets our quality and safety standards.”

“We encourage any customer with concerns to contact our customer service team so we can look into their situation directly.”

CTV News Edmonton also contacted Imperial Oil, which owns Esso, but had not received a response at the time this article was published.

A CTV News Edmonton camera captured images at the gas station that showed at least one of the pumps out of order, and a gas pump service truck was on scene.

The minister for Service Alberta says the pair has several options.

“We encourage anyone that suspects that something is not right with a business’s practices, to contact and possibly file a complaint with the consumer investigation,” Dale Nally said in an email to CTV News Edmonton.

Complaints can be filed online or can be made anonymously by phone by calling 1-877-427-4088 or locally at 780-427-4088.

“If an Albertan’s vehicle is damaged from this unfortunate situation, they should contact their insurance or seek legal advice,” Nally said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson.