218 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
fuel container in your vehicle. The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici
ty can bui ld up while filling and can ig
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel conta iners .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8S2 -86) .
d) Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated noz zle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol
lute the environment.
(D Tips
-Running your engine whi le refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spi ll out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may otherwise not ind icate the correct fuel
level after refuelling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the ins ide .
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
Fig. 171 Rig ht s ide t rim p an el in t he luggage compart·
men t: emerge ncy re le ase mechan is m
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug
gage compartment .
.,. Loosen the loop
¢fig. 171 from the retain
er and then pull on the loop carefully
¢ (D.
.,. Press on the left side of the fuel filler door
to open
¢ page 217, fig . 169 .
(D Note
Only pull on the loop until you feel resist
ance . You w ill not hear it release . Other
wise you could damage the emergency re
l ease mechanism.