# Gas smell **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** sportage, kia\ **Created:** [October 12, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557 "2011-10-12T00:05:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gracie908](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gracie908](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gracie908)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/1 "2011-10-12T00:05:23Z")
I have a 2002 Kia Sportage and when the heater is on I smell gasoline and it’s very strong. Help!!! ---
**Author:** ![binkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@binkman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/binkman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/2 "2011-10-12T02:30:48Z")
It’s a DANGEROUS condition. If you’re not mechanically able to trace it yourself you need to have somebody who is. Note: Leaks never fix themselves and you need to get this taken care of Pronto!! ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/3 "2011-10-12T03:07:31Z")
Could the smell be electrical in nature–like a heater fan motor starting to fail? Burning electrics smell like, well, burning electrics, perhaps similar to burning rubber. But if in fact it is gasoline that you smell, have the car inspected and repaired at a professional shop first thing tomorrow, regardless of cost or convenience. Gasoline is obviously flammable, and while car fires are rare, you don’t want the chance of having one. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/4 "2011-10-12T03:10:43Z")
Just arrange for a tow now. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/5 "2011-10-12T12:47:39Z")
Everyone else is right. This is dangerous. Get the car in for service immediately. Do not park next to anything important (or in your garage) in the meantime. ---
**Author:** ![Stephanie\_Paul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Stephanie\_Paul](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Stephanie_Paul)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/6 "2018-01-18T01:05:59Z")
I had a '98 Lincoln, same thing, never went away. Now my '02 Kia, does the same, but only once in a while, no apparent cause. What are we to do, some weeks, no odor, then Wow!!! It’s a tight car, but the odor of Gasoline is annoying! There has to be a solution, but it is not dangerous, only frustrating. Been since I bought it 5 years ago. Help??? ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 1:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/7 "2018-01-18T01:52:05Z")
Yhere is a gas leak somewhere, a competent mechanic can find it, I never smelled gas, cannot recall the part, but my mechanic guy noticed the whatever was leaking by smelling the vacuum hose on the spider. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/8 "2018-01-18T03:24:25Z")
A shop w/an emissions sniffer might be able to track it down @Stephanie_Paul . If you notice a slight gasoline odor on cold starts only, worse when it is really cold, that might be normal. The computer injects extra gasoline on cold starts, and some of it may come out unburned from the tailpipe. ---
**Author:** ![atwdiwdw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@atwdiwdw](https://community.cartalk.com/u/atwdiwdw)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/9 "2018-01-20T15:08:59Z")
When you fill the car up at the station is the smell more prevalent? Do you stop at shut off or try to get the tank topped off? I just learned that topping the tank to full + full is not good for the vapor recycle system, and when I did that I might smell gas for days after. I stopped doing that, and stopped smelling gas. ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/10 "2018-01-21T14:48:14Z")
The smell of a dead skunk on a nearby street could be mistaken for a gasoline odor. No joke! ---
**Author:** ![Thornback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@Thornback](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Thornback)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/11 "2018-01-21T15:23:13Z")
If you continue to drive w/o a fix be sure to take out fire insurance. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gas-smell/68557/12 "2018-01-21T20:17:59Z")
Surely you’re kidding . . . ? I’m a mechanic and we actually do have skunks on the premises I know what gasoline smells like I know what a dead skunk smells like They do not smell similar