my fuel door is stuck...HELP!!

[melders]

I went to fill up this morning (i am almost on E) and tried to open the door, and it wouldn't open...I'm thinking and hoping its frozen, i did a search on the forum, and after reading the past things, pretty sure its not the spring...have never had problems with it until now...do i need to get someone else to help me pop it open regardless if it is the spring or not? or is it just frozen since it is about 19 degrees, and a wind chill right around 0??? any help would be great...Its been awhile on here, and i miss everyone!

[Kamikaze]

Couple of Idea's for you:1. you could try tapping on the door with a closed fist.... sometimes it helps break up some of the ice, you might have to then re-pull the lever for the door...2. if still stuck, you might have to heat it up... (if you got a heat gun or hair dryer)3. small flat head screw driver and pry open the door (worst Idea I can give) if this is your only option, put some kind of cloth down so when you pry the screwdriver doesn't rub against the car.

[Sputnik]

It might be the spring. Its not that there's a "problem" with the spring - its that it falls right out and you don't even notice. Thats what happened to us twice. If its the spring, you will need someone to help you open it. One person to pull up on the latch and another to pry it open once its unlocked. My husband pulled into a self serve gas not knowing the spring was gone and had to get some other customer to help him get the door open.

[melders]

thanks everyone. Someone else showed up here at the office so I asked him to give me a hand. He pulled the latch and I pressed on the door and it popped open. I tried it a few times after that and it seemed fine, so I'm not exactly sure what happened to it. I'm not sure were the spring even is for it, but everything looked fine. Thanks again for the quick responses everyone

[Kamikaze]

Glad to see you got it open!

[AZViking]

This happened to me last winter. If you open the driver's side compartment (inside the cargo area), you can access the cable for the fuel door. I can't remember what it looked like inside, but I was able to disconnect the cable and open the fuel door by hand. After filling up, I hooked everything back up and it's worked fine ever since. Just thought I'd mention it in case this happens to someone else and they don't have someone with them who can help. Glad you were able to get it to work.I probably should fill up the tank this afternoon. It was +6°F this morning, and it's supposed to be +2°F when my workday ends at 5. (Of course, that's not including the wind chill)

[asburydan]

I read this post for info. All your responses are primarily why I think this is the best auto forum I have used. Other brand forums are good most of the time, but this one seems to be the best. Glad I'm finally a Vibe man.

[wyatt89]

it really is awesome, this is the most fun/kind/informative auto forum ever created i think, vibers are awesome people...i wish i could say the same for the nissan truck forum i just joined...those people suck...

[Sputnik]

Quote, originally posted by wyatt89 »it really is awesome, this is the most fun/kind/informative auto forum ever created i think, vibers are awesome people...i wish i could say the same for the nissan truck forum i just joined...those people suck...Hey I'm still here and I don't even have a Vibe anymore, this forum is that good!

[ragingfish]

i linger too!

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »i linger too! as do I I know the fuel door in my Vibe froze a couple times. I had it parked outside for most of its life with me. Lucky for me I have long arms. I could jam a key into the fuel door to "pop" it open while pulling on the release lever at the same time.If you have any snow in your roof, it melts and runs down the side of the Vibe and fills up behind the fuel door.Also since the release lever is on the floor, make sure you keep it clear of snow when climbing into the car. I've seen frozen fuel release levers... usually resulted in replacing the fuel release cable because when unthawed, it rusted.