IllustrationFUEL TANK LEAKS WHEN OVER 1/2 FILLED
1991 Lotus Elan
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Elan years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 0 of 13 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
13 reportsGAS TANK LEAKS FUEL IF YOU FILL IT UP.
WHILE PARKED ON A HILL AND GAS TANK IS FULL, FUEL LEAKS OUT. IF TANK IS HALF FULL AND ON A HILL, FUEL DOESN'T LEAK OUT. CONTACTED DEALER, CANNOT FIX PROBLEM.*AK CONSUMER HAS TO FILL THE GAS TANK TO 1/2 OF IT'S CAPACITY TO AVOID SMELLS AND SPILLAGE. *JG
NEAR THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK THERE IS A CRACK. WHEN FILLING VEHICLE UP WITH FUEL IT LEAKS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND HAD IT REPAIRED. *AK DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL TANK, IT WAS SPLIT ON ONE SIDE. WINDOW REGULATOR BROKE AND WAS INOPERATIVE. *SLC
FUEL TANK CRACKED, AND WAS LEAKING FUEL. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER FIXED IT TWICE, BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURS.*AK
APPERANTLY THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE LOTUS ELAN FUEL TANK. LOTUS WANTS TO CHARGE ME FOR REPAIRING SOMETHING THEY KNOW IS FAULTY DUE TO POOR DESIGN. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER ELAN OWNERS AND SOME HAVE PAID THE FEE FOR THE NEW TANK AS WELL AS THE SERVICE CHARGES TOTALLING OVER $1,000. I ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER OWNERS WOULD…
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APPERANTLY THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE LOTUS ELAN FUEL TANK. LOTUS WANTS TO CHARGE ME FOR REPAIRING SOMETHING THEY KNOW IS FAULTY DUE TO POOR DESIGN. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER ELAN OWNERS AND SOME HAVE PAID THE FEE FOR THE NEW TANK AS WELL AS THE SERVICE CHARGES TOTALLING OVER $1,000. I ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER OWNERS WOULD LIKE LOTUS TO STEP UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. *AK
WHEN GAS TANK WAS FILLED FUEL LEAKED ON GROUND AND FUMES ENTERED VEHICLE. FUMES WERE SO STRONG THAT CONSUMER FELT SICK AND PULLED OVER. VEHICLE LEAKED SO MUCH FUEL IN GAS STATION THAT EMPLOYEE WAS GOING TO BILL THE CONSUMER. DEALER, LOTUS WAS NOT ADMITTING THERE WAS A PROBLEM. FUEL TANK WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. IF…
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WHEN GAS TANK WAS FILLED FUEL LEAKED ON GROUND AND FUMES ENTERED VEHICLE. FUMES WERE SO STRONG THAT CONSUMER FELT SICK AND PULLED OVER. VEHICLE LEAKED SO MUCH FUEL IN GAS STATION THAT EMPLOYEE WAS GOING TO BILL THE CONSUMER. DEALER, LOTUS WAS NOT ADMITTING THERE WAS A PROBLEM. FUEL TANK WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. IF VEHICLE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT IT WOULD DIFFINTENTLY BLOW UP. *AK TOP OF FUEL TANK HAS A CRACK IN IT, CONSUMER STATES THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL 1991 ELANS. *SLC
THIS TYPE OF FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE MODEL BEFORE. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
WHEN FILLED WITH GAS, THE FUEL TANK LEAKS FROM THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE TANK; LEAKING FUEL IS A FIRE HAZARD AND GAS ODOR IN CAR IS ANNOYING. I SUSPECT THAT THE TANK NECK HAS CRACKED AT ITS JUCTION TO THE TANK BODY AS REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS. I CONTACTED LOTUS CARS, WHO INSISTED THAT I TAKE IT TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION BEFO…
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WHEN FILLED WITH GAS, THE FUEL TANK LEAKS FROM THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE TANK; LEAKING FUEL IS A FIRE HAZARD AND GAS ODOR IN CAR IS ANNOYING. I SUSPECT THAT THE TANK NECK HAS CRACKED AT ITS JUCTION TO THE TANK BODY AS REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS. I CONTACTED LOTUS CARS, WHO INSISTED THAT I TAKE IT TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION BEFORE ANY REMEDIES MAY BE CONSIDERED. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER ELAN OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, AND HAVE HAD THEIR TANKS REPLACED BY LOTUS; I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS A DEFECT IN THE TANK MANUFACTURE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR INSPECTION AND/OR REPLACEMENT BY THE MANUFACTURER -- IT IS DEFINETELY A FIRE HAZARD. AS THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 500 OF THESE CARS IMPORTED IN THE 1991 MODEL YEAR ONLY, LOTUS IS HESITANT TO ADMIT ITS A DEFECT; OF THE 500 CARS, HOW MANY HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO YOU? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. DAN MILLER. *AK
FUEL TANK LEAKS WHEN IT IS FULL. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
Official recalls
102V199000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Jul 25, 2002
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL TANKS CAN LEAK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 26, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT LOTUS AT 1-800-245-6887.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.