Bentley endeavors to create luxury vehicles whose cabins provide occupants with experiences unburdened by the noise and discomfort of the outside world. So when customers started to complain about gas smell in the cabin of the Bentayga in 2021, the automaker had to investigate.
Bentley quickly discovered that a fuel leak was developing near the top of the gas tank in certain models. What problem sat at the root of that small spillage took Bentley from July 2022 to August 2023 to determine.
Its investigation found that, under certain conditions, the electrical connectors on the fuel supply module in the gas tank can overheat. That can then cause the flange material to melt, which in turn leads to a leak near the top of the tank.
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What really took a long time to determine was why the electrical connectors on the fuel supply module overheat. However, it eventually discovered that when the Bentayga has bad gas in the tank and the ambient temperatures are high, the fuel pump’s rotors could become blocked.
In that scenario, the SUV’s brain simply asks the fuel pump to try and shake the blockage loose. While that may help free the rotors, it also puts a strain on the system’s electricals, and is what can lead the fuel supply module to overheat.
With that knowledge, Bentley has created a rework kit with an improved flange design that utilizes wiring and connectors of an increased size to prevent this issue from reoccurring. In June, the automaker changed the design of the fuel supply module, meaning that this isn’t an issue for vehicles produced after that.
However, the issue could potentially affect 3,527 Bentayga produced between March 2016 and June 2023, which belong to the 2017-2023 model years. Fortunately, Bentley is not aware of any injuries, deaths, or accidents related to this issue, but a fuel leak could lead to a fire, so it will recall the above-mentioned vehicles.
The automaker plans to start reaching out to owners on September 29, asking them to return their Bentayga to an authorized dealer. There, a technician will use the rework kit to prevent the parts from overheating.
