Delivery error cause of South Lake Tahoe Safeway gas issues

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A delivery error at Safeway's South Lake Tahoe gas station led to the premium gasoline situation first highlighted by South Tahoe Now on Thursday.

Any diesel, 89 or 91 octane gasoline purchased at the Safeway on Lake Tahoe Boulevard between 8:00 p.m. on December 30 and 11:00 a.m. on January 2 may be contaminated according to the Safeway corporate offices.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused customers," said Safeway in a statement. "We have fully corrected the error."

They are telling customers who purchased those fuel grades during that time frame, and their vehicle is not operating properly, to contact Safeway’s Customer Service Center at 877-723-3929 to report the problem.

A new delivery was made to the station around 1:00 p.m. on Friday, January 3, 2020. Gas from the previous delivery was removed.

Several letters have been sent to South Tahoe Now from out-of-town consumers who experienced issues with their vehicles after filling up at the popular station, as well as dozens of locals. One bay area resident said it was a nightmare drive home on I-5 with a smoking car at night with kids inside. They had to spend a night in a Stockton hotel as they waited for a mechanic to open. Thursday. South Lake Tahoe mechanics are experiencing a rise in service calls from people both experiencing problems, and those wanting to make sure their engines are okay.