A California truck owner filled his fuel tank before heading to work, only to discover the next morning that someone had apparently stolen his gas. But the missing fuel wasn’t the most expensive part of the surprise.
Instead of siphoning gasoline through the filler neck, whoever targeted the truck had apparently drilled straight through the fuel tank. The owner was left with an empty tank, a hole underneath his vehicle, and a repair bill to worry about.
A Reddit post from October 2026 detailed what happened to a driver in the San Bernardino area. His truck, a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche, had been filled to roughly three-quarters of a tank before he headed to work in Colton.
The stolen gas wasn’t even regular gasoline. The owner says he runs his truck on cheaper flex fuel, which was selling for less than $2 per gallon locally.
A Rough Morning
Writing on Reddit, u/Ok_Rich9146 explained that something seemed wrong immediately after starting his truck.
The fuel warning light remained illuminated instead of turning off after a few seconds. His gauge also showed empty, even though he had purchased fuel the night before. A puddle of gasoline beneath the truck offered the first clue. After kneeling to inspect the underside, he discovered a clean hole through the bottom of the fuel tank.
In a follow-up comment, the owner said his gas cap was also missing, leading him to suspect the thief had first tried to access the gasoline through the filler neck. By his estimate, whoever was responsible may have spent several minutes working on the truck before leaving.
Another Bad Surprise
In a follow-up comment, the driver identified a 76 station where E85 was selling for $1.95 per gallon with cash or $2.05 when paying by card. He also said conventional gasoline was costing more than $6 per gallon where he lived.
His Chevrolet Avalanche is equipped to run on E85, an alternative fuel containing a high percentage of ethanol. While E85 is often cheaper per gallon than regular gasoline, vehicles generally travel fewer miles on a gallon of E85 because it contains less energy.
Without exterior flex-fuel badges on the truck, whoever stole the gasoline might not have realized what was inside the tank.
There was also an ironic twist. The owner admitted that he’d previously joked with friends about stealing gasoline because prices were so high. Finding himself on the receiving end was another matter entirely.
Not The Only One
Other trucks may have been targeted, too. According to the owner, employees at a neighborhood Auto Zone told him that a couple of their trucks had experienced similar thefts the previous week. That account hasn’t been independently confirmed, but it suggests the Avalanche might not have been the only vehicle targeted in the area.
Other Reddit users shared their own experiences with drilled fuel tanks. One commenter said a Toyota truck had been targeted, while another described finding similar damage after moving to Colorado.
Repairs could easily cost more than the stolen fuel. The Avalanche owner estimated that fixing his truck would cost at least a couple hundred dollars, although he hadn’t provided a confirmed repair estimate.
Several commenters suggested inexpensive methods for patching the hole, including fuel-tank repair compounds. Those suggestions came from Reddit users rather than mechanics who had inspected the vehicle.
More Than Gas
Fuel thieves can cause far more damage than the value of the gasoline they steal. Drilling into a tank may allow someone to collect fuel quickly, but it can also leave the vehicle undrivable until the damaged tank is repaired or replaced.
AAA Club Alliance warns that fuel thieves sometimes puncture tanks or cut fuel lines instead of siphoning gasoline. A locking gas cap can discourage some theft attempts, but it cannot prevent someone from accessing the tank underneath a vehicle.
The danger goes beyond the financial damage. A punctured tank can leak flammable fuel, creating a fire risk. A vehicle with a suspected fuel leak should not be driven until the damage has been professionally inspected and repaired.
In his latest reported update, the Avalanche owner said he had purchased a fuel-tank repair product and was looking into how to use it.