Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a fuel door override system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on March 5th, 2021, published on November 21st, 2023, and assigned serial number 11821242.
The Ford Authority Take
Over the past several months, The Blue Oval has filed patents outlining a number of interesting ideas that could be used in future Ford vehicles. This list includes things like a hands-free charging system for EVs, a multi-port charging adapter, a wireless charging pad, and deployable charging ports, to name just a few. Now, this newly filed patent outlining an idea for a fuel door override system keeps that trend going, albeit in a slightly different direction.
Both ICE vehicles and EVs typically have some sort of door covering their fuel filler or charging port, which can be opened and closed to “refuel” each, which in many cases are lockable to prevent others from tampering with them. This – as Ford notes in the patent – can potentially be a problem if the owner loses the key or power needed to open the door, at which point it may be necessary to lean on a manual fuel door override system.
That’s precisely the idea this patent focuses on, using a design for an override retainer with a clip or flexible flap that can release the door’s latching mechanism manually, granting access in the event that it’s impossible to open the door otherwise. There would obviously be measures in place to prevent others from being able to do this for nefarious reasons, but otherwise, it seems like a pretty good idea that could save some a lot of time and trouble in the event that they can’t access their fuel door or charging point.
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Comments
My 86 Sable had an emergency fuel door release which consisted of a cable and handle that pulled the latch, if needed.
I’ve had lots of cats with manual override for fuel doors. A tab in the trunk. Not much good if you lost your keys.
Ummmm, Fords have had fuel flap pull cable overrides for years. In the trunk, just read the user manual.