What in the world does the "< Fuel Door" indictator on my instrument panel mean? I've never once seen it illuminated even with the gas tank flap open.

 

it just simply shows you which side the fuel fillers are located on.

it never lights up.

 

....which is on the CORRECT side of the vehicle. I hate it when vehicles have the fuel filler cap/door on the passenger side. I thought it was a neat idea to stick that little arrow on there. Of course, I never noticed until long after I was used to it being on the driver's side.

Jason

 

a lot of japanese vehicles have the fuel filler on the passenger side in the u.s. but is really the driver's side in japan.

 

Ohhh I get it. I'm stupid. It looked like a little light. I thought it was some type of warning. Thanks guys.

 

no, no, no. not stupid. you just had a brain fart.

 

I would think a filler door would be MUCH easier to re-engineer for the other side than a whole steering column, plus whatever engine parts are in the way--I think they're just backwards.

Jason

 

with a rack and pinion it is very easy to change to either side.

 

There were probably others before it, but the '57 Thunderbird had the fuel filler door on the passenger side, so these days it's not really a new idea. Nice to know Ford engineers were lacking common sense even 50 years ago!

Pat

 

Don't have to go that far back on the 'Birds. My '86 has it on the passenger side. I always pull up on the wrong side of the pumps when I drive it. Of particular note, notice that the filler is ALWAYS on the opposite side from where the tail pipe is.

And, btw, Japan has left side driver's seat, drive on RIGHT side of road. Anything built with right side steering in Japan is for export purpose. Only a few European countries, and Australia have right side driver's seats. Lemme tell ya, after driving for 30+ years on the RIGHT side of the road, getting into one that's opposite is a real treat for the brain. VERY weird sitting in the left side of the car with NOTHING in front of you except the glove box, especially in a Ford.

 

My 88 Pathfinder fuels on the right. The only time this comes in handy is when there is a long line of left side fuelers.

 

look at vehicals next time and you will notice that the exhuast exits on opposite side of the fuel filler, saftey engineering i guess

 

you are incorrect.

this is a list of who drives on what side and you will see the japanese drive on the left side.


R Drive on the right-hand side of the road (and mostly the driver sits on the left side of the car).
L Drive on the left-hand side of the road (and mostly the driver sits on the right side of the car).



R Afghanistan
R Albania
R Algeria
R American Samoa
R Andorra
R Angola
L Anguilla
L Antigua and Barbuda
R Argentina
R Armenia
R Aruba
L Australia
R Austria
R Azerbaijan
L Bahamas
R Bahrain
L Bangladesh
L Barbados
R Belarus
R Belgium
R Belize
R Benin
L Bermuda
L Bhutan
R Bolivia
R Bosnia and Herzegovina
L Botswana
R Brazil
R British Indian Ocean Territory (Diego Garcia)
L Brunei
R Bulgaria
R Burkina Faso
R Burundi
R Cambodia
R Cameroon
R Canada
R Cape Verde
L Cayman Islands
R Central African Republic
R Chad
R Chile
R China, People's Republic of (Mainland China)
L Christmas Island (Australia)
L Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)
R Colombia
R Comoros
R Congo
L Cook Islands
R Costa Rica
R Croatia
R Cuba
L Cyprus
R Czech Republic
R Denmark
R Djibouti
L Dominica
R Dominican Republic
L East Timor
R Ecuador
R Egypt
R El Salvador
R Equatorial Guinea
R Eritrea
R Estonia
R Ethiopia
L Falkland Islands
R Faroe Islands (Denmark)
L Fiji
R Finland
R France
R French Guiana
R French Polynesia
R Gabon
R Gambia, The
R Gaza Strip
R Georgia
R Germany
R Ghana
R Gibraltar
R Greece
R Greenland
L Grenada
R Guadeloupe (French West Indies)
R Guam
R Guatemala
L Guernsey (Channel Islands)
R Guinea
R Guinea-Bissau
L Guyana
R Haiti
R Honduras
L Hong Kong
R Hungary
R Iceland
L India
L Indonesia
R Iran
R Iraq
L Ireland
R Israel
L Isle of Man
R Italy
R Ivory Coast
L Jamaica
L Japan
L Jersey (Channel Islands)
R Jordan
R Kazakhstan
L Kenya
L Kiribati
R Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea)
R Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
R Kuwait
R Kyrgyzstan
R Laos
R Latvia
R Lebanon
L Lesotho
R Liberia
R Libya
R Liechtenstein
R Lithuania
R Luxembourg
L Macau
R Macedonia
R Madagascar
L Malawi
L Malaysia
L Maldives
R Mali
L Malta
R Marshall Islands
R Martinique (French West Indies)
R Mauritania
L Mauritius
R Mayotte (France)
R Mexico
R Micronesia, Federated States of
R Midway Islands (USA)
R Moldova
R Monaco
R Mongolia
L Montserrat
R Morocco
L Mozambique
R Myanmar (Burma)
L Namibia
L Nauru
L Nepal
R Netherlands
R Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Saba)
R New Caledonia
L New Zealand
R Nicaragua
R Niger
R Nigeria
L Niue
L Norfolk Island (Australia)
R Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan)
R Norway
R Oman
L Pakistan
R Palau
R Panama
L Papua New Guinea
R Paraguay
R Peru
R Philippines
L Pitcairn Islands (Britain)
R Poland
R Portugal
R Puerto Rico
R Qatar
R Reunion
R Romania
R Russia
R Rwanda
R Saint Barth�emy (French West Indies)
L Saint Helena
L Saint Kitts and Nevis
L Saint Lucia
R Saint Martin (French West Indies)
R Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)
L Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
R Samoa
R San Marino
R Sao Tome e Principe
R Saudi Arabia
R Senegal
L Seychelles
R Sierra Leone
L Singapore
R Slovakia
R Slovenia
L Solomon Islands
R Somalia (a part of Somalia trying to assert independence, Somaliland, also drives on the right)
L South Africa
R Spain
L Sri Lanka
R Sudan
L Suriname
R Svalbard (Norway)
L Swaziland
R Sweden
R Switzerland
R Syria
R Taiwan
R Tajikistan
L Tanzania
L Thailand
R Togo
L Tokelau (New Zealand)
L Tonga
L Trinidad and Tobago
R Tunisia
R Turkey
R Turkmenistan
L Turks and Caicos Islands
L Tuvalu
L Uganda
R Ukraine
R United Arab Emirates
L United Kingdom
R United States
R Uruguay
R Uzbekistan
R Vanuatu
R Venezuela
R Vietnam
L Virgin Islands (British)
L Virgin Islands (US)
R Wake Island (USA)
R Wallis and Futuna Islands [Fr.]
R West Bank
R Western Sahara (ex Spanish Sahara)
R Yemen
R Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)
R Zaire
L Zambia
L Zimbabwe

 

Wow dude, you get an award for the longest post on FTE.

Our honda has the filler on the driver's side. The passenger side is annoying, and just plain wrong.

My parents had an '81 Bonneville that had the gas cap behind the license plate in the center of the car between the taillights. I always thought that was clever.

 

I could date myself, and tell you my 56 chevy had it in the left tail light. You had to turn part of the trim to open it.