If you continue to drive with a bad fuel pump, it can be quite dangerous for your car… and yourself in that same vehicle. A failing fuel pump can result in a handful of performance-related issues, like abnormal sputtering, stalling and failure to start. The American Automobile Association (AAA) says a weak or dead fuel pump was the most common reason behind about 7% of vehicle breakdowns in 2022 due to gas system issues.
The duty of a fuel pump is to transfer the petrol or gas from your tank to your engine with an exact pressure. As explained below, this can keep your engine from getting enough fuel and is the reason modern cars often lose power if their fuel pressure drops as low as 50-60 PSI. E.g. A fuel pump delivering 40 psi, causing the car to stall on acceleration or not to start at all. Car manufacturers such as Ford have even gone on to say that a mere 20 % of pressure drop could lead an engine in losing enough power.
NHTSA has received numerous reports of serious consequences with vehicles operated under failing fuel pumps and in many cases these incidents can be directly related to sudden power loss being the result. One of the most obvious is a driver in California whose failing fuel pump led to engine failure on the highway and therefor rammed into another vehicle. The story serves as an example of the potential hazards associated with dismissing initial signals of fuel pump failure.
These get-your-hands-dirty people are our mechanic counterparts, masterminds like Joe Smith from a popular auto repair shop in New York who say, “If you do not pay attention to the fuel pump problems at an early stage; then only these bad $300-$600 parts can mount up into thousands of dollars for engine damage” He also commented that most drivers will ignore the initial warnings like having trouble starting, or a sputtering engine as they think it will right itself and centuries of experience have shown this causes much more damage in time.
An insufficient fuel pipe can also help the engine to overheat, because it will require too much energy. The International Journal of Automotive Engineering reported that an overheated engine caused by a malfunctioning fuel pump can reduce the life cycle in itself to 10-15% and consequently future repair costs may be even higher. The most serious concern with a bad pump is that except under heavy acceleration, it can lead to drivability issues and in the worst case scenario (except WOT), may cause engine misfires which if left unchecked for long enough could really do some damage.
Although it might be tempting to drive the car with a failing fuel pump, we must advise against doing so. The fuel pump is one of the most important components to help you have a good running engine. While repairing a failing engine mount may not seem like a big deal, ignoring the problem altogether can be more expensive in the long run. Please also take a look at the possible options available that can assist with you to find an quality source for your Fuel Pump, which may indeed help prevent such issues from escalating.