Fuel Leak on a 97 Dodge Stratus?

Question

I have a leak of some kind in my fuel tank on my 97 Dodge Stratus. Now- this doesn't occur normally- I'm not leaving a trail of fuel behind me. But, if I fill the gas tank completely (we are talking till teh pump shuts off) and then wait a second, I start hearing the fuel hitting the ground and see it running out. But not that much.

My question is- for any familiar with this car- is this a problem that has come up before? Is it possibly a eroded gasket, a valve that has become faulty (or wasn't tightened properly), or is it just an oddly positioned hole towards the top of my tank?

I'd like to have some clue how to approach this- so I wanted to see if this is common at all.

Thanks in advance.

To follow up on one of the below answers- this is before I even remove the pump. So the cap is never even placed.

Answer 1

There's a donut gasket that connects the fill tube to the tank on your car...I bet it's bad. Since the donut sits fairly close to the tank, the fuel doesn't have to slosh much to find itself outside of the tank.

This is VERY DANGEROUS. Please fix this before you have a fire!

Answer 2

There is always an excess fuel vent in the edge of the filler neck, but it is normally sealed by the gas cap. If the tension spring or gasket in your gas cap is damaged it may leak fuel when the tank is full. The fuel tank is normally sealed when the gas cap is closed. If you remove the gas cap immediately after driving the car for a short while you should hear a "wooosh" If not, it's either the cap or a puncture somewhere in your fuel system.

Answer 3

There is a tube that goes from the fill neck to an evaporator. It may be corroded or loose.