Nissan Repair: Overfilling gas tank ?, late model cars, fuel vapors

Question
I have a 2003 Altima and have a habit of trying to get as much fuel into the tank as possible. I have been told that in new vehicles there is a charcoal filter that may get fowled if an over filled gas tank spills into it. If that happens can I tell by the functioning of the car that I should change the canister ? Will I get a MIL light and code ? would this cause any fuel line problems ( hesitation or rough running ) ?

Answer
Wayne,

Yes, it is true that late model cars have a sealed fuel system and the charcoal canister is used to capture fuel vapors and then return them to the fuel system after the condense.  If you over fill the gas tank there will be no room for expansion and the canister will overflow.  If it gets really over full it will overflow on the ground and possible set a code.  It is a good practice to stop after the automatic shutoff stops the fuel fill process.  If you do this a couple of times the fuel system will purge itself of the overfill and the car should be fine.  No codes were set?  If there was a code set let me know what it was and we'll dissuss.  There should be no need to replace the canister.