2015-2018 fuel filter
 

Is it true that the fuel filters are in the gas tank?

Yep. They have been since 2010 or so.

Wow, I guess it's no longer a half hour job. Thanks
It better be a damn good filter

With the right tools, it is a 2 minute job.

Not when it's inside the tank. SUPPOSEDLY it's a lifetime filter, there is no recommended change interval.

The old style inline fuel filter along the frame rail was extremely simple once you had the right tool. Back in those days, a lot of people did not have the right disconnect tool, or for whatever reason, would not buy the right disconnect tool.

My '07 Jeep Compass has it... believe it or not, the fuel filter wasn't bad. The fuel pump went out at 160k miles...

2018 Fuel filter
 

so what do we do when we get a tank full of bad gas loaded with water like I did yesterday? I drained the tank and filled with fresh gas and now I have to pull the spark plugs and back drain the fuel rail and hope that makes it start because it won’t start right now.

Fuel filter won't stop water

Even if you get a water-fuel separator, they are only good for diesels, because diesel fuel is less refined (think of peanut oil; nice and thin).

Gas soaks up water like there is no tomorrow... I would recommend adding a couple bottles of alcohol (like HEET water remover).

There was a video where someone filled a quarter tank of water then filled the rest of it with 100% isopropyl alcohol and the engine ran, not good, but ran. It was on a lawn mower engine.

Contact the gas station where you got the bad gas. Their insurance should cover towing your vehicle to a shop and getting it fixed.

You can't run any kind of engine on water/alcohol. Oh wait, you can. Looks like @glc is correct!

Before I became disabled I had it down to 5 minutes or less.