NJ resident here who rarely pumps his own gas. How common is it for the nozzle's auto shut off feature to malfunction when the tank is full?

Was on a road trip this weekend so I had to fill up out of state. I put the nozzle into the car and used the latch feature that automatically fills the car so you don't have to manually hold the pump, which should stop pumping when the tank is full. I was getting something out of my trunk when I heard liquid overflowing so I go to my tank and the nozzle is continuously pumping gas into the overflowing tank. I had to manually disengage the nozzle for it to stop pumping. First time this has ever happened to me, but keep in mind i've lived in NJ my entire life so i've probably only pumped my own gas about 20 times. Is this a common failure? via /r/cars http://ift.tt/2tSEV1Z