1999 Toyota 4RUNNER

I PURCHASED A 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2 YEARS AGO AFTER DRIVING IT OFF THE LOT WE NOTICED WITHIN A WEEK THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS NOT WORKING. THEY EXPLAINED THAT HAD THEY KNEW IT WAS BROKEN, HOW WOULDN'T YOU, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SELL IT FOR THAT PRICE. I PAID FOR THE FIX AND WAS REASSURED THAT THIS WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WELL, STARTING ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO I AM NOW HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED TOYOTA GOODWILL AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS ONLY COVERED UNDER INITIAL WARRANTY. I HAVE READ SEVERAL FORUMS AND COLUMNS ON THIS ISSUE AND THE PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR WITHIN THE FIRST 36 K MILES SO ALOT OF GOOD THAT DOES. I AM STILL WAITING TO SEE IF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS MY CASE, BUT I DOUBT ANYTHING WILL GET DONE UNLESS I CONTINUE TO CALL BACK. I WOULD THINK THAT TOYOTA WOULD WANT TO EXTEND SOME GOODWILL CONSIDERING THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS RELEVANT CONSIDERING THERE IS NO REAL WAY TO EXACTLY TRACK YOUR MILES AND BECOMING STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY OR LATE AT NIGHT IS CERTAINLY NOT A GOOD THING TO HAVE TO EXPERIENCE. *TR

I HAVE A 1999 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER AND THE FUEL GAUGE HAS STOPPED WORKING. IT BEGAN BY SHOWING A QUANTITY OF FUEL WHEN IT REALLY DID NOT HAVE ANY FUEL. THIS CAUSED ME TO RUN OUT OF FUEL AND ALMOST HAVE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. IT NOW MAY READ FULL, ZERO, 1/2 ETC. YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON THE ACCURACY. I CONTACTED DEALER WHO TOLD ME THEY KNEW IT WAS A TOYOTA DEFECT BUT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT BUT TELL ME TO BRING IT IN AND THEY WOULD FIX IT FOR BETWEEN $500 - $1000!!! TOYOTA HAS EVEN ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN TSB # EL 010-00 TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM BUT NOT OFFER REPAIRING THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR THOSE UNAWARE AND COULD RESULT IN DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. *TR

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHEN DRIVING 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SR5. FUEL GAUGE READS FULL AND VEHICLE STALLS DUE TO NO FUEL IN TANK. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO TOYOTA AND THAT THEY HAVE REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A PROBLEM WITH THE PART AS DELIVERED IN THIS VEHICLE AND THEY ISSUED TSB:EL010-00 TITLED "FUEL GAUGE INACCURACY" TO FIX THE PROBLEM ONLY UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE, BUT A SAFETY ISSUE AS VEHICLE CAN RUN OUT OF FUEL AND STALL WITHOUT WARNING AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED ON CONGESTED HIGHWAYS. THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I HAVE HAD TO USE THE ODOMETER TO GUESS HOW MUCH FUEL IS REMAINING THE FUEL TANK AT ANY GIVEN TIME. FACTORS SUCH AS HIGHWAY CONDITIONS, WEATHER, NECESSARY USE OF 4WD CAN IMPACT THE NUMBER OF MILES ACHIEVED IN A SINGLE TANK OF GAS. ALSO, FUEL TANK MUST BE FILLED TO TOP WHEN REFUELING TO MOST ACCURATELY GUESS NUMBER OF MILES THAT CAN BE DRIVEN BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR, IN THE PASSING LANE AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLES ENGINE QUIT, LOST ALL POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ETC. VERY DANGEROUS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO A TURN AROUND. BOTTOM LINE, VEHICLE HAD RUN OUT OF GAS, EVEN THOUGH FUEL GAUGE SHOWED A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

DRIVING ON I-79 IN PASSING LANE AT 65 MPH, THE ENGINE QUIT, COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES..RUSH HOUR. MOST DANGEROUS THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD, TOWED TO GARAGE, ENGINE WILL NOT START, SHOWS A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK ON FUEL GAGE..ENDS UP, WAS OUT OF FUEL ! GAUGE GAVE FALSE READING. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 54,000 MILES ON IT. I DID FIND A TOYOTA TSB EL010-00 THAT ADDRESSES THIS EXACT PROBLEM, BUT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF IT. MY VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT FROM A TOYOTA DEALER WITH MY NAME AS THE NEW OWNER ON RECORD. THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THING TO HAPPEN, NO INDICATION OF LOW FUEL LEVEL, NO FUEL LOW WARNING LIGHT,,GAUGE WAS SHOWING A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS A RECALL. *TR

FUEL GAUGE BEGAN SHOWING INACCURATE READINGS. USUALLY SHOWED AT OR NEAR FULL REGARDLESS OF ACTUAL FUEL VOLUME IN TANK. AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS IT JUST STAYED AT THE FULL MARK. MORE RECENTLY, ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF MARCH, 2009, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE GAUGE WOULD OCCASIONALLY DROP TO THE EMPTY MARK, AND THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD FLASH. IT WOULD REMAIN THIS WAY UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. UPON TURNING THE KEY BACK TO THE ON POSITION, OR RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE GAUGE WOULD RETURN TO THE FULL MARK AND REMAIN THERE. REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER AS STATED IN TSB EL010-00 HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER THE GAUGE READ ABOUT 3/4 FULL BUT THE TANK WAS NEARLY EMPTY. AFTER FILLING THE TANK THE GAUGE MOVED TO FULL BUT IT CONTINUES TO ACT AS IS DID BEFORE REPLACING THE SENDER, EVEN AFTER GOING THROUGH THE CALIBRATION PROCEDURE MULTIPLE TIMES. ACCORDING TO THE VEHICLE VIN, AS SHOWN IN THE TSB, REPLACING THE COMBINATION PLATE (CIRCUIT BOARD) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS NOT NEEDED. BUT THE FUEL GAUGE STILL ALWAYS READS FULL, OR EMPTY, AS IT DID BEFORE REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER. *TR

I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM WITH MY FUEL GAUGE, IT IS EXTREMELY INACCURATE. SOMETIMES IT'LL TELL ME I HAVE MORE GAS THAN I DO, AND OTHER TIMES IT'LL TELL ME I HAVE LESS. APPARENTLY THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM AMONG 99 4RUNNERS, AND I'D REALLY LIKE TO GET THIS FIXED. I RAN OUT OF GAS ON THE FREEWAY THINKING I HAD HALF A TANK LEFT AND ALMOST CAUSED A WRECK. THANKS IN ADVANCE. *TR