2019 Toyota RAV4

THE FUEL TANK IS EITHER UNABLE TO FILL TO THE RATED CAPACITY OR IS OUT OF CALIBRATION. THIS CAUSES THE STATION PUMP TO STOP PROVIDING FUEL BEFORE THE TANK IS FULL. IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ANYWHERE NEAR A FULL TANK OF GAS YOU MUST IGNORE THE PUMPS AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF AND GUESS AS TO WHEN TO STOP. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE AS NOT KNOWING WHEN TO STOP CAN CAUSE FUEL TO SPILL FROM THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE FIRST FILL UP OF THE VEHICLE IN APRIL OF 2019 AND CONTINUES TO THIS DAY (SEPTEMBER 2019). TOYOTA HAS REPLACED THE FUEL SENDING UNIT BUT THE ISSUE STILL PERSISTS. THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED ANY SERVICE BULLETINS OR WARNINGS REGARDING THIS ISSUE BUT CLAIM IT IS WIDESPREAD FOR THE 2019 RAV4 HYBRID. THEY ALSO CLAIM NO MORE REPAIR ATTEMPTS WILL BE MADE AS THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE ISSUE IS OR HOW TO FIX IT.

MY 2019 RAV4 XSE HYBRID MODEL WAS RECENTLY PURCHASED AND I BEGAN TO NOTICE SOME DISCREPANCIES IN WHAT THE VEHICLE HAD ADVERTISED FOR DTE VERSUS SIZE OF THE TANK. THE VEHICLE'S MANUAL SAYS THIS CAR HAS A 14.5 GALLON TANK, BUT THE LAST 3 TIMES I HAD GONE TO REFILL, THE PUMP USUALLY SHUTS OFF AROUND 9-11 GALLONS AND THE METER JUMPS BACK TO THE FULL MARK. THE MANUAL ALSO SAYS THERE'S A 2.2 GALLON RESERVE FOR SAFETY, BUT THAT MATH DOES NOT ADD UP TO HOW MUCH I FILL UP WHEN THE GAS LIGHT TURNS ON. 30MI LEFT ON DTE, I USUALLY RUN IT UNTIL I HAVE ABOUT 10MI LEFT AND EVEN THEN UPON REFUEL I BARELY BREAK THE 10 GALLON MARK, SO WHERE'S THE OTHER 2.3 GALLONS (MINUS THE 2.2 RESERVE)? I CURRENTLY GET ON TOTAL AVERAGE 38.8 MPG. AFTER A FULL REFILL, THE NEEDLE IS AT THE FULL MARK, MY DTE AT THE TIME USUALLY REPORTS 475 MPG, BUT EACH TIME MY REFILL LIGHT COMES ON, MY ODO METER (I RESET EACH TIME AT REFUEL) ONLY HAS ME AT ABOUT 380-400 MILES DRIVEN. NOW, I GET THAT DTE DYNAMICALLY CHANGES, BUT WITH OVER 100 ESTIMATE MILES DIFFERENCE? THAT'S COMPLETELY INSANE AND FALSE ADVERTISING. I'VE ALSO NOTICED THAT EVERYTIME I RESTART MY CAR, THE DTE ALWAYS SOMEHOW LOSES A FEW MILES FROM THE LAST REPORTED NUMBER. SO SAY I HAVE 400 MILES AND DROVE 20 IN TRIP A (DTE ~380MI), I WOULD TURN OFF THE CAR, TURN IT BACK ON, AND THE DTE WOULD REPORT 373 OR SOMETHING IN THAT BALLPARK. EACH AND EVERY TIME THE DTE ALWAYS SEEMS TO REDUCE UPON ENGINE START, WHICH GETS ME CLOSER TO MY TOTAL MILEAGE BY REFUEL AROUND 380...A FAR CRY FROM THE INITIAL ~475MI. THERE'S BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS FROM OTHERS REGARDING THE SAME ISSUE AND IT'S COMPLETELY DISHEARTENING TO HAVE SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON A HYBRID VEHICLE NO LESS THAT I CAN HARDLY GET 400 MILES ON A FULL TANK WITH A CONSTANTLY FLUCTUATING DTE MEASUREMENT.

I PURCHASED A 2019 RAV4 HYBRID IN APRIL OF 2019. ONE ISSUE WITH THE CAR THAT I HAVE NOT GOTTEN A RESOLUTION FOR IS THAT THE FUEL GAUGE IS INACCURATE. ON FILLING THE TANK, IT ONLY SHOWS ABOUT 7/8 FULL. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT TOTALLY FULL IS TO 'TOP IT OFF' WHICH IS ILLEGAL IN OREGON WHERE I LIVE. THE FUEL TANK HOLDS 14.5 GALLONS. ON THE WAY BACK FROM A RECENT TRIP, I LET THE FUEL GAUGE GO DOWN UNTIL THE DASH BOARD SCREEN SAID I HAD 13 MILES LEFT UNTIL I WAS GOING TO BE OUT OF FUEL. I TOLD THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT HELP ME THIS ONE TIME BY 'TOPPING OFF' THE TANK TO CHECK THE GALLONS NEEDED. THE TANK WAS FULL AFTER ADDING JUST 12 GALLONS. THAT MEANS I HAD 2.5 GALLONS LEFT IN THE TANK WHEN THE DASH BOARD FUEL WARNING SAID I HAD 13 MILES TO GO BEFORE I WAS OUT OF GAS. THIS VEHICLE CONSISTENTLY GETS 40-45 MPG. I FEEL IT IS DANGEROUS NOT TO HAVE THE CORRECT FUEL TOTAL AVAILABLE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO MY TOYOTA DEALER (LITHIA TOYOTA OF SPRINGFIELD, OREGON) IN MAY OF 2019 TO HAVE THIS ISSUE CHECKED OUT. THE DEALER SAID THE DID A THOROUGH CHECK OF THE SYSTEMS THAT MAY BE INVOLVED, BUT COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY RECALLS BY TOYOTA CONCERNING THIS MATTER.