2017 Toyota RAV4 Fuel System Problems

I was driving in the free way, my 2017 Rav4 started shaking and then stopped. I looked at my dash board it says: "Charging System Malfunction". I confirmed that I have 1/4 tank of fuel (reading the gauge). I had my car towed to a mechanic. Troubleshot it, found out that car was out of fuel but the fuel gauge said: 1/4 tank of fuel left. Reported the problem to Toyota. I was told they recalled other Rav 4's , different years but not the 2017.

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up after several attempts. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic test discovered that the fuel pump had failed to operate as needed. Upon further inspection, the dealer discovered that the plastic canister inside the fuel tank had become hot and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was 114,837.

THE 2017 RAV4 THAT I OWN BEGAN HAVING FUEL SYSTEM PROBLEMS IN JULY OF 2017. THE CAR WOULD STALL WHEN IT CAME TO A STOP OR IT WOULD STALL SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING AND THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR WOULD THEN SMELL OF GASOLINE. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER 3 TIMES TO TRY AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE. FIRST THE DEALER CLEANED THE FUEL INJECTORS AND THROTTLE BODY AND A FEW WEEKS LATER THE PROBLEM RETURNED. ON THE SECOND VISIT TO THE DEALER I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS FUEL IN THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. THE CANISTER WAS REPLACE AND LESS THAN A MONTH LATER THE PROBLEM RETURNED. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER IN OCTOBER OF 2020 AGAIN AND THEY SAID THE CHARCOAL CANISTER AGAIN HAS GASOLINE IN IT. THIS TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL TANK AND CHARCOAL CANISTER. SINCE OCTOBER OF 2020 THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 1600 MILES AND THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN ON FEBRUARY 7, 2021. AGAIN THE DEALER FOUND GASOLINE IN THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. ON FEBRUARY 9, 2021 TOYOTA CORPORATE INSTRUCTED THEM TO AGAIN REPLACE THE FUEL TANK, CHARCOAL CANISTER ALONG WITH THE FUEL GAGE AND OTHER RELATED PARTS. I WAS ASKED BY THE DEALER IF WE WERE OVERFILLING THE FUEL TANK, I ASSURED THEM THAT WE WERE NOT AS WE DISCONTINUE ADDING FUEL WHEN THE PUMP SHUTS OFF AUTOMATICALLY. I WAS ALSO ASKED IF WE PARK THE CAR ON A SLOPE TO THIS I SAID YES BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A HILLY AREA. WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN JANUARY 2017 AND PARKING THE CAR ON A HILLY STREET WAS NEVER A PROBLEM. AT PRESENT WE ARE WAITING ON PARTS FROM TOYOTA.

WHEN STARTING AND PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP LIGHT AND TURNING, THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED IN A SUBURBAN SETTING. NO HYBRID BATTERY POWER OR GAS POWER WAS AVAILABLE. ALL DASH BOARD LIGHTS CAME ON. THIS WAS SUDDEN AND THERE WAS NO HESITATION ON ACCELERATION OR INDICATIONS OF PROBLEMS PRIOR. IN TRAFFIC, HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND RESTART IT. WORKED OK AFTER THAT. THE CAR HAS 29,000 MILES AND IS SERVICED REGULARLY.

MY CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW ON JUNE 24, 2017. IT HAD TWO TIMES SERIOUS GAS LEAKAGES. 4/29/2019, 1ST. TIME, MILEAGE WAS 9,967, I PAID $837.72, FOR REPLACING THE 'CHARCOAL CANISTER' AND I WAS TOLD IT'S NOT UNDER TOYOTA FACTORY WARRANTY BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP & HEADQUARTERS CENTER IN DALLAS, TX. 7/01/2019, 2ND. TIME GAS LEAKAGE, MILEAGE WAS 10,691, MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE SAME TOYOTA SERVICE FOR THE SAME GAS LEAKAGE ISSUE AGAIN... FINALLY, TOYOTA REPLACED 'CHARCOAL CANISTER' FOR THE 2ND. TIME, AND OTHER SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE GAS LEAKAGE WITH NO CHARGE. BOTH GAS LEAKAGE ARE ALL THE SAME, 60 DAYS APART, WERE ALL FROM THE REAR, BOTTOM, DRIVER SIDE OF THE CAR, THERE WAS A GAS PUDDLE ON MY INCLINED DRIVEWAY. AFTER I CHECKED TOYOTA OWNER'S WARRANTY RIGHTS NOTIFICATION BOOKLETS - FEDERAL EMISSION CONTROL WARRANTY ' 'CHARCOAL CANISTER' IS CLEARLY UNDER TOYOTA WARRANTY PARTS LIST ' WITHIN 3 YEARS OR 36,000 MILES. APPARENTLY, TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID MODEL -'GAS LEAKAGE' CAUSED BY DEFECTED EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM, CAN'T PARKING ON INCLINED OR UPHILL DRIVEWAY WITH MORE THAN HALF TANK OF GAS. I CALLED AND SENT TWO CLAIM LETTERS DATED ON 6/25/2019 AND 8/26/2019, REQUEST TOYOTA REFUND MY $837.72 ' FOR 1ST. TIME REPAIRED COST THAT PAID ON 5/7/2019. TOYOTA HAS DECLINED MY CLAIMS, REFUSED REFUNDING MY PAYMENT OF $837.72, WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH TOYOTA'S UNETHICAL, FRAUD NOTES ON THE INVOICE ' SO CALLED 'GAS IS OVERFILLED'. TOYOTA SHIRKS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CUSTOMER IN ORDER NOT COVER THE VEHICLE DEFECTIVE. INTENTIONALLY VIOLATE THEIR WARRANTY POLICY. WE HAVE BEEN WRONGLY, UNFAIRLY TREATED. SO WE ASK THE NHTSA, PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER, MONITOR THE TOYOTA CORRECT THEIR MISTAKE, AND REFUND MY $837.72 ASAP. THERE ARE SOME OTHER SIMILAR GAS LEAKAGE CLAIM CASES OF THE RAV4 HYBRID MODEL. IT'S VERY DANGER TO DRIVE WITH THE GAS LEAKAGE, CAN GET FIRE. JUSTICE IS MATTERS.