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I recently went, and test drove a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. Honestly, I was very impressed with the vehicle. Toyota does make great quality cars like the Prius.
As one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, Toyota is not without fault. There is a recent accusation against Toyota for an issue that some Rav4 Hybrid owners claim has broken their confidence in the car company.
I want to explain the lawsuit and also show why owners of the Rav4 hybrid should not worry.
The Rav4 Hybrid Fuel Tank Lawsuit
The lawsuit is straightforward to understand. In all reality, the issue with Rav4 Hybrid will not bring harm to anyone who owns the car, as long as you pay attention. The vehicle is not under a safety recall for the issue, but it does have owners worried.
The issue with the fuel tank is this. You cannot fill the fuel tank to the full capacity when the gauge shows empty, and the fuel light is on. Many consumers have reported that they can only fill the tank with 8 gallons of fuel, while others have reported 10 to 12 gallons.
The concern is that consumers cannot drive the estimated 580 miles that Toyota says it can go. Instead, owners are reporting 400 miles or less of the estimated range.
I can see how this would upset someone who just bought a $30,000 vehicle. I would expect it to work properly, as well. However, Rav4 Hybrid owners should not worry, and here is why.
The Reason Rav4 Hybrid Owners Should Not Worry
When you put your trust and faith into a company like Toyota, you expect you will get a product or service that will take care of your needs.
What happens when your car does not work as advertised is that your confidence in the carmaker, fails. What is worse is when you are not the only one who has the issue. It may seem as if Toyota lied to you about the car, and you all of a sudden feel duped by the giant car maker.
All of these feelings are entirely normal and are expected; however, you should not lose faith altogether. Toyota is ranked very high in customer satisfaction. As a mega car corporation, they have millions of customers who are the lifeblood of their business. Toyota will make it right; they always do.
For example, take a look at Prius and the hybrid battery failures they are having. Toyota could have said no to replacements but instead, they increased the battery warranty coverage. More on that story here.
Knowing this tells me that Toyota will do everything they can to correct the problem to keep their customer base happy and loving their products. Know that this issue is not one of safety unless you completely ignore your fuel gauge and miss the gas station. Your Rav4 Hybrid will still be safe, you may need to fill up more often is all.
Conclusion
I know right now it sucks to have the issue on your Rav4. I bet you have felt taken advantage of by your dealer or by Toyota. The thing is, it will be made right just give it some time. Major fixes like this take some time to collect data and come up with a viable solution for you.
Toyota is not the only company with issues, and honestly, they have the fewest problems per 100 out of any other carmaker on the planet. So, contact your dealer and get a warranty claim going for your Rav4 Hybrid if you have the issue and know that help is on the way.
Thank you all for reading. I look forward to seeing you in the next story. 3 Reasons The 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Could End Prius Production.
Watch this Toyota Prius truck with a nice little bed and click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube for daily automotive news analysis.
Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Instructor of Automotive Technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.
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Comments
Part of the problem is "empty
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In reply to The 2020 Highlander Hybrid by JOHN (not verified)
Part of the problem is "empty" doesn't mean empty on a Toyota. The 2020 Highlander Hybrid owner's manual says the low fuel light comes on when there's about 2.6 gallons left. "Empty" will occur sometime after that, with approximately 2 gallons left like you observed. This will also affect the estimated Distance to Empty, which should be around 540 miles at a full tank.
If that's all that were going on with the RAV4 I think it would be understandable. Instead it's the next level beyond that.
Yes, I realize there’s 2.6
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In reply to Part of the problem is "empty by Doug (not verified)
Yes, I realize there’s 2.6 gallons left when the low fuel light goes on. But then you can only add about 12 gallons more before the pump stops for a total of 14.6 gallons. Where’s my other 2.5 gallons?
Yes this is false advertising
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Yes this is false advertising to say the RAV4 has this higher gas capacity and milage when it really does not. They could have went on the conservative side in claiming gas capacity. Not to mention they left Android auto off of the 2019 RAV4 which is an easy upgrade. This article mentions their reliability so this should be addressed soon.
I have been a professional
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I have been a professional mechanic for 25years, I think this is the dumbest article I have read in recent years. So much BS! LMAO!
Did you let Toyota pull on
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Did you let Toyota pull on your Ponytail while you let them do you from behind?
It seems obvious you love Toyota so much that no matter who they screw, it's all good with you.
No need to respond, Toyota might not like your response and ask you to submit to some bare naked spanking.
(then again, maybe that's what you are looking for?l
Reminds me of the second
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Reminds me of the second generation Prius which had an internal fuel "bladder" that would expand and contract depending temperature. If you tried to top it off too much, the bladder would spit the gas back out at you. It happened to my wife once, and it poured out a bit of gas down the side of the car. She panicked, but she never topped it off after that!
I have a 2019 Limited Hybrid
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I have a 2019 Limited Hybrid and I am having the same problem. I can only get about 10 gallon in my tank and can go between 360-400 miles. The Toyota dealership asked me to bring in my car after I filled it up so they could completely empty my tank and measure how much gas I had. I filled up, with 8 miles until empty, and only got 10 gallons in the tank. I drove 2 miles to the dealership where they emptied 12.4 gallons from my tank. Still 2.1 gallons missing. I'm basically missing about 160+ miles from my total range.
My 2020 RAV4 Limited Hybrid
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In reply to I have a 2019 Limited Hybrid by Jon (not verified)
My 2020 RAV4 Limited Hybrid has had this issue since new and it was reported last month at the 6 month service. I just tested it myself this week after not getting much help from the dealer. It has never taken more than 10 gallons when run to empty (reserve was run below zero miles to empty and displays a “Refuel” message). I carried a gas can and drove it 100 miles after the “Refuel” message came on - it then took 12.8 gallons and I forced a top off to get it up to 13.2 gallons. The gauge was buried on empty for the last 80-100 miles and showed a notch beyond full when I refueled. This clearly showed the tank holds the specified 14 gallons and can be refilled to the top as expected BUT the fuel gauge is not properly calibrated. It moves very quickly off full and clearly had at least 3-4 gallons remaining in the tank when the reserve light came on and indicated only 30 miles remaining. I got 130 miles off reserve and I did not run out of fuel - depending on how low the pump can suck the tank dry, I may have gone another 30-40 miles. Overall I went 540 miles during this test and was I really intentionally trying to burn gas and run it dry so mileage was not the best.
This article reads like it
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This article reads like it was authored by Toyota PR department. Toyota has not been responsive re this defect. This is not acceptable for a $36K car. I purchased a RAV4 vehicle new in Oct 2019 and the problem started immediately. Frustrating that Toyota knew about this defect since early 2019 and did not admit it; it was not disclosed to me as an issue when I purchased the vehicle, but it was well know within Toyota by that time. After multiple letters, calls and visits for service from me to dealer & to Toyota National Customer Care, they replaced the fuel tank. But still have the same issue! Really disappointed in this lack of Toyota quality and lack of concern for their consumers.
I just got a letter from
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I just got a letter from Toyota telling me that this condition is “normal”. I think I will just wait and opt into the class action lawsuit.
Problem is not unique to the
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Problem is not unique to the RAV4 hybrid. It’s also with the 2021 Toyota Venza.
Toyota advertises the Venza has a 14.5 gallon fuel tank and depending on mpg you can travel 535 to 580 miles per tank (Highway vs city).
Per the Toyota manual the fuel light will come on with approximately 2.2 gallons left in the tank. In my Venza that occurs at 47 miles to empty (DTE). I consistently drive it down to 8 DTE and when I fill up It never takes more than 11.7 gallons. Toyota claims (local dealer and big Toyota) the difference is a reserve in order to prevent the driver from running out of gas and damaging the hybrid system. This reserve is not mentioned in any documentation, website, etc… and is not disclosed by any sales people I’ve ever talked to about the 2021 Venza.
The Venza MPG was one of the reasons I purchased this vehicle. Another was the miles per tank. Toyota cannot tell me how much of that reserve 3 gallons can be used. I’m just told that if I run out of fuel and damage the hybrid system it most likely will not be covered under warranty.
If you’re buying this vehicle because you like the 535 to 580 miles per tank - it may be possible but you will have to ignore what your gas gauge, fuel light, and DTE is telling you and you do so at your own risk.
Toyota advertises the Venza
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Toyota advertises the Venza has a 14.5 gallon fuel tank and depending on mpg you can travel 535 to 580 miles per tank (Highway vs city).
Per the Toyota manual the fuel light will come on with approximately 2.2 gallons left in the tank. In my Venza that occurs at 47 miles to empty (DTE). I consistently drive it down to 8 DTE and when I fill up It never takes more than 11.7 gallons. Toyota claims the difference is a reserve in order to prevent the driver from running out of gas and damaging the hybrid system. This reserve is not mentioned in any documentation, website, etc… and is not disclosed by any sales people I’ve ever talked to about the 2021 Venza.
The Venza MPG was one of the reasons I purchased this vehicle. Another was the miles per tank. Toyota cannot tell me how much of that reserve 3 gallons can be used. I’m just told that if I run out of fuel and damage the hybrid system it most likely will not be covered under warranty.
If you’re buying this vehicle because you like the 535 to 580 miles per tank - it may be possible but you will have to ignore what your gas gauge, fuel light, and DTE is telling you and you do so at your own risk.
Buyer beware