Last Fill Up Ended on the Ground and All Over My Cars New Paint

Extended warranty? Please tell me you didn't pay over a grand for it. If so, you got ripped off... but luckly you might get a prorated refund as well as a new warranty for under a grand.

 

Methinks it is getting a little deep in here....... :rain:

 

:suspicious:
Hmm, is there a bridge missing a resident?

 

Last week, I stopped to fill up my Prius for the 2nd time. I started the pump going on one of the auto-fill clickers, and went inside (about 15ft away) to get a soda. I was in and out in less then 90 seconds. When I walked to my car, gas was drizzling out of the tank, down the side of the car and towards the ground.

I noted the total gallons pumped was 11.182, and my tank was very empty prior to pumping. Im guessing maybe 1/3 of a gallon or less was lost.

So, I can confirm something funky in the way our cars take in gas, and that we should keep our eyes on the pump during fill up.

Steve

 

Well, I've had the same thing happen with a Ford, with a Chevy, and with a Plymouth, in my years of driving. I never blamed the vehicles for it.

I don't leave the car alone when I'm filling it. Sh*t happens.

 

Apparently, you forgot/missed my post. I have had it happen two times since buying the car. But I have filled the tank at least every two weeks since I got the car. That would make 26 fillups a year. (Actually more than 26 due to trips, etc, but I don't have the exact number available offhand).

So, it happened 2/26 = 7.7 % of the time.

92.3% of the time it works fine. So, I believe it is a problem with the pump, not with the car. The design of the tank is different from all other vehicles, so maybe it is more likely to happen with certain pumps. But most (> 92.3%) pumps work fine.

You can ask Toyota to redesign the tank for you, but I doubt you will have much success.

Good luck, and keep an eye on that pump.

 

I've only filled my tank once, and the fuel has spilled out 0% of the time. The pump did click off too early (only added 6 gallons when there was just 1 pip left on my guess gauge), but my manually modulating the fuel flow rate so that I could keep it slow I didn't have any problem. To me, it's worth the extra 1.5 minutes required to fill slowly.

 

GAs dripping out of the tanks? Bring in Mad Max & The Feral Kid ! :boom:

 

You are already up to paying an attorney to send a letter to Toyota? Geez, sounds like you are prepping for a lawsuit before you even know if they will consider your problem. You can write your own letter and save your Lawyer money in case you need to sue someone.

The amazing thing about your story is that it is exactly the opposite of how both of our Prii (and most of the posters) work - that the pump shuts off too early. I assume the pumps are TOO sensitive to the bladder back pressure compared to regular tanks.

There could be some fault in your system and a few others that replied that Toyota needs to know about by talking to your dealer and if necessary, having them open a case with the district rep. IF various stations all have the same overflow result AND Toyota blows you off, THEN talk to the lawyer.

 

Maybe I missed it somewhere in this thread, but has your tank ever overflowed when you were manually controlling the fuel flow rate?

If not, you definitely don't have a case for a lawsuit. If the tank only overflows when you've got the pump in "autofill" mode, Toyota will argue that it's the pump's fault.

 

I don't buy it. If Toyota wanted to limit their liability, they'd issue a recall for the fuel tank right now. In the age of the Internet, I doubt they'd just say, "Let's hope that nobody else hears about this, and that it never happens again."

 

I'm going to have to agree w/an earlier post, you do need decaf.

I looked my XLS file where I keep track of my fillups. I have >26K miles and have added gas 85 times (not all of them "full" tanks). Fuel has come out of the tank 0 times.

Seems like either the defect is in the pump, the tank or the user. I don't buy this claim of a Toyota "design flaw". You seem like the type that would go whining or wanting to sensationalize a story on places like [SIZE=-1]www.consumeraffairs.com.

With my 0% rate of gas coming out of the tank, clearly the tank design is flawed and a class action suit is warranted.
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One other question: the car is under warranty, and the dealer agrees that there is something wrong. Why haven't they tried to replace the fuel tank?