2014 Toyota Sequoia - Gas Tank Problems after Collision

Maintenance/Repairs
1

2014 Sequoia Limited. We purchased the vehicle new. No previous damage or problems before I was reared ended in Sept 2017. Body shop did about $4600 in parts and labor, replacing rear bumper cover, rear lift gate, tailpipe and right rear quarter panel. No work done on the gas tank or fuel system.

Prior to the accident, when the low fuel light would come on, I filled the tank to full and was able to put almost 21 gallons of fuel in. After fueling, the instrument panel would show approximately 320-325 miles until empty.

Subsequent to the collision, when the low fuel light comes on, I fill the tank to full and the most I am able to put in is 16 to 17 gallons of fuel. The instrument panel now shows 275-280 miles to empty after fueling. Tracking my mileage (mostly in the city), I am getting 225-235 miles per tank before the low fuel light comes on again.

I took the vehicle to the dealership to have them figure out what was going on. They dropped the tank but didn’t see any damage to the fuel pump or anything else they looked at. The low fuel light was on when I took the vehicle in, and the techs did say that there was a lot more fuel in the tank than they expected there to be. Other than suggesting I drive the vehicle until the engine stops running, they were not of much help.

While not the most pressing problem in the world, I would like to see if I can resolve this. One, it’s my wife’s vehicle and I’d like her to have less frequent trips to the gas station. Two, when we take road trips to Montana, I’d like to have more piece of mind and be able to stop less frequently.

I have a different shop that I trust that I’d like to take the vehicle to, but I wanted to see if anyone on here has any thoughts as to possible problems so I can suggest a focus to their examination.

2

Well, first of all it appears you are not checking your fuel mileage properly. Just going by how far you drive before the low fuel light comes on means nothing. Also why are you waiting until the light comes on ? If you don’t want to stop at a station it seems that a Sequoia is the wrong vehicle.

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3

I was hoping for constructive feedback instead of snark. Hopefully other members will follow the community guidelines.

I don’t care about the fuel mileage. It’s the same before and after the collision. I’m concerned about how much fuel I can put in the tank and whether there’s damage to the tank, fuel pump, a sensor or something else.

Answer this question: why does the gas pump shut off after 16 gallons when it used to shut off after adding 21 gallons?

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4

That can’t be answered over the web. It will take a mechanic to drop the tank and check for unseen damage. Or at least contact the insurance company that paid for your repair.
And I still say waiting until the low fuel light comes on is not a good practice.

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The float that reads the gas level in the tank is misadjusted. Drop the tank, bend the rod in the correct direction and it will read as it once did. There is variation in these parts and they can get bent in shipping or during installation. She only pits 16 gallons in because the float is telling the gas gauge it is almost empty when it is not.

Your wife can just ignore the low fuel light and fill it once the trip odometer reads 325 miles and she resets it every time she refills.

I am surprised the dealer didn’t recognize this immediately upon seeing how much fuel was in the tank when the light was on.

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