This weekend, my 2011 Honda Pilot (12000 mile) started showing “Tighten Fuel cap” sign. I opened the fuel cap & close it again tightly to make sure it is properly closed but the sign did not go away. I tried it couple of times with no success (I even shutdown the engine, restart it). So I was thinking to take it to my dealer after the weekend. But next day, when I start my car again, the sign went away & it did not come again for last 2 days either.
It just took a little while for the computer to recognize that everything was fixed.
Does your gas cap click when it’s put on tight? Just put it on tight every time and it’ll be fine.
You could have disconnected the battery for a while and that light would have gone away faster.
Be thankful you have a “tighten fuel gap” light. Most cars would get a “check engine” light on and would pay $75 to have the code read, just to find out they needed to tighten the gas cap.
This issue may happen again. You did the right thing, trying to adjust the fuel cap and then ignoring the warning. There is nothing to worry about. If it recurs, just repeat your procedure.
I think it just took the computer time to realize you had fixed the problem. You might want to carry a cheap spare fuel cap in the car in case this happens again, and for the day you leave the fuel cap sitting on the fuel pump at the gas station. I usually carry a spare fuel cap, and it has come in handy. I buy them cheaply at the auto parts store since the ones at the dealership are overpriced.
I’ve had one code from my OBD-II system on my 4runner…I forget the code…but the explanation said it was either the gas cap or some other component in the evap system…I bought a cap from ADAP (only NON-dealer around that had a cap)…I cleared the code with my reader…then one day later code is back on…So I decided to buy another cap (but this time from the dealer)…Put the new $27 cap on…cleared the code…and that was a year ago and no more error code.
Of course, the OP has a new 2011 model. It is under warranty if it happens again. A trip to the dealer is just time, not money. If the gas cap is leaking, they will replace it under the emissions warranty.
I suspect other things can cause that. When my 2002 Sienna had an evap problem, I found the computer seals the tank, and shuts off the vacuum for a while, and measures the pressure. If it loses pressure too fast, it calls it a leak. In my case, it was the canister assembly, probably a sticky low pressure valve. While I am not the expert some here are, I would theorize it need not be the gas tank cap to get that failure but anything which causes it not to hold pressure.
I am going way out on a limb here, and suggest since failure to tighten the lid is very common, they just take the code for leak in system, and trip the tighten lid light. I don’t know how they would distinguish between a loose lid and another system leak.