Gas gauge glitches

Hi All!

I've had my 1794 edition 4x4 5.5ft bed for 2 weeks now and see some strange glitches with the Gas Gauge and "Distance to Empty" number.

First few days, gas tank was showing full, and only went down 1/5 while i was driving around for a few days. (I'm like - COOL! I got a large gas tank, good fuel economy!)

Then, the next day, my gas tank shows that i only have 1/4 tank left!!! (I'm like WTF! Someone stole my gas!!! i need to buy the lock asap!)

Then, couple of days later, the Gas Gauge jumps back to 3/4 of tank full.

Next day, it drops down to 1/4 tank full.

I keep driving for the next 50 miles or so till the "TANK ALMOST EMPTY" alert comes onto the screen, then i fill-up 20 Gallons of gas to full.

I didn't go to dealership service regarding this issue yet as this was my first fill-up, truck only has 270 miles, and i was thinking that maybe there's an air bubble? lol and it'll maybe fix itself?

Questions:

1. How can i confirm how big of a tank my 1794 Edition has? It's NOT on the Windows Sticker. According to the Spec from web-site, it should be 31 Gallon standard, but based on the "gas gauge" it's the smaller size - 22 gallons or so!

2. Did anyone see this issue before with gas gauge going all crazy 3/4 full, next day 1/4 full, next day 3/4 full, then back to 1/4 full then empty?


I didn't go to dealership service regarding this issue yet as this was my first fill-up, truck only has 270 miles, and i was thinking that maybe there's an air bubble? lol and it'll maybe fix itself?

 

The old models had about 6-8 gallons of "reserve" when the DTE was near zero. Some say the reserve was to cool off the fuel pump or keep it from overheating ... It could be true but I don't think there was ever a consensus or something official from Toyota.
There is some sort of obsession with various coolers when it comes to Tundra ... e.g. ATF cooler or the "puck"

If Toyota followed the same reserve rule, your 20 +/- plus 8 +/- is kind of close to 31.

However, the "glitches" are different story.
Doesn't your owner's manual show the tank size? It should.

btw, what's your estimated MPG so far? Assuming your truck had a few miles on it when you purchased it and near empty ... 270 miles divided by 20 gal doesn't make sense either. Your mpg could give you some idea about your tank size. Sounds like '22 models are getting about 21 +/- mpg. My truck came with a full tank of gas. Was yours empty?

 

My truck had full tank when I got it from the dealership.

Computer shows about 13mpg city, I use economy mode, and 15-17mpg freeway... Empty truck, no camper yet. It's bad of course. I drive pretty slow in the city but freeway i do go 80+

Yes, I got about 290 miles on a first full tank of gas, lets assume 15mpg average, 290/15=19.3 gallons of gas used. I filled up 22 gallons to full. So if my tank is 31 gallons, then I still had 9 gallons of gas in reserve!? That's hard to believe... The computer was showing Empty warnings and about 10 miles left "before empty".

Bases on my calculations, it really smells and looks like I have a smaller size of the gas tank! Which is not correct according to the Toyota website specifications that all 1794 4*4 5.5ft bed have 31 gallon tank!

What are the chances they somehow installed the wrong has tank on my truck?

Any way I can find out gas tank by my vin number??

 

I doubt an incorrect size gas tank will pass the tests and/or QA. At least not Toyota. Did you check the owner's manual?

Your mpg is kind of low even if you factor in a new engine and the break-in period ... Not sure what is the break-in procedure for turbo engines but for NA engines Toyota wants it nice and easy with no towing. Even then, many experts say drive it hard ... But read your owner's manual regarding the break-in period and the procedure! Including the tank size.

I'm not a turbo expert and never owned one but I think when it comes to acceleration, you are supposed to be gentle but not too slow. Also not too fast and step on it otherwise you engage the turbocharger and reduce your mpg. As far as your mpg, maybe that's what's happening but doesn't answer your tank size question and sounds like the gauge has some issues which is under warranty.

 

I was wondering if you park on a flat surface or incline at night. If on incline maybe that can explain sudden drop in fuel level after you use some fuel and its not completely full. Then after you drive it and park on level surface somewhere else it resets when you restart it. Just a thought.

 

There are a couple threads about gas gauge resetting if you park on a hill. Happened to me first week I had the truck. I think I was parked nose up on an incline. It wasn’t a big one though so not sure if it was really the hill.

 

My driveway is a slight incline, front is lower than the rear, but I'd think the gauge would get back to normal once I start driving... Which it's not.

 

That's the problem. Only way to really reset it seems to be to fill'er up. then park on flat ground only. Which is pretty ridiculous.

 

Do you have to "reset" every time you park on a slope?

 

Seems to be hit or miss.

 

This is what was happening to me when I switched between either driving in or backing in my driveway. Now I just back in every time and it hasn't happened since. Seems to be the only "fix" until it's officially addressed.

 

I have gas gauge problems. I put in $20 and my gauge didn’t move so I filled it up and it read right. The next day I jumped in my truck and it showed 1/2 full, the next day I drove all over and the gauge read full. These problems have been going on for a couple of weeks. I made an appointment took it in and the dealership said they couldn’t find anything wrong. They gave me the Toyota customer service number to call and start a complaint. Toyota took my information and said they would get back to me. So what this is telling me is I give the dealer x amount of dollars to basically give me my truck, they are just a middleman and if I have a problem call Toyota and they’ll take care of it. I realize after the pandemic, supply shortages and not enough workers we’ve all learned to be more patient and understanding but when the dealership no longer stands behind their vehicals and just collect the money (and take their profit) What good are the dealerships for? Am I wrong in thinking this?

 

Several threads on this dating back to Jan/Feb 2022

 

After filling tank up the gas meter shows full, with use of vehicle it drops to half level of gas regardless of how low gas is. Seems like a calibration/sensor issue that Toyota technician has to assess. Driven the truck 5000 miles and had this issue from the moment I got it. I am yet to contact Toyota technician / dealership to have this evaluated. otherwise truck has been great !

 

If you park on an incline at night that is most likely the problem. Your gage is okay. This was the consensus of the other thread. When you take it to the dealer they test everything with the truck on level ground. If you park on level ground at night then I get your frustration with dealer. I think they just don’t have a lot of history with a completely new model so they defer to corporate.

 

mine is parked on level ground at home and work

 

That kills my theory