Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Toyota 4Runner submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 43 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 43, in the owner's own words
THE VEHICLE READS EMPTY WHEN FULL AND FULL WHEN EMPTY SOMETIMES. CONSTANTLY CHANGING NEVER ABLE TO KNOW IF THE TANK IS FULL AND RAN OUT OF GAS SINCE IT WASN'T READING THE CORRECT AMOUNT CAR WAS NOT IN MOTION WHEN I RAN OUT FORTUNATELY. *TR
LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON WITH AROUND 5-6 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING AND GAS HAND GOES FROM FULL TO HALF AFTER ONLY 70 MILES.
THE GAUGE READING WILL GRADUALLY CHANGE WHILE DRIVING OR WILL SHOW A DIFFERENT READING AFTER CYCLING THE IGNITION KEY 'OFF' AND THEN 'ON'. THE GAUGE WILL COME OFF OF 'FULL' QUICKLY.
THE FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT READ CORRECTLY AND WILL INDICATE FULL AT TIMES AND EMPTY AT OTHERS LEADING TO RISK OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. I FINALLY REAILZED THIS AND SO DON'T USE THE GAUGE ANYMORE. CREATED RISK OF RUNNING OUT OF GAS ON THE HIGHWAY IF I HADN'T SEEN IT.
THE FUEL GAUGE IS INACCURATE READINGS WILL VARY ALL OVER THE PLACE RAN OUT OF GAS SEVERAL TIMES NOW. IT SAYS 1/2 TANK BUT THERE WAS NO GAS IN THE TANK. I UNDERSTAND IT IS A KNOW ISSUE TOYOTA SHOULD FIX. *TR
I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. FUEL GAUGE IS INACCURATE, GIVES MISLEADING INFORMATION. ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATION THIS GAS TANK CAN HOLDS 18.5 GALLONS, BUT WHEN THE GAUGE SAID IT WAS EMPTY I FILLED IT ALL THE WAY UP AND IT ONLY TOOK ~13 GALLONS. THIS A FAULTY DESIGN AND IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND REPAIRED FOR CUSTOMER. I DIDN'T NOTICE THIS PROBLEM UNTIL I HAVE A LONG TRIP ~ 500 MILES AWAY FROM HOME. *TR
THE FUEL SENDING UNITS ON THE '99 AND '00 4 RUNNER ARE DEFECTIVE AND CAUSE THE FUEL GAUGE TO NOT READ PROPERLY. I HAVE RUN OUT OF GAS SEVERAL TIMES WHILE THE GAUGE IS READING HALF FULL. TOYOTA HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS BUT NO RECALL. BULLETIN EL010-00 AND EL010-99. IT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE AS I HAVE RUN OUT OF GAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. *TR
THE FUEL GAUGE ALWAYS READS 1/2 FULL TO FULL. RAN OUT OF GAS 6 TIMES DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. TOYOTA HAS A TSB (EL010-00) OUT ON FUEL GAUGE INACCURACY. AFTER REPLACING AN EXPENSIVE SENDING UNIT, STILL NO HELP. ACCORDING TO THIS TSB I DO NOT HAVE TO REPLACE THE CIRCUIT BOARD BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THIS IS A FACTORY FLAW AND TOYOTA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PROBLEM. THANKS. *JS
I PURCHASED A 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2 YEARS AGO AFTER DRIVING IT OFF THE LOT WE NOTICED WITHIN A WEEK THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS NOT WORKING. THEY EXPLAINED THAT HAD THEY KNEW IT WAS BROKEN, HOW WOULDN'T YOU, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SELL IT FOR THAT PRICE. I PAID FOR THE FIX AND WAS REASSURED THAT THIS WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WELL, STARTING ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO I AM NOW HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED TOYOTA GOODWILL AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS ONLY COVERED UNDER INITIAL WARRANTY. I HAVE READ SEVERAL FORUMS AND COLUMNS ON THIS ISSUE AND THE PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR WITHIN THE FIRST 36 K MILES SO ALOT OF GOOD THAT DOES. I AM STILL WAITING TO SEE IF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS MY CASE, BUT I DOUBT ANYTHING WILL GET DONE UNLESS I CONTINUE TO CALL BACK. I WOULD THINK THAT TOYOTA WOULD WANT TO EXTEND SOME GOODWILL CONSIDERING THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS RELEVANT CONSIDERING THERE IS NO REAL WAY TO EXACTLY TRACK YOUR MILES AND BECOMING STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY OR LATE AT NIGHT IS CERTAINLY NOT A GOOD THING TO HAVE TO EXPERIENCE. *TR
I HAVE A 1999 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER AND THE FUEL GAUGE HAS STOPPED WORKING. IT BEGAN BY SHOWING A QUANTITY OF FUEL WHEN IT REALLY DID NOT HAVE ANY FUEL. THIS CAUSED ME TO RUN OUT OF FUEL AND ALMOST HAVE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. IT NOW MAY READ FULL, ZERO, 1/2 ETC. YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON THE ACCURACY. I CONTACTED DEALER WHO TOLD ME THEY KNEW IT WAS A TOYOTA DEFECT BUT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT BUT TELL ME TO BRING IT IN AND THEY WOULD FIX IT FOR BETWEEN $500 - $1000!!! TOYOTA HAS EVEN ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN TSB # EL 010-00 TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM BUT NOT OFFER REPAIRING THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR THOSE UNAWARE AND COULD RESULT IN DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. *TR
SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHEN DRIVING 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SR5. FUEL GAUGE READS FULL AND VEHICLE STALLS DUE TO NO FUEL IN TANK. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO TOYOTA AND THAT THEY HAVE REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A PROBLEM WITH THE PART AS DELIVERED IN THIS VEHICLE AND THEY ISSUED TSB:EL010-00 TITLED "FUEL GAUGE INACCURACY" TO FIX THE PROBLEM ONLY UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE, BUT A SAFETY ISSUE AS VEHICLE CAN RUN OUT OF FUEL AND STALL WITHOUT WARNING AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED ON CONGESTED HIGHWAYS. THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I HAVE HAD TO USE THE ODOMETER TO GUESS HOW MUCH FUEL IS REMAINING THE FUEL TANK AT ANY GIVEN TIME. FACTORS SUCH AS HIGHWAY CONDITIONS, WEATHER, NECESSARY USE OF 4WD CAN IMPACT THE NUMBER OF MILES ACHIEVED IN A SINGLE TANK OF GAS. ALSO, FUEL TANK MUST BE FILLED TO TOP WHEN REFUELING TO MOST ACCURATELY GUESS NUMBER OF MILES THAT CAN BE DRIVEN BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLS. *TR
VEHICLE STALLS AND DIES ON FREEWAY ALMOST CAUSING WRECK. FIND OUT THERE IS NO FUEL IN TANK EVEN THOUGH FUEL GAUGE READS 1/2. TOYOTA SAYS TSB EL010-00 ADDRESSES KNOWN DEFECTIVE 1999 AND 2000 FUEL GAUGES AND ALSO ADDRESSES SOME GAUGES INACCURATELY READING EMPTY WHEN 4 GALLONS REMAIN. *TR
WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR, IN THE PASSING LANE AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLES ENGINE QUIT, LOST ALL POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ETC. VERY DANGEROUS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO A TURN AROUND. BOTTOM LINE, VEHICLE HAD RUN OUT OF GAS, EVEN THOUGH FUEL GAUGE SHOWED A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR
DRIVING ON I-79 IN PASSING LANE AT 65 MPH, THE ENGINE QUIT, COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES..RUSH HOUR. MOST DANGEROUS THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD, TOWED TO GARAGE, ENGINE WILL NOT START, SHOWS A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK ON FUEL GAGE..ENDS UP, WAS OUT OF FUEL ! GAUGE GAVE FALSE READING. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 54,000 MILES ON IT. I DID FIND A TOYOTA TSB EL010-00 THAT ADDRESSES THIS EXACT PROBLEM, BUT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF IT. MY VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT FROM A TOYOTA DEALER WITH MY NAME AS THE NEW OWNER ON RECORD. THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THING TO HAPPEN, NO INDICATION OF LOW FUEL LEVEL, NO FUEL LOW WARNING LIGHT,,GAUGE WAS SHOWING A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS A RECALL. *TR
FUEL GAUGE BEGAN SHOWING INACCURATE READINGS. USUALLY SHOWED AT OR NEAR FULL REGARDLESS OF ACTUAL FUEL VOLUME IN TANK. AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS IT JUST STAYED AT THE FULL MARK. MORE RECENTLY, ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF MARCH, 2009, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE GAUGE WOULD OCCASIONALLY DROP TO THE EMPTY MARK, AND THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD FLASH. IT WOULD REMAIN THIS WAY UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. UPON TURNING THE KEY BACK TO THE ON POSITION, OR RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE GAUGE WOULD RETURN TO THE FULL MARK AND REMAIN THERE. REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER AS STATED IN TSB EL010-00 HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER THE GAUGE READ ABOUT 3/4 FULL BUT THE TANK WAS NEARLY EMPTY. AFTER FILLING THE TANK THE GAUGE MOVED TO FULL BUT IT CONTINUES TO ACT AS IS DID BEFORE REPLACING THE SENDER, EVEN AFTER GOING THROUGH THE CALIBRATION PROCEDURE MULTIPLE TIMES. ACCORDING TO THE VEHICLE VIN, AS SHOWN IN THE TSB, REPLACING THE COMBINATION PLATE (CIRCUIT BOARD) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS NOT NEEDED. BUT THE FUEL GAUGE STILL ALWAYS READS FULL, OR EMPTY, AS IT DID BEFORE REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER. *TR
RAN OUT OF FUEL WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. WE NEARLY GOT REAR ENDED! FUEL GAUGE SHOWED PLENTY OF GASOLINE. FUEL GAUGING SYSTEM FAILED. *TR
#1 STARTER STUCK TWICE-EVEN REMOVED KEY AND ENGINE KEPT CRANKING. #2 FUEL GUAGE REAES FULL WHEN EMPTY AND VISE VERSA. #3 P0171 ENGINE CODE KEEPS THROWING #4 BRAKES FADE WHEN APPLIED HARD. HAVE REPLACED PADS AND ROTORS AND STILL FADE. *TR
MY GAS GAUGE HAS FAILED LIKE MANY OTHERS I HAVE READ ABOUT ON THE INTERNET. SEEMS TO BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WHICH HAS CAUSED MANY WRECKS. *TR
I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM WITH MY FUEL GAUGE, IT IS EXTREMELY INACCURATE. SOMETIMES IT'LL TELL ME I HAVE MORE GAS THAN I DO, AND OTHER TIMES IT'LL TELL ME I HAVE LESS. APPARENTLY THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM AMONG 99 4RUNNERS, AND I'D REALLY LIKE TO GET THIS FIXED. I RAN OUT OF GAS ON THE FREEWAY THINKING I HAD HALF A TANK LEFT AND ALMOST CAUSED A WRECK. THANKS IN ADVANCE. *TR
MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HOME FROM SCHOOL, APPROXIMATELY A 3 MILE DRIVE, HER 1999 4 RUNNER BEGAN JERKING AND THEN THE ENGINE DIED. SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT AND DRIVE FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS WHEN IT DID THE SAME THING. THIS TIME THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. MY WIFE WENT TO PICK HER UP AND SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AGAIN AND DRIVE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME DISTANCE WHEN IT DIED AGAIN, THIS TIME THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND ITS CURRENTLY AT A REPAIR STATION WAITING TO BE DIAGNOSED. I'VE HEARD THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING A FUEL PICKUP TUBE/SENSOR PROBLEM BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND IT. WHY HASN'T TOYOTA HAD A RECALL YET? *TR
1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, REPEATED FUEL GAUGE FAILURE: INCORRECTLY STATES AMOUNT OF FUEL IN TANK (CHANGING DURING THE SAME DRIVING TRIP); REPORTS AN EMPTY TANK WHEN FULL AND AN 1/8 TO A 1/4 TANK FILL WHEN EMPTY; ALL OF WHICH RESULT IN EVENTS WHERE THE VEHICLE IS RUN OUT OF GAS. MULTIPLE EXPENSIVE ATTEMPTED FIXS BY THE DEALER WITHOUT SUCCESS. *TR
TOYOTA 99 4RUNNER FUEL GAUGE ALWAYS READS EMPTY, REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF EXPENSIVE CIRCUIT BOARDS IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO REPAIR. TOYOTA DEALER QUOTED $1050 TO REPAIR ON 9/24/07. *JB
THIS EMAIL IS REGARDS TO THE INACCURACY OF THE FUEL GAUGE ON MY 99 TOYOTA . I WAS LEFT STRANDED LAST NIGHT OUTSIDE OF THUNDER BAY WITH NO FUEL EVEN THOUGH THE GAUGE READ WELL OVER 1/4 TANK LEFT. IN -35 CELSIUS WIND CHILL CONDITIONS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS FAILURE. *NM
ERRATIC FUEL GAUGE, DANGER OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL ON A DANGEROUS SITUATION. *NM
I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WHICH I HAD JUST PURCHASED WITH 104,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS DRIVING IN THE FAST LANE ON I-695 WHEN THE CAR STARTED LOSING POWER AND SLOWING DOWN VERY FAST. I BARELY CROSSED THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. THE GAS GUAGE READ JUST UNDER 1/2 FULL, BUT ACCORDING TO A TSB, THE GUAGE AND SENDER UNIT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED. I HAD NO WARNING FROM THE CAR TO TELL ME MY GAS TANK WAS FULL. RUNNING OUT OF GAS ON THE HIGHWAY IS DANGEROUS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS ISN'T A RECALL - WHY THIS ISN'T CONSIDERED A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. THE DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE ME TO FIX IT, BUT I CAN'T AFFORD IT. I WAS USING MY ODOMETER TO KEEP TRACK, BUT THE OTHER DAY, I RAN OUT AGAIN WHILE DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I THINK WITH THE A/C ON, IT MUST USE MORE GAS. I'M VERY UPSET.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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