I have the Grand Highlander hybrid max limited and am averaging around 23 mpg for daily driving. The gas tank max capacity is supposed to be 17 gallons but I am only able to put in a max of 12.5 gallons once the low fuel light comes on. Is there a large reserve tank and do I have an extra 4.5 gallons of range left when the low fuel warning light comes on? Please let me know how many gallons you are able to put into your tank once the low fuel light comes on (I still had 19 miles of range left once the low fuel light came on). Thanks!
Fuel Tank capacity issue
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I dont think this will fix anything at all. Replacing the tank for an identical tank wont fix the issue. I believe the issue is related to the level sensor being installed in a bad location.
until they redesigned the tank and sensor nothing will change. Again this is only my opinion and I could be wrong...
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They are also replacing the fuel pump as well but also not sure if that makes a difference, I'll ask about the level sensor tho.
I initially thought that as well (regarding the fuel level sensors), but I no longer do. Now I think the tank design is flawed such that it is unable to intake fuel at a reasonable pace (i.e. the pace of a standard automatic fuel pump), and fuel begins to back-up the filler tube after about 11-12 gallons have been pumped. Therefore, while it seems we're getting a full tank since the pump clicks off, we actually aren't getting full fuel capacity once the 11-12 gallons that has been pumped in "settles." I posted data above that suggests that the tank can actually accept the expected 17+ gallon capacity (~16 gallons at a fill-up), but only if pumped in extremely slowly to avoid the fuel backing up the filler neck and clicking off the automatic pump.
Having said that, I do agree with you that replacing the fuel tank with the exact same part will likely not address the issue.
Please see my post just above in reply to marksquared, along with the data table I posted a few posts above that. Please inquire with the dealer about my hypothesis that the tank design is not allowing fuel to be pumped in at a reasonable / normal pace, causing it to back-up the filler neck and click off the gas pump prematurely (and therefore not actually filling the tank to capacity, even though it appears to be temporarily "full" until it settles). Good luck! Please let us know what you find out.
I have a Grand Highlander Hybrid Limited, and I've been wondering the same thing. I've only had it 10 days, but the two times I have refueled, I had maybe 60 miles left to travel, and it only took a little over 10 gallons for the pump to shut off, and the car's gauge said it was full. Today, I supposedly had 15 miles left to travel, and it took 12 gallons to fill it. But it's supposed to be 17.2 gallons. What gives???
My Wife just picked up a GH hybrid limited and drove it from the dealer to our home. Two issues:
1) Bad fuel mileage. The drive home was 310 miles and she only made it 300 before having to fill up. It’s claiming 23.4 mpg. Nearly all of the drive is on a 80mph interstate which she drove between 75 and 82 (maybe she was doing 120 that would explain it) Minimal wind. Starting location is 5k elevation and arrival is 2.5k elevation.
2) Horrible Range. To everyone else’s point on here, we are only able to put 12 gallons of fuel in the tank on a 17.2 gallon tank?? Toyota has to fix this. We don’t want to be told we are running close to zero when there is still 5 gallons. Very frustrating. I expect 450+ mile range on this vehicle based on epa rating and tank size.
This is all very disappointing. Everyone needs to report to their dealers so Toyota can be made aware. I imagine it’s a firmware issue and not physical tank size.
Congrats on your new hybrid limited! A couple of things to keep in mind. With a hybrid, the higher mpg takes place in the city, not the highway, where they have the opportunity to use the batteries more. Also, higher highway speeds will hurt gas mileage once you get above 55-60 mph. I have a gas XLE so I can't speak to the MPG experience you are having, but I can speak to the fuel tank capacity issue. Assuming a 17.2 gallon tank, 1/4 tank remaining would mean pumping 12.9 gallons into it. At 1/4 tank and 75-80 miles on the DTE meter, I usually pump right around, or just a hair shy of, 12 gallons (my habit is to fill up at 1/4 tank). So basically my fudge factor is around 1 gallon, which seems reasonable. Could be that the problem is more prevalent in the hybrid models.
Give the car a chance to break in, and verify the mileage the instrumentation is reporting with a manual MPG calculation. You'll find that the on-board instrumentation isn't 100% accurate. Also, basing your range expectations on tank size and EPA estimates may be overly optimistic. The other thing to keep in mind is depending on where you live you could be running on winter blend fuel. If that is the case your MPG will be significantly lower. Wait to make a judgement until you get the warm weather regular blend back.
PSL Highlander - yes totally get everything you are saying. We have a fuel blend right now and the speeds are higher than their tunnel testing. I don’t expect it to match the epa rating to real world driving. But this delta is the worst I’ve experienced yet. I will keeping a closer eye on it over the next couple weeks. I purchased a 2023 LZO 3.0 duramax 1500 4x4 and did this drive from the dealer got 27 mpg. Great mileage right from the dealer and very close to its rating. Fuel mileage hasn’t changed much since. I don’t expect the Highlander to.
This is also my first hybrid. In fact we had a reservation on a Kia EV9 but dropped it for this same reason - limited range. 275 to 300 miles on a freeway, around town, mixed, whatever it is, Is just not enough for me personally.
We like the vehicle so we’ll hang in there and see how things go on a couple more tanks.
I really like mine as well. Roomy, comfortable, and hopefully as reliable as the other Toyotas we've owned. Buying the first year of a new model is always a calculated risk, but I have my fingers crossed that whatever annoyances we run across will be minor. I hope you're able to enjoy your new GH.
I have the Grand Highlander Hybrid Platinum and get 21.3 MPG with an average speed of 17MPH- I’ve got 3000 miles on it at this point and when I fill up I barely get 12 gallons in the 17.2 gallon tank. It’s definitely a hybrid issue that Toyota needs to address and fix!
My dealer said they'll replace the fuel tank, not to fix the issue, but to send the existing fuel tank to Toyota so they can determine the cause and come up with a solution. My dealer specifically told me that replacing the tank is not going to fix the issue. I am not sure what the purpose of this exercise is if they'll put exactly the same tank back in the vehicle. Couldn't they look at the design of that tank instead of the one that is currently in my vehicle? Anyways, I've to take the vehicle next week to get the tank replaced. Not sure what the next step is and how soon the issue will be fixed.
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I called and made Toyota aware of the issue. They said they have never heard of this before and told me to take to dealer for inspection. I had my 10k service yesterday and when I told my service guy about issue he just did the usual “it’s not broken it yet, it a fine just give it time ☕🥴”
I've found that when you call Toyota, you can speak with 3 different reps and get 3 different answers to the same question. All you can really hope for is that they make a note of your issue on your service record. Calling them is hit or miss at best.
UPDATE to the fuel tank saga….
I had my fuel tank and pump replaced several weeks ago. Have filled up multiple times. Still only 12-13 gallons when refueled.
So yesterday I called the Toyota Corporate number (+1 (800) 331-4331). I made a formal complaint against the dealership regarding the issue.
The Head of the Service dept called me within 20 min and addressed the issue. I explained I wasn’t complaining about the dealership, solely the issue, but it appears there isn’t another way to address this.
He mentioned the past Highlander issue with the fuel tank and how Toyota engineers came 3D scanned the gas tanks to see if it was an engineering problem, etc.
I am dropping my car off (again-3rd time for this issue) today and he said it needs to be there for the engineers to come and address it fully (saying it might be like it was with the Highlanders in the past).
I will update in the coming days/weeks.
I had my fuel tank and pump replaced several weeks ago. Have filled up multiple times. Still only 12-13 gallons when refueled.
So yesterday I called the Toyota Corporate number (+1 (800) 331-4331). I made a formal complaint against the dealership regarding the issue.
The Head of the Service dept called me within 20 min and addressed the issue. I explained I wasn’t complaining about the dealership, solely the issue, but it appears there isn’t another way to address this.
He mentioned the past Highlander issue with the fuel tank and how Toyota engineers came 3D scanned the gas tanks to see if it was an engineering problem, etc.
I am dropping my car off (again-3rd time for this issue) today and he said it needs to be there for the engineers to come and address it fully (saying it might be like it was with the Highlanders in the past).
I will update in the coming days/weeks.
Make sure they wrote/write up repair orders for each trip you've made for this. Here in FL, 3 visits for the same problem triggers the state's lemon law. Starting that process raises the level of urgency on Toyota's side to resolve the issue. Ask me how I know
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