NHTSA Complaint #11440447 — 2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Since purchasing this vehicle I began to notice that the fuel gauge is inaccurate. This issue is sporadic. Often after filling the gas tank completely, the gauge will only register as 3/4 full. Like wise, it is inaccurate when the tank gets low, showing that there is 1/4 tank, when in fact it is nearly empty. The "remaining miles" indicator that displays is likewise inaccurate and often the low fuel indicator light comes on when it shouldn't, and doesn't display when it should. I have had it to the deal 4 times now for repair. Initially they told me nothing was wrong, then indicated that a software update was necessary. When that didn't fix it, I returned the vehicle and they indicated an instrument panel sensor chip needed to be replaced. I waited a month for that to happen and it didn't fix the issue. I then opened a trouble incident with Toyota USA and after several weeks received a call back from the dealer indicating this is a known (presumably still developing) issue and has something to do with a faulty gas tank that causes the readings to be inaccurate. The dealer indicated that they know this will require the gas tank to be replaced but that they don't have parts to do this and will contact me at some point in the future. This is a serious safety issue, as it could lead to the vehicle running out of gas while driving, without any indication that the fuel is low. The only way to have any certainty regarding the fuel level is to do a calculation each time you drive based on the estimated fuel economy and # of miles driven since the last fill up.