Fuel smells, leaks, or the gauge reads wrong

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the fuel pump module (33 reports) and the fuel sender/sensor (3 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the fuel and propulsion covers the 2019 model year as of Sep 19, 2026.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 500 and 4,507 miles, from the 23 reports that gave a mileage.

What owners wrote

“Vehicle consistently accepts only approximately 9–10 gallons of fuel when the fuel gauge indicates empty, resulting in significantly reduced driving range. Issue has been widely reported by other Toyota RAV4 Hybrid owners and appears related to fuel tank design. Manufacturer declined assistance and referred responsibility to selling dealer despite known complaints.”

Filed Jan 7, 2026

“Car is shaking when turned on. Will stall if car is not shifted to gear sometimes. When AC is on, car will jump rpm. car acceleration is weak and will jump to 5-6k rpm. car also smells burnt sometimes when driving. car also smells like gasoline sometimes. car does not hold proper amount of gasoline.”

Filed Nov 18, 2023

Other problems on this car

• Engine overheats or leaks coolant 139 reports
• Engine stalls or loses power while driving 97 reports
• Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 91 reports
• Airbag warning light or recall 45 reports
• Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 39 reports
• Water leaks into the cabin 36 reports
• Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 35 reports
• Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 31 reports
• Check engine light or misfire 29 reports
• Fuel pump failure 27 reports
• Tailgate or liftgate will not open or close 25 reports