Gas cap lid pulls open in car wash

The fuel door on my 4th gen Sport TRD is pulled open in the excellent new car wash I use. My question is: anyone else experiencing this in a non-touchless car wash?

Yes, there are swirling brushes in the car wash. No, I will not stop using car washes, after I find a way to keep the lid from being pulled open. I will not switch to touchless car washes, because they cannot deal with removing salt and road chemicals that we deal with every winter day in Minnesota.

Just curious to see if the lid issue has come up for anyone else using a traditional car wash. I thought of taping it down with a small piece of clear packing tape, but that sounds bad for the paint.

No need for hand-wash-only folks to chime in. Thanks.

 

I seen one other report of it on a 2024+ Tacoma.

As for the fix. No idea.

I'd experiment with a magnet(s).

BTW, I too use the car wash. Have since the day I got my truck.
I do how ever had wax it 2x a year.
So no hate from me......

 

Squeeze the two tangs of the latch clip tighter so they engage harder on the pin?

Drill a hole on the fuel door and put a keyed locking latch on it?

Sell the truck and buy a higher trim with electric popper?

 

As mentioned check out the engagement of the male tang and adjust as necessary. If no go, do the MacGyver thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M6G44CC9_c


Also, try out a different floppy cloth car wash. Might hit the truck differently.

 

Small rare earth magnet. They are incredibly strong for their size. If you are worried about scratching, a piece of electrical tape around it works well.

 

Looks like rare earth magnets will be the best solution! Clean look too. I walked around the Toyota dealership where I bought my '25 TRD Sport and checked a few fuel doors on new Tacomas- they open just as easily as mine...

 

It happens in powerful touchless washes too, no harm done. Just close it when you pull out or wait for it to close with speed.

 

The problem with them getting pulled out by the rotating OR wiggle brushes is that both can catch and damage the hinge and bend it to the point that replacement is needed. [not as cheap as one may think]

 

I knew that round fuel door was going to be a problem. Is the door plastic or metal?

 

What problem? A theoretical one? In a year+ all seems fine with my particular pickup, but pretty much the whole new fleet sold has gone to the new design that means thieves don't damage your vehicle if they try to syphon. Associates who've bought other vehicles have noticed this and don't have problems. Fords started this about 2009-10. Rentals I've had have been same design. Not one of the dozens of Fords in the company fleet ever had a problem we were aware of.

My first time seeing a gas door flap in a carwash did strike my mind but there must be millions of vehicles like this out there now.

 

Thieves don’t siphon gas, they puncture the tank.

 

Yes, something I understand has increased or change with the design change, but my main point is 15 years of making vehicles this way doesn't seem to be front page news as a problem. My wife's 2019 car (it's 2025 now) doesn't show any signs of trouble for not having a latched with manual release fuel cap door as a little more than the Tacoma anecdotal evidence.

 

Hybrids have a locking lid. Parts to upgrade would probably be expensive. Salvage yard option?

 

The attendant at the car wash entrance should have a roll of blue painter's tape. Often and commonly used for SUV's or other vehicles with a rear wiper.

Simply ask the attendant to please tape the gas cap, because it has popped open before. That's it. They do it ALL the time.

If for some unusual reason they don't have tape, get yourself a roll and toss it in the glove box. It will last you for years.

 

Mine comes open in a touchless car wash sometimes. When I exit the wash, I close it.

 

Why didn't you say something to toyota?

 

I only complained about here after the fact because most of the lines on the truck are square and the door is round.

I wonder why only the hybrid locks? I'm guessing it's the same part that's used on the Tundra hybrid.

Do only the Tundra hybrids have a locking fuel door or do the gas ones have it, or maybe no Tundra has a locking fuel door?

 

Absolutely, this what I want to avoid. The brushes sweep against the vehicle towards the front of the truck, so they could snag and bend back the hinges on the flap.

 

Yes, these newer fuel doors come without an old-style latch clip, which I don't miss anyhow because they would crap out over time, but the hinge on my '25 has minimal hold resistance in the closed position. Looks to be a common design across other makes these days as well. Not drilling anything on my new rig but I may install the rare earth magnets.

 

Yep I've already put some clear packing tape in the truck and used a small tab last time. Shouldn't have to do micky mouse stuff like that in order to run it through the wash, Toyota will probably fix the issue next model year.