Arriving our destination after a 700 mile trip, while refueling at a gas station, I heard a thud around the vehicle. My wife thought I had smacked the side of the vehicle and I thought someone had done something inside the vehicle. Upon further investigation and to our horror there was the fully refueled gas tank sitting on the ground. Both straps had broken. The cause being the straps were made from steel and had over the years had rusted through causing them to give way.
It was raining and laying on my back under the vehicle, I had to attempt to "wire" up the tank in order to be able to drive it. I manage to get it to our destination and then the following day have it placed on a rollback truck to be taken to a garage for repair. I was then told Toyota had only I strap available in the entire country. I order it and the garage manage to fab the other.
I shivered at the thought of that happening to us on the highway. I'm sure there would have been at the very least a fire and possibly and explosion while we were in the vehicle.
Why Toyota did/does not make these straps from stainless steel or government regulation to mandate stainless be used is beyond me.
This is unbelievable that the fuel tank fell down on the route during the driving. Thank god that I was driving 25 mph. Police had to help us to secure the tank and move the vehicle on the parking lot of the gas station nearby. That is very series safety problem and Toyota suppose to be responsible for that. I can't even imagine what would happen if I was driving on the highway.
- mciep00,
Mountainside, NJ, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Arriving our destination after a 700 mile trip, while refueling at a gas station, I heard a thud around the vehicle. My wife thought I had smacked the side of the vehicle and I thought someone had done something inside the vehicle. Upon further investigation and to our horror there was the fully refueled gas tank sitting on the ground. Both straps had broken. The cause being the straps were made from steel and had over the years had rusted through causing them to give way.
It was raining and laying on my back under the vehicle, I had to attempt to "wire" up the tank in order to be able to drive it. I manage to get it to our destination and then the following day have it placed on a rollback truck to be taken to a garage for repair. I was then told Toyota had only I strap available in the entire country. I order it and the garage manage to fab the other.
I shivered at the thought of that happening to us on the highway. I'm sure there would have been at the very least a fire and possibly and explosion while we were in the vehicle.
Why Toyota did/does not make these straps from stainless steel or government regulation to mandate stainless be used is beyond me.
- Rick M., Moncton, NB, Canada