Gasoline Smell Fills Cabin on 2010 Prius

I got the smell of gasoline in the passenger compartment on an older Civic once after an oil change. Turns out, my brother didn't put the oil cap back on and that's where the smell was coming from. If you got your oil changed recently, I'd recommend checking to see if that was tightened down. Although, it would seem odd that you only smelled it in those couple instances, as I smelled it a little often when that happened to me.

 

my 2009 smelled like gas all last week and it was just when I started it and the fan was on, I took it to the dealer saturday and there is a fuel leak somewhere, it is monday and still in a 2013 prius and they are waiting on parts, so i cant complain. still covered under warranty. I have read that if you top off you can get gas in the evap canister and that will make it smell like that too,(not Covered) so dont do it.. I will let you know how much it would have cost it I had to pay when I pick it up.

 

OK Years later and wonder if the issue was ever resolved. I too have a 2010 Prius IV but the gas issue did not begin until over 100,000 miles. It is more prevalent (when it occurs) with a fuller tank. Note: it is not in the engine compartment and it occurs (when it occurs) at the shift point from electric to gas. It does not seem to have affected my mileage and it is quickly dissipated if I vent. Told my service manage and he just said they would look at it. Have not addressed it yet.

 

hopefully, they have a sniffer that can locate the source.

 

Sometimes I wonder if gasoline smells are caused by, well , smelly gasoline. In winter gasoline we get all the high vapor pressure butanes that they leave out in summer. This could make fumes easier to smell. Also I am curious lately if the smell of gasoline is trace sulfur (which is becoming very low) or maybe the detergent additives they throw in. TopTierGas.com gasolines put in 2-3x more detergent.

Lately I am wondering if the local Shell has a smellier smell. No proof just a hunch. I was working on fixing my mower and the smell was just over-powering, but yet in general as sulfur has come down the smell has in general been better.

So it could be the leak/source was there before. Still need to track it down.

PS- what brand are you using?

 

idk, i've never smelled gasoline, except when pumping.

 

You need to go to the dealer and have this issue checked out. By the way have your windows cracked open at least an inch. Fumes are nothing to trifle with especially when the PPM - particles per million are enough to cause combustion if there is a source of ignition.
Let the dealer test drive it and see. Its in your best interest as well as the public you get this fixed and not be on the news as a fire hazzard involving yourself but others as well. Good luck and drive safely...

 

Recently there was a picture of a very rusted out gas receiver from a Prius, yes they rust, I like the sniffer idea, but somebody's got to disassemble the assembly to check, sniffer first.

Did the op ever give results?

 

It's quite possible that you do have a raw fuel leak somewhere and should be addressed ASAP. However, if you have been forcing fuel into the tank after pump shut-off, you may find that that is your problem. Overfilling the tank can cause raw fuel to push it's way back to the evaporative charcoal fuel canister causing saturation. The fact that this occurs after a rapid deceleration suggest that the fuel is being forced to the top of the tank where there should be an airspace for the EVP system.

 

let's hope we don't hear about another car fire soon.

 

Bzzap! I think you nailed it. I agree with your analogy.

 

OK here it is 2018 and I decided to do a search. My 2010 experiences the same but not so much when I accelerate but when the engine makes the shift to gas engine at slow speeds like stop lights and construction. zones. It probably does it the higher speeds but it is ventilated away so don't smell it but it is definitely when it kicks in to recharge the battery. Has gotten worse lately. Had it in once but they claimed not to be able to replicate. They did not follow instructions (let the battery run down so the engine kicks in.)

 

That's not good.

Contact the feds? Or even just hint to Toyota of your intent to do that? Might motivate them...

 

There is another recent thread where this or similar issue is being discussed. No resolution yet as far as I know.

 

I belong to another forum in which several case have surface concerning fuel vapors entering the cabin. One of the more common causes is linked to fuel leakage from one or more of the injectors...Higher mileage vehicles in particular. It seems that injector o- rings become hardened and/or cracked with age and start to leak. The result is raw fuel spilling into the engine compartment.
With all this being said, I would definitely have the injectors looked at as a potential cause of your fuel smell.

 

Yeah, follow the fuel!

 

Check your fuel rail. The red "o" rings or the quick release could be leaking. I would tow it and and not drive it if you are not comfortable finding the leak. Any work done recently, maybe mechanic leaned on the rail and bent something, incorrect reassembly.

 

I have a 2010 prius with just over 100,000 miles. It recently has had a strong gas smell in the cabin. I crawled under and over the car to no avail. I did however by ripping the car apart find the source of the leak. It comes from the top of the gas tank which is actually kind of in the passenger compartment. There is a "manifold" as I am calling it on the drivers side of the tank. Two plactic lines come out of this manifold and are connected together to a single line which than is ported through the bottom of the car to the ground. My guess is this allows fumes or gas to exit the tank under conditions I can only guess at such as an overfill or if the tank is full and the ambient temperature goes up a lot expanding the gas. You can see the lines and where they come out of the tank by removing the rear seat and putting the back rest partially down and pulling the upholstery out of the way. Look on the drivers side. When I removed the seat the bottom of it behind the drivers side was wet with gasoline and it was obvious that the metal pan below the gas lines had previously had gas running over it. Don't misunderstand I'm not saying the "overflow or overpressure lines" are leaking. I'm saying that I believe the gas exits what I am calling here the manifold on the top of the tank. I am going out of town soon and just don't have time now to look into it. In the meantime I am keeping the tank at 1/3 or less full. This seems to help. When I return my plan is to fill the tank up and drive it under different conditions. Since I now have the seat out and the covers and moulding removed it should be easier to not only find out when it is leaking but hopefully find exactly where it's leaking from. When I do this my plan is to call the toyota dealer for the part or parts needed although I wouldn't be surprised if they tell me to replace the whole tank. I just bought a new camry hybrid - glad I bought the long term insurance.

 

nice detective work!

 

This is mind boggling to think gaso could get in cabin from tank...but I woud like to see photos of the area in question