Toyota Tundra: How to Replace Fuel Door

This article applies to the Toyota Tundra (2000-present).

Toyota's last just about forever which is obviously a good thing. But when you drive a vehicle upwards of several hundred thousand miles, you occasionally have to replace or repair parts that other people don't. Maybe your fuel door got stolen. Maybe you've put some hard winters on your truck and the fuel door just rusted completely away into nothing. Maybe a rhino charged your truck and bashed your fuel door off with a mighty gouge of its horn. Whatever the case, this article offers a few options for fuel door repair and replacement.

Option #1 – Buy an OEM fuel door

You can find, fairly cheaply, original equipment fuel doors on auction sites like eBay. We saw examples from around $40. If you have your lock core and hinge assembly intact, this might be a good option, but if not, keep in mind that you'll have to buy new versions of those items too, which might mean that you end up with a fuel door lock that takes a different key than the rest of your truck, and will definitely mean an increase in your spending.

That's kind of a drag, but then again, original equipment does offer the best chance of fitting correctly. Fit aside, you might have to paint this guy to match your truck, too, if that's something you care about.

All things considered, buying the OEM part might be your best bet, but it's also the most boring option. Anyone can make the correct part fit, right? Let's look into some other options.

Option #2 – Buy a locking gas cap or race car fuel access door

If you just need something to cover your gas cap and you don't care about matching your truck too much, Summit Racing, Jegs, or other online retailers will sell you an aluminum access panel for around $30. It'll take a little riveting or other fabrication style work to attach it, but it will qualify as a door that hides your gas cap.

For a lot of us, though, fuel theft is a concern. In that case, look into a locking gas cap that fits your truck. You can use one of those with or without a door to protect your fuel from being siphoned out by thieves, whether human ones or Sasquatch.

Ask any of the old timers in the back country and they'll tell you: Sasquatch loves stealing gas. He puts it in the side by side he uses to go from camp site to camp site, eating trash and occasionally appearing – blurry, of course – in people's photos. What a jerk.

Option #3 – Source a used part from a junkyard or make something yourself

Any time you go to a junkyard looking for anything besides a case of tetanus, you have to prepare yourself for potential disappointment. But if you find something that might work, you can save yourself a few bucks in return for more of your time. Usually, you'll need to take all the tools to remove the part from the yard, meaning if you need to saw the part out, you'll have to bring a battery or hand-operated saw plus screwdrivers, ratchet sets, and the like.

This option might require you to employ some fabrication skills, but it might also mean that you can replace the entire side of your truck, not just the fuel door. If you know your way around a welding rig, the sky's the limit in terms of wire you can burn, electricity you can use, and monstrosity you can create! Just because something didn't start life as a fuel door doesn't mean it can't become a fuel door.

Whichever option you choose, remember, Sasquatch is out there. He's got a piece of garden hose and he'll siphon your gas faster than you can say "Dang, that's a huge raccoon!"

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