The fuel door will not open when I pull the lever on the driver door armrest. After 20 or 30 pulls it may open, but at times not at all. If it does open it will only take 3 or 5 pulls and then open. I don't use it that much. I have only 56,000 miles on it and lately using it less. I assume lack of fuel door frequent openings may cause a problem, but after getting it open why is it still tough to reopen. I'm familiar with cable operated fuel door opener but not sure where to start with an electric actuator or switch. Any one familiar with this problem or have a cure, please share. TIA, Howard

 

That exact symptom happened to my 2001 XG300. I though it was a bad solenoid but a new one didn't fix it. Found it was the bad switch contacts, wearing out after so many years. I cleaned it ans sprayed them with electronics contact oil (not sure of its proper name). Now the switch works like a new one; it opens the fuel door every single time.

 

I should have put a capacitor across the contacts to absorb the sparks to prolong the switch lifetime. However, one time repair in 14 years is not bad at all.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a try.