Over the last six months, on three separate occasions my engine light on a 2002 Camry has come on shortly after fueling. The car manual suggests that sometimes the engine light will come on after fueling and that the light is not a result of any engine problem. It suggests taking off and re-screwing the fuel cap and then over the next few days the engine light will go off. Indeed, the light will turn off after a few days of starting and stopping the engine.

A former used-car salesman that I know suggested that this would happen often on many types of cars. He advised me not to be concerned.

I'm curious to know how common this light/fuel issue is. Also, I'm only assuming that a major engine problem is not being warned by the light since it seems so clearly tied to re-fueling. Do the experts agree?
Thanks

Yep, I have had 4 Camrys, one Solara and a Highlander during the past 13 years. Maybe it's a Toyota things but it has happened on each vehicle but only once or twice in the life of the car. It is usually caused by the cap not being tightened to the point of clicking several times.

Yes, I agree. On my 2000 Taurus, my wife forgot to tighten the gas cap once, the CEL came on, and then went out after one day of driving. It's a common issue. If you want, you can reset the computer and turn the CEL out using a scan tool.

She's not here right now so I can say it. The light came on strangely after my wife gassed up the cars. I don't think she even knew the cap was supposed to go click, click, click.

You can thank the EPA for the strict emission standards on today's cars. Yes this goes for all makes. It's just to help stop the hydro carbons from escaping and help keep the air clean we breathe.
The charcoal canister on your fuel system needs to be sealed tight so it can constantly monitor fuel vapors and purge them as need be. Monitors need to be set in the ECM and sometimes this may take 2 trips with the vehicle for the CEL to turn off. It's all part of your engine management system. So, most of the time it's no need for alarm, but check that cap first thing before bringing it in.

Thanks to all for the quick responses. Every time the CEL light comes on, it's after I myself have added the fuel and am sure that I turn the cap tightly until I hear the click. Kitch428, I'm curious that since the cap is on properly, could it be like wear and tear on whatever element is used on the canister to monitor the levels.. Thanks to all for the reassurance.

TWB

We run into evap codes on a daily basis. It can be a small leak detected, (loose cap) to a gross leak. Most of the time, it just like you had, and a wasted trip to the dealer. But there are small vacuum switching valves (VSV) that are tuned on and off with the ECM commands to purge vapors and recycle them. These valves fail sometimes due to their constant use, but nothing you could have done. Except maybe overfilling the tank.
On newer cars, the evap system runs it's own test while the car is sleeping in the garage. After 5 hours of sitting still, the ECM triggers a timer to run a little vacuum pump on the charcoal canister to make sure everything is sealed up and at the proper pressures.
Neat stuff! But it's only the start of technology.
The only wear and tear you are doing is on the fuel cap. So I recommend go buy another one after the car gets some miles on her. They're cheap from the dealer, and good piece of mind. Of course, as always, I only recommend Toyota genuine parts