New Prius V - out of gas - need clarification please

You are correct and I cannot deny that. Given the huge influx of people complaining over ridiculous issues and the number of trolls signing up it is easy to just be disgusted with any new posts that appear to fit the theme. I think the negativity can be based on the number of years you've been subject to the BS that comes and goes on the forum.

 

Is there something in the 2010 owner's manual stating - 'do not run out of gas or the car may not restart or could be damaged' ?

What's with your critical response to the OP? Could you be a bit more sympathetic? She ran out of gas, that's it. No crime committed here. Some people run out of gas. She said she didn't hear the beep nor notice the fuel gage, hard for her to see.

Running out of gas is the trigger, but not the main issue here.

The issue is, why wouldn't the car power up and drive off after putting a couple gallons in?

 

Yeah, fair enough. Sadly, the press will probably get a hold of this issue soon enough, too. Though easily preventable, it is, perhaps, as significant safety issue as all the other over-hyped issues being thrown around the media. At least in this case, it appears to be a real design issue as Toyota confirms that there is even a potential for harm to the hybrid system if you run out of gas.

 

As I've said twice before and as a few others here have intuited, had the OP not included the Prius/Toyota bashing and not mewled about going back to GM, my response would have been much different.

Given the original post I think my responses, while admittedly harsh, were absolutely appropriate. I'm still waiting for the mea culpa from the OP admitting maybe that post was, well, badly worded at least.

As for the issue of whether or not you are forced to tow a Prius after running out of fuel, I think that's been settled as well. Rapacious dealers love owners who aren't informed. That sucks but it's hardly something exclusive to Toyota as anyone who has ever owned another make of automobile can attest. An informed consumer is always going to fare better than the one who is not.

And yes, Cycledrum, it's says explicitly in the manual that running out of a gas is a bad thing.

 

It would also be interesting to know what happens to other hybrids when they run out of gas. Can you just put in a gallon and go, or are you likely to be stuck fiddling for 30 mins like we did or have to wait for a tow like the OP? Do the GM hybrids have the same design? Ford? Honda? Nissan?

 

hear hear. I agree. Bad design.

 

But it didn't state it will be towed with over 5 error codes? I can't find it in the manual can you? Bad could just mean bad that it will not move anymore. A friend of mine has a Prius Gen2 and he kept on bragging about driving without petrol. If I had experimented on my new prius I would have ended up like her.

You were more than harsh. She was careless but still she didn't deserve the bashing you guys gave. Who are you? You own toyota? Who gives a crap about them? I don't.

I wish the medai burn them hard so they learn their lesson before they go down the GM route. Its called tough love.

 

Bad design? Because the car doesn't function without fuel?

As I asked earlier, is there any bar to entry in operating a motor vehicle or is it incumbent upon manufacturers to design vehicles that can literally, deal with with any eventuality?

I'll say it again because some here have glossed over it, and let's go back to the OP.

Situation: Prius V less than 5k miles. On interstate going 70mph on bluetooth cell phone on business calls (my life), ​

So this owner got into a vehicle and jumped on the freeway without checking the basic gauges. Ok, happens. Maybe you were running late. Assuming a best (for the poster) case scenario, the car was just about to start blinking when you got into it. This person then drove it dry while talking on the phone never hearing a warning beep or noticing the blinking icon? What is this driver paying attention to?

Let's be realistic, if Toyota had designed the vehicle with a larger reserve this person would have merely run out of gas farther away from home.

And the comments here that the gas gauge isn't prominent enough or have enough warnings leave me amazed at the lack of connection some drivers have with their automobiles. Back in the day, gas gauges didn't blink, or beep, or do anything. The car ran out of gas. Granted, you could then just dump some fuel in the tank and possibly the carb and go but those analog gauges were famously terribly inaccurate. I see the current system as a big improvement.

In the end, as I've said repeatedly, what bothers me here is this idea that it's the manufacturer's or the dealer's fault for somehow not insuring that not only would the driver be adequately warned before running dry but the car would then recover from this with a gallon of gas and a slap on the butt. Is it so much to ask that people driving cars check these things and are responsible for them? Is it? Really? Maybe I am the one out of touch here. I'll admit it's a possibility.

 

C'mon already. Running out of gas in ANY fuel injected car causes problems. Don't blame the Prius. My old Focus had all kinds of warnings about it.

In Gen II, you have to put in at least 3 gallons of gas for it to register, anyone remember that?

Hi Russell!!!

Prius Prime
AKA Donna from Hybridfest

 

No, because putting in a gallon of gas may not get you going. Worse, it could result in you being stranded for an extended period, requiring an expensive tow or needing repairs to the hybrid system.

Fifteen year olds can drive with a permit. Their brains are rarely focused on the gas tank. People drive while drunk, also a very dumb thing to do, but it still happens. People drive while preoccupied with all sorts of things that might make them forget about filling up or think they can put it off a few more miles. It would be nice to know that if my wife or kid does forget and runs out of gas, they could get going again easily with a gallon of gas and without 30 minute wait on the side of the road somewhere.

True. So, instead, they should have designed it so that once you put gas back into it, it gets going again like any other car with a gas tank.

You don't even have to go back in the day to find gasoline cars that don't have major issues getting started after running out of gas.

It's not too much to ask, no. It's also not too much to ask for reasonable responses to a legitimate issue presented by a new poster, rather than an immediate flurry of attacks.

 

Expensive, painful, embarrassing, or inconvenient lessons are usually better retained. That'll learn ya.

 

It's incredible the irrational defense of anything prius.

The car once running out of gas will not restart like any other car. It decides it needs to be towed. There may be a good reason but I doubt it. It is dangerous in certain situations to disable the car.

So instead of either explaining why the car does this, or sympthize, lots of posters refer to rtfm (wouldn't have helped), blame the driver (blamed herself, didn't know why small mistake turned into strange errors). If you have a good reason it needed to be towed after running out of gas, please tell us. That was the question. IF you think you deserve to pay for a tow and $175 code reset from a rude dealer for running out of gas, your an idiot.

The other question was warning. Yes the prius beeps at you with 2 gallons left. See, an answer with out an insult.

I don't think its a cardinal sin to run out of gas, talk on the phone, or get irritated that a simple thing is complicated. Its not awful that she is a reformed gm driver, and if gm websites have rude people on them its not really an excuse for bad behavior. I don't think wearing a corvette jacket is a crime either, but that is silly me.

Thanks CPSDarren for being a voice of reason.

 

No wager. I agree. We have all endured so much press of late, questions from our friends, that we are a bit sensative. The implication that the Prius ran out of gas ... should have bought a GM ... well, it was a bit much.

In the old days, you simply poured a bit of fuel down the carburator, and she fired fight up. Without knowing for sure, I suspoect that every modern car with electronic throtle control has consequences from running out of gas.

No, please .... do not require more alarms, flashing lights to inform the driver of the need for gas.

 

Indeed. If you have a wife or kid who gets hit by a passing car or mugged on the side of the road (or worse) as a result of this issue, you'd probably learn the lesson to buy something other than a Prius.

 

I always thought the remedy to "out of gas" was "add gas.". The dealer should definitely tell you that, if you run out of gas, you need to add three gallons before the vehicle will start. I'm glad I found this thread.

 

I'm with some others here. Heck of a way to start off a thread.
"I know, I know, I know .. I am an idiot for running out of gas BUT I NEVER ran out of gas in my GM cars over the past 30 years. I am new to Toyota and considering going back to GM ... hence my post .. to make a decision. "

 

I would say that's at least what I put in to get my wife going. Of course, that was after 15 minutes of her waiting for me to arrive, 15 minutes of us trying to figure out how to get it started after I put the initial amount of gas into the Prius and another 5-10 mins on the phone with Toyota service before it finally started after I put in a second can.

If indeed 3 gallons of gas is a threshold to get started, that kind of clear note in the manual and from the dealer would be a perfect solution.

 

One thing is clear to me after reading some of the posts from a few of the contributors in this thread, I will never stop being amazed by the sense of entitlement some people develop and how deeply it affects them in their inability to just admit a mistake and their culpability.

It shouldn't surprise me though, that's my mistake.

 

On this point, we can agree 100%!

 

Are you blonde!! That's the last time you'll do that!!!maybe not...ha..ha..