On a 2007 Prius gas gauge showed 2 bars and was driving across a bridge in California when the gas engine stopped. Looked at the gas gauge and it still showed 2 bars. Was fortunate enough to be on a section of the bridge with a breakdown lane. 1/2 mile further on and we would have been stuck in one of the traffic lanes. The VSC, Check Engine, and Hybrid System failure indicators where on - but not the low fuel!!! Called Toyota Tow Service number and after 3 attempts was told would send somebody. Turns out they can't tow off this bridge and didn't know it. Finally got Cal Trans tow truck to take us off the bridge, then Toyota service to take us to the dealer than a $30 taxi drive home. 3 hours of travel for a 45 minute trip. Dealer told us that the car was out of gas and that the "GAS GAUGE WAS STUCK" That's why it didn't show empty. He blamed it on the bladder and said it was "a design defect" that Toyota new about. I'm sorry, but this is a significant safety issue - we could have been killed. If Toyota is not willing to come up with a fix, I think its time to bring this to the attention of the Federal Auto Safety Board and force a recall. Any others have this problem that we can add to the list?
You could have been killed simply driving a car. LOL Seriously, I have never heard of anyone having this problem before so it must not be that common or in the last few years I've been on PC I have missed all those stuck fuel guage posts. Are you basing your assumptions that this is a common problem, that Toyota knows about it and is not willing to correct the issue based on what one mechanic told you?
Yes, with all the other gas tank problems discussed here, I assumed this one was also common. Most gas tanks measure their level with some kind of float device - I have no idea how the Prius does it with the bladder in the tank. If it is a float device, one could easily see it getting stuck as the fuel level went down and the bladder shrunk . We will be testing to see if it happens again and if so, maybe its our particular car and not a "design defect".
In a forum with thousands of Prius owning members I have asked in several threads who has run out of fuel with 2 or more bars on the gauge over the last few months and you are the first. This does not seem to be a design fault but a fault with one vehicle. It happens. I once ran out of petrol in my work car(General Motors - Holden Commodore) when it was new because the gauge had been calibrated for a V8 fuel tank not a V6 fuel tank, not every car in the range has this problem. I am sorry to hear about the issue you had with your car, I see it is a 2007 model and I assume this is the first time you have had this happen. Report the issue to the Federal Auto Safety Board if you like and I have no doubt if several other owners have had a similar issue there will be a recall or some solution to the issue. I somehow doubt THIS issue is all that common, it does however seem common for people to run out when the last bar on the gauge is flashing. Good luck in a swift resolution of your issue. The North American prius has a small tank along side the bladder, it is in this small tank a conventional float type sender is located. See the sender unit in this picture or the side tank opened up. And in this one you can see where the white tank is next to the black bladder in the steel shell.
I don't recognize that problem either. Complaints have centered around wanting to drive further after the "Add Fuel" warning and blinking begins... since there is gas still available at that point. Running out before, with 2 pips still, is new. .
Please keep us informed of any future problems like this so people can be made aware if it is indeed a repeat problem on your car. Hopefully it was a one time deal and you don't have to go through all that hastle again. Like Pat said, there really are no fuel tank problems on the Prius that I am aware of. There does seem to a problem with some people's perception of how the fuel tank works and they tend to run out of fuel because they push the limits and enjoy running on empty for some reason. lol
It is possible that your gas tank inclinometers need to be reset. Here is some information from the Toyota Tech Manual: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The direct acting fuel gauge is located in the sub tank. This gauge consists of a pipe surrounded by a coil. A float in the pipe moves up and down with changes in the fuel level. A magnet is attached to the float. The up and down movement of the float causes a change in the magnetic field. The flow of current through the coil creates a potential difference and the resultant voltage is transmitted to the meter ECU. "There are two inclination sensors located in the meter ECU to detect vehicle longitudinal and latitudinal inclinations and to correct the fuel level calculation. Corrections are made by the signals from the inclination sensors and the ambient temperature sensor located in the fuel tank. "The inclinometer must be reset if the customer complains that they can only pump a few gallons of gas into their tank or that they run out of gas with three or four bars left on the fuel meter. The inclinometer must also be reset if the Prius is refilled on an excessive slope or if the fuel gauge becomes inaccurate. Please refer to the Prius Repair Manual for the inclinometer calibration procedure. " [Emphasis added] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICAL ARTICLES Here is info on the proceedure that was posted somewhile back: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bear68 Senior Member Easter Egg Time.... Anybody wanna reset the fuel gauge inclination sensor? Make sure your fuel level is somewhere between 1/4 and 3/4, and temp should be about 70-90 F. Step 1: PARK ON A LEVEL SURFACE!!!! If you are on a slope you will reset the sensor to an incorrect level!! Step 2: Press the ODO/trip button to turn the odometer to trip A Step 3: Turn off the ignition and set the parking brake. Step 4: DO NOT STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL! AT ALL! IT ISN"T NEEDED FOR THIS PROCEDURE!! Step 5: Press and hold the ODO/trip button and press the Power button twice. Step 6: Release and press the ODO/trip button three times Release-Press-Release-Press-Release-Press and HOLD. The Odometer on the combo meter should now be showing the normal mileage, as you hold the ODO/trip button down, the reading should change. Something along the lines of 650D0 or similar. The actual figures don't really matter. Step 7: Release and press the ODO/trip botton once more and HOLD it in. The figure will change again. This time, only ONE digit will change. 650D0>65010 as an example. Don't be afraid to try it. Even if it doesn't work, you won't goof anything up. Try, try again. It sometimes takes a half dozen attempts before you get it work right the first couple of times you do it. This only needs to be done once in a while. I would recommend once every ten tanks or so. I usually only do it when a customer has a fuel gauge issue. [Emphasis added.] Takes a bit of practice but it resets the ECU to try to be more accurate in it's estimation of your actual fuel level. GOOD LUCK!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (You might need the help of a hot jazz quintet to perform that particular dance!) Hope this helps. As others have said, please let us know how this shakes out.
Thanks for the suggestion. We refilled the tank after getting it back from the dealer and haven't driven much since then. Plan is to keep an eye on the gas gauge and see if it happens again. If so, will take it back to the dealer and ask them to repair it. Will let you know.
I would get that checked out, the response from the member's is right, it is probably 1 out of say 200,000 car's or more issue. The guess gauge is a mystery when it come's to showing correct fuel, but in no mean's will you run out with 2 bar's. Only when it blink's should this be an issue. Have it fixed, or have them give you a new car.
If its a new car, make sure you read up on your state's lemon law. If the same problem occurs multiple times and the dealer can't fix it, you may be eligible for a replacement. Of course, if you threaten to use the law, they'll make sure it gets fixed before it comes to that.
Dave, This exact same thing just happened to my husband and I on our 2008 Prius! Two bars showing, no warning, no fuel light. The engine cut out entirely and left us on battery power which didn't take us far on the freeway. Left us stranded on the side of the freeway in unfamiliar territory on a cross-country trip. Needless to say, we didn't let the tank go below the halfway mark the rest of the way across the country. Quite a shock to say the least, and now the Toyota dealership is charging me $150 just to take a look at it!
Seems to me this would be a legitimate warranty issue that Toyota ought to deal with. I'd raise some hell with them if that happened to me and they didn't agree to fix it while within the warranty period.
$150 out-of-pocket to diagnose a warranty item is bulldada. Go to a different dealer. And call Toyota's 800 number to complain about the first dealer.
I dont just base remaining fuel on the gauge, I also keep track of odometer readings and compare....because everything in the world is flawed Around 400 miles I tend to fill up....
I know the original post for 'gauge didn't show empty' was from 2008, however, the information is still accurate in Aug 2013..AND IT WORKED!! The local Toyota dealer spent 2 hours trying to figure out why the fuel gauge was stuck on one flashing bar right after filling my tank. Their solution? Spending $440 for a part plus the labour at about 2 hours @ $103 an hour. They said they were doing me a favour by not charging me for the 2 hours that the Prius technician spent trying to figure out the issue. What a joke. Me - I spent about an hour in total on the internet looking into this problem and came upon this website and this post with info from the Toyoto Tech Manual, and fixed the issue myself! Saved myself over $600 at least! Some background info - The fuel gauge had been stuck on one flashing bar after I filled up the tank 3 days ago. Note, I had only one bar flashing prior to filling up, and this was accurate as the warning beep had went off the day prior. Plus, no prior issues with the fuel gauge accuracy. After filling up the tank, just by chance my car would not start about an hour later. That's when i noticed that the fuel gauge was not showing a full tank. I had a feeling it was the 12v battery that was one it's last leg. Reason being is that I needed a boost about a month ago as the car would not start in the driveway. I got another boost this time and drove immediately to the local dealer to confirm the problem. They tested the 12v battery and it was definitely at the end of it's life. (The 12v battery has a life of 5 - 6 years from what I have read.) It cost me $348 for a new battery ($203 + $102 labour + taxes). After I got the news about this pricey but neccessary battery replacement, the dealer then hit me with the esimate of $440 plus 2 hours @ $102 of labour for the fuel gauge issue. Some 'special' part needed to be ordered in. I told them that I would think about moving forward and get back to them the following week. Now, I'm by far no pro at car issues, but common sense told me that the combination of a low battery and a near empty fuel tank before I filled up might have been connected somehow. Low and behold, I was right. I followed the steps in the posting, granted it took me about 4 - 5 attempts. When I saw the fuel gauge bars start to show up on the screen and then to a near-full tank, I just sat there laughing. I also found a YouTube video that had the same instructions that was provided on this site for a 2008 Prius, so I figured it's worth a try. Keep in mind that the first few times I tried this, the tank was very close to full. I read that the tank needs to be less than that. So, after driving for a few days, I tried these steps again with about 3 quarters full, with success! Of course this was just a guess as the gauge didn't register how much was in the tank. I just kept track of my mileage for the two days to know I'd closer to 3 quarters full or less. It's somewhat mindboggling to me that I could fix this issue and the dealerships Prius techie had no clue. Or maybe he did and this looked like an easy 'cash grab' from a naive female? I doubt that won't be confirmed. However, I hope this proves that it's worth taking a bit of time to do some research before putting out the money based on what the dealer says.
