TSB Released on Fuel Gauge Innacuracies

got my car back today, they had it all week, got to drive a scion xb, didn't like it, for 2 days, then a sienna, loved it.
nice to get prius back, however. i saw the bill to toyota from the dealer, $1350. plus the loaner i would guess. yikes.
well, car runs as before, we'll see what happens with the changes.
they also fixed a rattle in the dash in front of me, turned out it was some kind of brace or something that broke!, glad they found that, they said they had to open up the whole top of the dash, scary.
so, i got the car back today at 11 am and backed up into a tree at Old Town here in san diego at noon. then i puntured the same rear bumper cover in another spot, backing up into a car whilst parking, an hour later.
i'm totally freaked, and wondering what this will cost, or whether the body shop can patch it all up... how do i get that rear back-up warning system installed, is it possible, or maybe i should just hire a driver.

will let you all know what happens with the tsb.

 

Had both items replaced. It took about 4 hours. Only one hitch, the fuel gagecalibrationn info was a little off on the TSB. They had to call the tech's in CA for the correct info.

So fare I have 110 miles on this tank and the gage has not moved.

 

my first bar will go anywhere from 100-150 miles

 

Artie,

Check out this PriusChat thread: Inexpensive Parking assist

 

fuel guage

i now have 7K miles on mine now and iv noticed that 9.5-10 gallons is what i get in it right after the last bar starts to blink. i have got for 60 miles after it starts and not run out but i wont do it often. im happy with it taking about this to fill it up. keeps the numbers easy when people ask what milage im getting. 450-500 miles on a tank of 9.5-10 is impresive to most. :mrgreen:

 

another UPDATE on TSB

Hi: I brought HUMU back to the dealer this morning for him to install the parts he ordered last week as per the TSB on fuel gauges, etc. Well, it seems I will also get a new MFD courtesy of Toyota. Only thing is, the car will need to stay overnight and the dealer will put me in a rental (something? probably not a Prius).
I'd be curious about other folks experiences with this TSB and if you also had to have your MFD replaced. I'm not sure, but I think they are also replacing the computer as well. The service tech said they were replacing the MFD to go along with the changed computer...ambiguous. Not sure if they just reprogrammed the existing computer or gave me a new one.
I guess this fuel thing is more complex than any one of us thought. I think my dealer is pretty much on top of this in spite of not having the full assortment of parts on hand. I'm with Evan as guinea pig and will let all of you know how this went. I look forward to going further between fillups and actually having the range promised by 11.9 gallons of fuel.
As to whether to get it fixed or not, that's pretty subjective which is probably why Toyota didn't send recall notices to all of us. Only those for whom this is important will come in (and save Toyota some money from having to fix everyone's car, not just those who came in).
Bob

 

I'm glad you guys are getting this done first. I was the first one to mention the TSB to my dealer, but I will not be the first one that has the work done. I'm too big of a chicken for that. I'm going to wait a couple of months to see if they have done any. My car is running great and I don't care that much that I can only go 400 miles on a tank.

 

My Prius fell in the range that only needed the fuel filler pipe. I decided to pursue it as much as a test of the dealer as to remedy any dissatisfaction. After running out of gas and coasting to a pump once, i have been filling up at 2 bars. When I called, the tech had no clue...said I would have to come in and have it checked out - they might not have the parts.... Told him that was unacceptable and asked for the manager. Told her to order the parts and I would come in for oil service and this repair. They supposedly did the repair on Tuesday - I should have asked to see the part they removed as I am skeptical, but I did not. The repair and oil change (no tire rotation per Click & Clack took 2.5 hours. I went in with a full tank and the TSB indicated it needed to be down to 3/4 or lower (as I recall). I'm not sure how they removed and replaced the fuel! Have not filled the tank yet but will be interested to see how it goes. Will also be doing a long trip next week and several fill ups so I should get an idea if anything changed. I will post again if anything interesting occurs! Would be interested to hear if anyone else is having just the fill pipe replaced.

 

Make sure the dealer has the parts

Hi: Several of you commented on your dealers not having the parts ready when you brought your Prii in for the fuel gauge TSB. My dealer did the diagnostic a week ago, then ordered the parts and I brought the car in yesterday thinking he had the parts he needed. Apparently, the directions from Toyota about this TSB are vague enough that some dealers may think they are ready to go ahead on your car, but discover, as my dealer did, that they needed yet more parts. In this case, the dealer didn't realize that the entire computer is to be replaced....so I get to come back again next week.
Good thing is that they are very friendly and generally on top of things. They also offer a shuttle service and loaner cars; better set up than other Toyota dealers in my area. Not ready to give up on them yet.
So, I would suggest when you bring your car in to get this done, that you verify they have all the parts before you leave your car to have the work done.
Odd, though, that Toyota elected not to contact the affected owners, but instead, notified dealers that some (astute) owners might be coming in complaining about fuel innacuracies. Maybe they wanted to save money by not offering to fix all affected cars.
Bob

 

Bob Allen:
What dealer is doing your work? I'm in the Seattle area too and looking for a good dealer to go to for the TSB.
By the way, thanks again for turning me on to Moses Lake!

 

got my car back from the tsb replacement, $1350 plus 5 day car rental!
got my first fill-up at blinking bar, 9.7 gal. hmmm,
1. in 7 months i've only gotten over 6.5 to 7.5 twice, so 9.7 is good, but
2. at blink, should it not be getting 10 plus??, anyway, car is perfect, even tho i was the first, all my settings remain except for back-up chime which i re-uninstalled.
then i backed up into a tree.
i'll have my second tank fill-up tomorrow, let's see what happens.
yes, my dealer demanded the car whilst waiting for the ODO computer *(that's the only computer they replace, not the MFD screen, etc. unless they blow it up), i didn't mind, like to try different cars, disliked the scionB, loved the sienna.
it seems like i've already posted all this somewhere. oh well, nice thing about alzheimers is i meet nice new people every day and i get to hide my own easter eggs.

 

as i said before, not worth it imo.... but since i already have the fix, maybe my perception of your tank capacity problems is not as severe as reality.

even with the fix, i think there is a huge room for improvement.

 

Just an observation on a newer Canadian model...

My VIN is 93*** (built in June), so I'm above the range that should need any repair. The other day I filled up with two bars left. The metric capacity is 45 L so 2/10 of 45 L is 9L, should be able to add approximately 36 L. I added 23.6 and the tank was full! Also, I am averaging only 5.2L/100 km (due to very short work commutes) which even still should give a total of 865 km/tank. I was only at 523 km when I had to do the refill. This is what bothers me about this inaccuracy. There is a HUGE difference between being able to drive 900 km and only 550 km before needing a refill. It is just frustrating.

I will note that I did only wait until the two bars (not one blinking) before refilling because so many people here have said it can plummet from two bars to no bars very quickly. I also saw the behavior that it stood on 3 bars for quite some time before dropping to 2. Also, I did NOT try to slowly top off the tank while refilling as others have suggested - I know there is more additional capacity, but the prospect of having gas burp all over me and the car is too unattractive.

So I guess my observation is just this: they claim the problem is fixed on VIN's above 78000??? I DON'T THINK SO! As I've described it, my car has all the same symptoms that everyone else is describing. You can take these data for what they're worth. Would you all agree with this? I wonder if anyone else whit high VINs is seeing what I'm seeing? Any Canadians?

BTW, I will not be going in for the fix.

 

canuckican, my VIN is 92*** and at my first fill up (blinking bar+10miles) I got 40L in before auto shutoff.

Today I filled up from half tank (5 bars) and put in 22L. So my gauge seems alright.

Of course Swedish Prii don't have the bladder messing things up. Do canadian Prii have the dreaded bladder?

/Paj

 

canuckian,

mine was built in june as well, so i don't need the TSB either. i notice that the bottom bars take about as long to go away as the top bars. the bars in the middle drop a lot faster then everything else. if we graphed it out i'm sure it would look like an hourglass.

i suggest to you to wait at least until the last bar when it starts to blink. let us know how that fairs.

-drew

 

Sorry I ask, but where I can find the .pdf. Last week I had the erratic display error and the dealer ordered a new one, I also hear the metallic clunk in the rear. Now my car needs the fuel computer and filler neck. I want to do it all at once. Thanks

 

check the first page of this thread

 

swepri confirms what I've been saying. He put in 22L and had five bars left on the display. I put in 23.6L and was down to two bars. Clearly 1.6L cannot be the difference between half a tank and 1/5 a tank! I would say his car is behaving "normally" and mine is behaving in an uncalibrated fashion. Yet mine is supposedly "ok". I reiterate; I don't think so.

OTOH, I don't think I will be waiting until the last bar is blinking before refilling. I wouldn't even drive my last old car that far below 1/8th of a tank, much less a new rather expensive one. Sorry, just a chance I'm not willing to take. Basically, I fall into that camp of people who can live with this Prius idiosyncracy. Just hope they get it all worked out in future models...