Okay, it was stupid. But it was a bad day. We had to put the dog down, very depressing, and I was on the interstate when the light came on. Minutes--yes, minutes--later the car slowed to a stop. There was no exit between the light coming on and "you're in trouble now", so I pulled over and turned the car off. I turned it back on, and we were able to make it to the exit! Yeah! But wait! We died again, and this time for good, right in front of a road crew. Oh well! Gas station was close, and my husband hoofed it and got 3 gallons of gas in a $17.95 gas can. Still wouldn't start. Called the dealer. They said it would have to be towed. Now I am mad. Called AAA. Said an hour. Now I'm hot and mad. Husband went back to station for a drink. Got on the web on my Palm Treo phone and Googled "running out of gas in Prius", and found a post that said the Prius needed 5 gallons of gas before it would start again. Sent husband back to the station with overpriced gas can. 3 more gallons of gas, and YES! It started. Passed the wrecker on the way. Called to cancel. What's that about towing? Were they trying to rip me off, or what? Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
Probably not. There have been a number of situations reported where ECUs and codes had to be reset before the car would start. Usually that was after running the battery down too far by continuing to drive after running out of gas I recall. My guess is if someone calls and says they put gas in and it won't start they assume that is the case and tell them to tow it in. Usually you get more warning than that, but most folks fill up at two bars or soon after getting to one bar as others have experienced running out soon after the warning. Sorry you had that annoyance added to your already crappy day Rob
Well, that is good to know. I guess then we were lucky. Oh, and thanks to whoever suggested the 5 gallons. I can't recall who it was, but it made the difference. The rest of my day could have been spent at the dealership, and instead I got to go home and cool off in the pool. ________________________________________________ '08 Prius, Driftwood Pearl, Package 5, aftermarket leather.
Does anybody know how much gas you need in the tank to keep running normally? I usually fill up at about half a tank.
I'm sorry about your dog. I have been through that before and its not fun or easy, but the most humane thing to do for your friend.
Sorry to hear about your doggie. The day I put down my Smooth Coat Fox Terrier Eddie was the worst day of my life. Hence my name "ed the fox".The day it happened my car could have caught fire and I probably wouldn't have cared. A year later we got the little Sheltie guy below.
both times that I ran out (the second one was intentional) I was able to restart with only adding less then 1 gallon. I've also read that if you run into a wont start condition after running out of gas and refilling that sometimes you have to disconnect the negative cable on the 12v battery for about a minute to reset the ecu's.
Something about that rubber tank liner that results in it not being reliable (consistent) about how much gas needs to be in the tank for operation. That liner is one "feature" I would certainly prefer not to have...
Stedman, I am sorry to hear about your dog. I would have thought that adding 3 gallons was enough to start the car. Although you probably didn't notice, I have to ask this question. How many pips were on the fuel gauge after the 1st 3 gallons were added and how many after the 2nd 3 gallons? How much did it take to fill after that?
