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2011 Prius ran out of gas

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by mel82pem, Feb 4, 2013.

  1. mel82pem

    mel82pem New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2013
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I am hoping someone here can help me. I made the horrible mistake of running out of gas in my prius and had to have it towed home cause dealership was closed. I was preoccupied and missed the flashing gauge on the gas. i realized something was wrong when the car wouldn't accelerate. i pulled onto a side road and tried coasting to the gas station but my battery dropped to two bars and the electric steering warning light came on and the car wouldnt move i pulled over called a friend and they came and added about a gallon of gas. i tried starting the car and now all the warning lights are on and the "ready" light is not on, if i try to put the car in D or R a message comes up saying "put in p position before starting". I had my friend get some more gasoline and add it about 3 gallons total and still had all the same messages so had it towed. My biggest concern is did I destroy the battery? I read some posts that this is a feature that the
    prius does that prevents you from harming the battery and that the dealership just has to clear the codes. Another thread said if I dissconnect the negative terminal on the battery in the rear that would reset the codes is this true and how difficult is it to do for someone with no automotive experience. I am would appreciate any insight and advice.
     
    #1 mel82pem, Feb 4, 2013
  2. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Did you try to start the car in park position while pressing on the brake or did you start the car without pressing on the brake? Maybe you have drained the battery too. Try recharging the 12V battery and see if it will start.
     
    #2 ImeanGreen, Feb 4, 2013
  3. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Location:
    Alaska
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    The HV battery should be fine, though it might be too low to start the engine. Two bars should be enough. The 12v battery, as mentioned above might be too low also. Try a jump start?
    Codes can't be cleared by disconnecting the 12v. If they are permanent type, they must be cleared by the dealer or by use of a Scan Gauge type tool.
     
    #3 spiderman, Feb 4, 2013
  4. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Did you try to engage gear with the door open, you get the "Put the car in P" message when the door is not shut properly and you try to put it in D or R
     
    #4 kithmo, Feb 5, 2013
  5. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    N/A
    I smell fish here.
     
    #5 Former Member 68813, Feb 8, 2013
    cwerdna and GrumpyCabbie like this.
  6. walter Lee

    walter Lee Hypermiling Padawan

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    The short answer:

    IF a 3rd gen Prius runs out of gas AND the HV battery runs out of electrical power THEN
    the Prius on board computer shuts down (hibernates) and can only be rebooted by the dealer.

    What Just happen? A more detailed explanation

    The first time I read about this was in Bob Wilson's threads/experiments on how much gasoline is in the Prius and how far you can go. Bob's been there and got the t-shirt -- for all of us. You only have to read his posts on this stuff. In short, the Prius has about2 US gallons left in its fuel tank at the moment of it makes its first and only audible beep warning that it fuel tank is near empty which is also when the last bar of your fuel gauge starts blinking. Depending on your driving conditions and skill - the number of miles the Prius will vary.

    The following rules on how to determine if you are at risk.


    IF the last bar of the fuel gauge blinking THEN
    IF at any time the accelerator cannot get the ICE to run
    ( you cannot hear the ICE running OR
    you cannot get the RPM >1000 )
    THEN
    you running only on the HV battery
    IF the High Voltage battery state of charge is less than 50% ( < 4 bars)
    THEN
    {
    IF the Prius is *on*
    ( there will be a high risk of the Prius on board computer will shut down )
    IF your Prius shuts down THEN
    a dealer will have to recharge your HV battery
    before he can reboot your Prius onboard computer
    }
     
    #6 walter Lee, Feb 27, 2013
  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Greenwood MS USA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    If you want to ruin your week, drive to empty, then exhaust the HV Battery, then try to restart while still empty (the car does not detect under 3 gallons)

    Last I knew, your local dealerships did not even have a HV Battery charger, they have to have it shipped from Toyota's regional office.
     
    #7 JimboPalmer, Feb 27, 2013
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