Please report your safety related problem to NHTSA !!!

Mimi has no idea what she drives. I drive a 2005 and if I recall correctly it didn't come in a package 7, it only went up to 6. 2004 and 2006 have a 7 & 8.

I don't think it's been mentioned (enough) that unlike a normal ICE car, when the Prius runs out of gas, you can still drive it a bit on electric. So much for the "danger".

If Mimi had taken her car to the dealer and the gauge had NOT be fixed and she continued to have problems, then I'd say there might be a point to this discussion. But when a problem is fixed...what's the point? Now it's up to Mimi to fill her tank when her owner's manual states the car should be filled.

You don't gum up the NHSTA with paperwork on something that never happened. And despite the sympathetic feedback Vegemann is getting, I doubt there are going to be enough complaints lodged with the NHSTA to trigger an investigation.

Vegemann, just wait until your Prius arrives and you start driving it before you judge whether this is a hardware problem or user error. You'll still drive over 300 miles on a tank of gas before you'll have to fill up. If you fill up twice a week, you'll only fill up once a week. While the bladder is quirky, plenty of us have adjusted to it for the sake of cleaner air. If you find you just can't take not being able to accurately drive to "E", I'm sure someone will be willing to take your 2007 off your hands at very close to what you paid for it. They are that hot on the secondary market. Especially with leather. You did mean you ordered a package #8, right?

And I don't believe the NHSTA has issued any TSB's for the Prius. They have all come from Toyota themselves. When Toyota deems there is a problem, they take responsibility and fix it. They don't wait for a government agency to force them.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mimi47 @ Aug 5 2006, 09:27 PM) [snapback]298496[/snapback]</div>

I'd say that it matters because you appear to be advocating filing a formal complaint with an agency of the federal government against the Prius that your cousin wasn't driving. And the original poster is advocating filing formal complaints against a vehicle that they haven't taken delivery of yet -- talk about buyers' remorse! Furthermore, when a groundswell of support fails to materialize, you fall back to calling us insensitive clods. That's a strange attempt to win us over to your position.

Certainly, unexpected stalling of cars is a safety issue (I don't think anyone is denying that), and I hope that your cousin's recovery goes smoothly. But the Prius should not stall unexpectedly when it runs out of gas, and you ought to consider that a safety bonus. The other main point in this discussion is that the vast majority of Prius out-of-gas experiences appear to be preventable, quirky gauge or not.

You're throwing me the hanging curve here. Must...resist...swinging.....

 

If people complain to the government we'll all wind up with gas gauges that read empty at about 1/2 tank of fuel just to be safe.

 

It is amazing how some folks need the government to save them from their own stupidity.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tomdeimos @ Aug 6 2006, 02:24 PM) [snapback]298688[/snapback]</div>

Look no further than the "tire-pressure monitor" for evidence of not getting it right. It doesn't illuminate until the tires are 25% below the recommended pressure.

That means on a Prius, the back tires would have to drop below 25 PSI. At that point, it is beyond the purpose of monitoring. It's a "danger, fill immediately" warning. That soft is definitely isn't safe. The light really isn't coming on at the time you get the impression it should.

So that government mandate really isn't all that helpful. People should have noticed their tire was getting squishy much sooner.

 

"99.9999% of running-out-of-gas incidents are caused by a defect in the nut behind the wheel... "........WELL SAID Galaxee !

 

I'd like to approach this from a different angle. I have the habbit of topping off at 1/2 tank, sometimes at 3/4 tank, and my reasoning may appear silly:

1. Modern cars/trucks have electric fuel pumps in the gas tank. The fuel is used to cool and lubricate the fuel pump. At least around here, those who consistently run their tanks to 1/4 or 0/4 appear to have relatively short fuel pump life.

2. What do you "save" by running the fuel tank to 1/4 or 0/4?? Is the fuel weight penalty so high you get consistently better fuel economy with an empty tank? I never have.

3. Personal safety and security. I like to pick and chose the time and place to fill up, where I can be aware of my surroundings and especially the dirtbags who might be hanging around. If I'm at the last blip and it starts blinking, panic sets in and I would have no choice but to take a chance, potentially in a dangerous part of the city. Not worth it.

4. Survival hedge. Anybody remember that hurricane that wiped out that city last summer? What the hell was it called?? Katrina and New Something-or-another. A full tank is a good hedge to get you out of a dangerous spot, or to even keep you alive. Say at -40 if a blizzard should hit and you get snowbound, a full tank could keep you warm and safe for a long time, and empty tank and you're soon SOL.

As far as fuel gage accuracy or lack thereof, mine had been fairly consistent - compared to other vehicles I've owned - until a couple of weeks ago. I was at a rare time of down to 3 bars, refilled, and the gage remained at 3 bars.

The dealer tried everything - including the incline meter thing - but finally went ahead with the TSB regarding the display replacement and filler pipe replacement: they claim that did the trick. I pick the car up on Wednesday and I will verify it for myself.

 

Spoiled folks here. My old VW van had no gas gauge.

The old bugs didn't, either. You just moved the tap lever on the firewall with your right foot when the engine sputters, and you had 1 gallon (25 miles) left.

The NHTSB can't fix "operator error."

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Vegemann @ Aug 5 2006, 02:20 PM) [snapback]298270[/snapback]</div>

"...the sky is falling! ...the sky is falling!!!" [/i]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 7 2006, 09:54 PM) [snapback]299424[/snapback]</div>

It was a nice vacation, especially on Saturday when that killer tornado in Manitoba roared along about 25km north of my hobby farm. Power went out so no sense sitting there in the dark.

Hehehe you should have been there. I had my elderly dad with me, and a nice Chinese couple too, when the strong winds, heavy hail, and intense lightning hit. We cowered in the basement expecting the worse: My dad and my Chinese friend's wife were whimpering, my cat was meowing, and I was cursing and drinking heavily.

Oh well, very minor damage and an exciting way to end a vacation.

 

So far one confirmed fatality, so I guess that's good enough to rank as a "killer."

I head out to the hobby farm tomorrow with a co-worker who also has his camper parked at my place. AFAIK the power is still out, and I want to check up on the place. No real damage to speak of, a few minor dents in the steel roof of the house.

However if I do find damage I missed the first quick look through, it will be time for more cursing and heavy drinking. The cat is staying with my Dad, so no meowing.