NO fix for Prius Gas Tank Filling Up Issues

[dar]

I contacted Toyota Corporate about recent challenges I have had trying to fill my gas tank. It is nearly impossible to get anywhere near a full tank of gas in this 2008 Prius. What is most interesting and disturbing about this issue is that Toyota noted this IS an issue and that there is NO fix for the problem. Here is the response from Toyota Corporate:


Dear Ms. :
We apologize with your dissatisfaction with the fuel tank bladder in your 2008 Prius.
As your Case Manager explained to you, this is the design of the fuel tank and there is no repair available to change the design.
We appreciate you taking the time to let us know of your dissatisfaction with the fuel tank bladder because the only way we know what our customers are looking for is when they tell us, as you have. We try to scope our customers out in advance, by researching the market, conducting interviews, surveys, focus groups and doing our homework, but there's no better source than a Toyota owner who takes the time to tell us like it is.
We can't guarantee that a change would be made, but if it were, it would be driven by just this sort of honest communication.
We have documented your email at our National Headquarters under file #. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,

Toyota Customer Experience

I have read that many other owners have the same challenge. I have talked with Toyota technicians who are frustrated that they cannot take care of this issue ... which gets worse in the winter .... as the bladder collapses and the cold weather keeps theh bladder from expanded back to the 11.9 gallon size!

For those of you that are not having issues or do not mind this ... great! I for one really need to know if "full" means 6 gallons or 10 ... can I drive 300 miles or 400 miles on a tank??? Overall, it is a nice car ... it is not a safe long distance drive car ... Consumer Reports was VERY interested in this design flaw ...

[JimN]

Data would be helpful. On how many trips to a gas station has this happened? Have you tried different pumps at the same station? Is the pump set to fast or slow?

Granted, Toyota's response is infuriating BS but there are solutions if one looks for them here.

[bbald123]

I think this is vastly over-stated. I've had the problem exactly once in 47 fill-ups. And yes I have the records to prove it.

[darelldd]

Originally Posted by bbald123

I think this is vastly over-stated. I've had the problem exactly once in 47 fill-ups. And yes I have the records to prove it.

Might be over-stated from your perspective and experience. But I know just what the OP is going through. My first ten fillups were hell. I was standing on my head, turning the nozzle upside-down (my best tip for a fix) and all sorts of gyrations. The craziest thing is that in the past year, I've simply had no issues, where previously I had nothing BUT issue. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I don't buy gas anymore?

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by dar

For those of you that are not having issues or do not mind this ... great! I for one really need to know if "full" means 6 gallons or 10 ... can I drive 300 miles or 400 miles on a tank??? Overall, it is a nice car ... it is not a safe long distance drive car ... Consumer Reports was VERY interested in this design flaw ...

Even if you know the exact amount of fuel in the tank, how do you propose to know the number of miles till empty? With my Prius, the mileage normally varies between 46 and 57 mpg, with occasional excursions higher and lower. Let's say I know that I have 10 gallons of gas. With the normal variation in mileage, that could mean 460 miles until empty, or 570 miles until empty, or something in between. You will never know; there is just too much uncertainty. If it bothers you a lot, assume the lower number and you will never be disappointed.

Tom

[dar]

Since I hit 5000 miles on this 2008 Prius, this fuel issue has happened on EVERY fillup. I have filled up early, late, midday, in cold weather, warm weather, as sea level, 6000 feet ... for this specific Prius, it just does not seem to matter where, how or what time the car gets fuel. I pickup up my car from getting fixed and it happened on the first fill up. This car pretty much gets around 47mpg ... The filling is not such an issue in town ... on long road trips it is. This is the first vehicle I have had since my first car in 1976 that I have really no idea what the volume of gas is in my tank ... yep, going with a fill up at 1/2 tank ... or 200 miles is about where I am heading ... thank you for the input.

[tkil]

The best answer seems to be:
1. Keep track of how much fuel you put in at the last fill-up
2. Reset the MFD MPG or l/100km calculator at each fillup (I've a 2005, so this is done for me)
3. Use (1) and (2) to calculate minimum range.

It takes a bit of attention, but it's really not that hard. Keep track of whether your driving style changes towards the end of the tank, and consider filling up every time you hit two pips. (2004-5 might get away with waiting until one pip, but they seem to have tightened that up on the 2006-2008 models.)

If that's not sufficient, then please do post more info. When you say you can't fill it up, how much *can* you add in? How many pips were lit on the guage when you tried to put that in?

My fills are typically between 8-9 gallons:
Gas Tank History

[ZC1]

I wish I could help the OP, but perhaps the car does have a problem?

My 2008 doesn't seem to have this problem though.

In my truck and every other vehicle I've ever owned, I simply don't know how much actual gas is in the tank, as long as I fill up according to my preset decision which is not less than 1/8th tank according to the gas gauge and 2 pips (2/10ths) on the Prius.

I don't know maybe I'm missing the problem?

ZC1

[qbee42]

The OP hasn't stated what they think a full tank holds. All they say is that they have a filling problem and " It is nearly impossible to get anywhere near a full tank..."

So here is a question for the OP: how much usable fuel do you think the Prius holds? I hope your answer isn't 11.9 gallons, because if it is, that's your problem. The gross capacity of the Prius is 11.9 gallons. With the North American models, which have the fuel bladder, the usable capacity is closer to 10 gallons. My typical fill up is about 8.5 gallons, when the gauge is down to one pip.

Tom

[Bob64]

Heh... the only fix is to install a gas tank that doesn't have a bladder... perhaps import an European Prius?