fuel tank issues

[patty]

Hello, everyone. I am a Wisconsinite who purchased a 2007 Prius in August of '07. Loved the car. Then winter came, and the fuel tank became fussy. Didn't know until then about the flexible bladder fuel tank. So for starters, I'm not happy that Toyota fails to mention anything about this fuel tank design in any of the brochures - certainly none of the salespeople mentioned anything about it...

Long story short, I've taken the car to my local dealership's maintenance dept. 3 times in the last 4 months for fueling issues. They've recalibrated the inclination sensors, then they've run other checks and everything seems ok... yadda yadda yadda.... I began a case file with the folks in Torrance.

I was told it's a winter problem, the plastic bladder shrinks, gets too cold, can't expand,,,,, B.S. !

because guess what? there is no rhyme or reason to how much fuel this car will take. doesn't matter what the outside temp is - it can be 30 degrees, below zero, 65 degrees. same dang trouble.

I tried the"sneak it a little more" technique one day and got the "bladder burp". Don't like that approach.

Here is what I don't get: WHY do prius owners just put up with this? Why are we not OUTRAGED? I paid good money for this vehicle; it ought to have a dependable fuel tank. Can we possibly join forces and get Toyota to fix this???

[Spectra]

Patty,

What IS the problem with the fuel tank?

• Sounds like you're describing erratic MPG readings -- did I get that right?
• Are you at least within a generally consistent range?

Still a relative newbie here, but, based on my religious reading of PC-Chat, I fill up at 2-3 pips, and often find a discrepancy of 3-6 MPG's (which I can live with) between my calculated MPG, and the MFD read-out.

Can you give some more description?

[pewd]

i don't perceive it as broken; it works fine in my car.
it is of variable size, not fixed. that takes a mind set adjustment.

what specific problem are you having with the fuel tank?

[JimboK]

Originally Posted by patty

WHY do prius owners just put up with this? Why are we not OUTRAGED?

There is nothing this Prius owner feels he has to put up with. He is not outraged because it takes a lot more than the car's finicky fuel tank to provoke him to outrage. There are more important things in this world for him to get worked up about.

[ny biker]

How much of a difference are you seeing in the amount of gas that it takes over time? Is there a lot of variability every time you fill up?

My experience was that fill ups were pretty consistent through the summer and early fall of last year, and then when it got colder the tank held less, but that amount was pretty consistent over the winter. The difference between summer and winter was probably a couple of gallons (I don't know for sure because I was filling up at 5 pips over the winter whereas over the summer I was driving more so the tank would get down to 1-3 pips before filling up).

The last time I filled up we were still getting overnight temps in the 40s but it's been consistently warm since then so I'm hoping to start getting back to fillups similar to last summer with my next trip to the gas station.

[Jiipa]

I have no problem with my fuel tank, therefore there is nothing for me to get upset about or be concerned with.

[qbee42]

My fuel tank works fine. The maximum volume varies a bit from tank to tank, but it's not a problem. My fuel gauge works as well or as poorly as most automobile fuel gauges; when it says to fill up, I fill up.

Your post isn't clear about what sort of problem you are having. Perhaps if you clearly state the issues we may be able to help.

Tom

[Chachabah16]

Last fill up, I had to "yank" the fuel pump out of the bladder. It was stuck in there. That wasn't too reassuring. This ever happen to anyone? Is this normal?

c ~

[JimN]

Originally Posted by Chachabah16

Last fill up, I had to "yank" the fuel pump out of the bladder. It was stuck in there. That wasn't too reassuring. This ever happen to anyone? Is this normal?

c ~

First I heard of this. One time the pump didn't automatically shut off. We may all complain about the "Guess Gauge" but has there ever been a mass produced car with an accurate fuel gauge?

[thecoook]

As a former Bucky, now living in Florida, for more reasons than just the weather, my first advise to you would be to CHILL! Unless you are highly trained in the field of bladder-type fuel reservoirs, the conditions you describe ARE NOT B.S. The fuel bladder was crafted as a viable solution to holding a suitable amount of fuel AND capture fuel vapors which would otherwise allow unburnt Hydrocarbons to enter the atmosphere. The Prius was intended to REDUCE emissions and be thrifty at the same time. If that means variation in the amount of fuel the bladder will carry versus continueing the cat-and-mouse game with the Oil Cartels, then accept it with the quiet pride that comes with Prius ownership.

-Don