Hybrid System Failure in 08

[lmurph07]

Driving at 70 mph in HOV lane this morning in rush hour traffic. Suddenly Hybrid System failure occured and I lost power to the accelerator and had to coast through 4 lanes of traffic and up the exit ramp to a parking lot. (thank goodness I made it off the highway!) Between 5 and 7 miles before the failure my "add fuel" message came on. My Prius is ony 4 months old. I have read all the posts. The dealership tried to hint that it is due to running out of fuel. I have a hard time believing I ran out of fuel.

Looking for guidance on handling the dealership and questioning their conclusions... in other words, being an informed consumer.

[mingoglia]

Originally Posted by lmurph07

Driving at 70 mph in HOV lane this morning in rush hour traffic. Suddenly Hybrid System failure occured and I lost power to the accelerator and had to coast through 4 lanes of traffic and up the exit ramp to a parking lot. (thank goodness I made it off the highway!) Between 5 and 7 miles before the failure my "add fuel" message came on. My Prius is ony 4 months old. I have read all the posts. The dealership tried to hint that it is due to running out of fuel. I have a hard time believing I ran out of fuel.

Looking for guidance on handling the dealership and questioning their conclusions... in other words, being an informed consumer.

What did your fuel gauge show? I've found now that it's 110 in Phoenix you really need to fuel up when you're down to the last pip. I filled up a few days ago within about 10 miles or so of getting down to my last pip and it took about 10.5 gallons...which only leaves about a gallon in the tank. If I were down to a flashing pip I'd probably be about out of fuel. In the winter it's lucky to take 8 gallons on the last pip.

Mike

[finiyon]

Did you get the red triangle?

[mingoglia]

I just sent a message to my cousin's blackberry because I've heard of multiple Phoenix guys having this problem... he too is in Phoenix and his car sits out in direct sun all day. I really think the guys in the colder climates have a problem with getting enough fuel in their car and those of us in the southwest have the problem of a over-stretched fuel bladder which causes the car to literally be on fumes towards the end of where the fuel gauge registers.

[galaxee]

Originally Posted by lmurph07

Between 5 and 7 miles before the failure my "add fuel" message came on.
...
I have a hard time believing I ran out of fuel.

why? let's be logical here. the car told you to add fuel. you didn't add fuel. then the car died. because there was no fuel.

if you can conclude anything other than that you ran out of gas, i'd like to know how.

[mingoglia]

Originally Posted by galaxee

why? let's be logical here. the car told you to add fuel. you didn't add fuel. then the car died. because there was no fuel.

if you can conclude anything other than that you ran out of gas, i'd like to know how.

For some reason I missed the 5 - 7 miles before he ran out of gas. that sounds about right. Like I said, I pulled into the station shortly after I got to the last pip and I was down to my very last gallon.... in the winter I could probably drive 50 miles on my last pip before the add fuel light came on (flashing pip). Since it's summer there's no play here. When it flashes, it's almost too late to get off the freeway and coast into a fuel station.

I had it happen to me about a month ago (this is for us Phoenix folks). I was driving north on the 101 around lunch time talking to my wife on the hands free. My add fuel showed up on the display and the last pip started flashing. That was passing the Ray exit ramp. I kept going and hit the 202 west. Right after the curve I started running out of fuel (the ramp may have sloshed just enough forward to cause this). I was doing about 80. I slowed down to about 65 before it caught it self and started accelerating again. I quickly got off the Scottsdale Rd exit and hit the fuel station about a mile north of the exit. I never went to battery only mode or had any warning indicators.... I cut it about as close as one could cut it. Now, I fill up on the last pip.... the last couple of tanks have shown I have a solid gallon left in 113 degree weather (maybe it will be even more picky when it hits 118 or higher).

Mike

[mingoglia]

Originally Posted by galaxee

why? let's be logical here. the car told you to add fuel. you didn't add fuel. then the car died. because there was no fuel.

if you can conclude anything other than that you ran out of gas, i'd like to know how.

In his defense if he lived in a colder climate such as the climate you live in he'd be able to go a long way once the add fuel light came on...on any vehicle. In Wisconsin type weather, my Prius will take approximately 7.5 gallons during that time. In our extreme heat it's literally empty.

[galaxee]

we have actually lived full time in nc since the day we bought the prius. not as hot as az, but it does tend to park it in the mid 90s and sometimes hit the 100s for a couple weeks at a time.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by lmurph07

... I have a hard time believing I ran out of fuel.

Looking for guidance on handling the dealership and questioning their conclusions... in other words, being an informed consumer.

If:

• you added fuel
• the car now works satisfactorily
• and nothing else was done to the car

then I would conclude that the dealer was correct in asserting that the root of the problem is that your car was out of fuel.

Many Prius owners have posted that they have run out of fuel; the fuel gauge with justification is referred to as the "guess" gauge. I encourage you to refuel no later than when you see two bars appear on the fuel gauge - unless you again wish to experience the drama associated with an out-of-fuel situation.

[My2008Prius]

Only Once have I gone to EMPTY and have actually had to drive 1/2 mile to the next off-ramp and to the station next to the exit. Never again... that was some 17 tanks ago.... I usually fill up between the blinking pip and two pips.

Though the third tank netted me 51.7 mpg and 457 miles in weather in the upper 70's to the low 80's for early February.