6 weeks old and already towed

are you sure your husband didn't run out of gas? i've run out of gas twice the 1st year of owning the prius. everyone knows the prius has an 11.9 gas tank, and when you're averaging over 50mpg that doesn't mean you can go 600 miles. the prius fuel gauge has 10 bars, I think each bar pretty much represents 1 gallon, when the last bar starts blinking you have 1.9 gallons left. However, that doesn't mean you can go another 95 miles, I would add gas as soon as possible because I think the prius is unable to access the final 1 gallon in the tank. Also, regarding the screen that displays your mpg and mileage this tank, i think the mpg calculator is wrong and you are actually using more fuel than you think.

since we're on the topic of gas, let me just give you a quick hint of what type of gas to buy. The best gas is Chevron as it will increase your mpg +2, if Chevron is not avail always buy Shell which will increase your mpg by +1. Never buy cheap no-name gas for any car unless it is a rental or lease

Lastly, don't feel bad if your mpg isn't where you expect, the only people that get over 60mpg are the people that use the pulse & glide method which is very damaging to the engine, and other methods like tailgating semis is dangerous. You will re-learn how to drive a hybrid slowly over time. I got 45mpg my 1st month and it went up 1mpg each month until I finally reached 50mpg. I'm also getting 35mpg in this frigid winter, this is because batteries have less capacitance in cold weather and the engine is never operating at its optimum temperature.

so hopefully your husband just ran out of gas, but if not, at least you're still under warranty.

 

6 weeks it may have run out of petrol by now.
They do need petrol sometimes, it isn't a magic electric car.
Sorry my idea of a joke because a disproportionate number of Prius owners run out of petrol.

Trouble with the Prius is very rare which is why so many people love their Prius. Hope you get to the bottom of it soon and get to enjoy the years of happy Toyota driving in your future.

 

hope you find what the trouble is and post it here

 

Old habits die hard.

New owners have clearly (more like overwhelmingly) been disappointed with the driving range of traditional vehicles. So they got in the habit of driving until the tank was almost bone dry. That's a bad idea for any vehicle, but even more so with an emission bladder in the tank... like Prius has.
.

 

Getting 60 MPG is easy. Pump tire pressure at 44/42 and drive at 55 MPH in warm weather.

Safely following a truck bumps the MPG to 70-80 MPG region at 50+ MPH speed. I do not consider it dangerous as the distance ahead is the same as following any other vehicle.

 

not true, i've tested both by actual usage and the mfd reading and found them close enough

not true either as well as chevron and shell importing most of their oil from the middle east

also total BS

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble. Symptoms do sound almost exactly like what happens when you run out of gas. Its not as simple to figure out as you would think, as the errors are very non-specific and the car can keep moving on electric power. It would be nice if a big message came on and said "You're out of gas!" Please make sure and post back whether it was that or something else. Either way, he probably did the right thing. You can get into pretty serious trouble trying to drive too far after running out of gas.

I'd like to see your data on this. My impression has always been that there is a lot more variation station to station based on the tanks in the ground than there is between brands. My WRX is very sensitive to quality of gas. When I fill up at the local Shell it runs rough and stutters, when I buy ARCO (which many claim is awful) it runs smooth and strong.

This pretty much seems like BS on almost all counts, but I guess we'll disuss that in the other thread as it really didn't have anything to do with the original post

I don't believe anyone here has ever advocated tailgating, when people discuss drafting they mean at a safe/legal distance. People have been using P&G technique on Prius for many years (don't forget they've actually been around since 1997). I've never heard of any evidence of it doing any harm.

Rob

 

Why do people join PC, make their first post a crisis post, without crucial details, I might add, and then never seem to post again?

 

Tell your statistician husband that there is no simple math when it comes to the Prius gas tank, as you never really know the tank capacity. When the gas gauge tells you to get gas, get gas. Otherwise you have plenty of time to review your calculations while you sit on the side of the road.

Tom

 

Ha, I called it, out of gas, who's the man? that's right, don't feel bad, your husband probably had at least 1 gallon of gas left in the tank, for some reason the prius just can't "access" that final gallon, don't ask me why, just add gas when the light starts blinking, for me it only adds 9.6 or 9.7 gallons, so you'll never go 600 miles, but who cares, at least you can still get 50+ mpg with gentle driving.

U.S. produces 8 million barrels per day from Texas, Oklahoma & Alaska, we get the other 12+ million barrels from the Middle East, but regardless of where the gas comes from, different oil companies put different additives when they sell oil, that's why gas costs a little more at Chevron, Shell, Mobil & BP, these are higher quality gas. Stay away from everyone else, I give you my word the extra 3 cents per gallon is worth it.

In a topic of irony, when our oil production peaked a half century ago we were producing 12 million barrels per day and only used half that so we were actually the world's largest exporter of oil. how the tables have turned on us . . .

 

The U.S. version of the Prius contains a fuel tank bladder that fills up the empty space in the tank. The bladder expands and contracts with fuel use, so that minimizes air in the tank, which reduces evaporation. The bladder accounts for most of the difference between the advertised 11.9 gallons and the actual 10 gallons or so of usable fuel.

Tom

 

Huh?

 

cecilkitten, this is why it is known as the "Guess Gauge". If you live in a cool climate block your grill. Increasing the tp will also help fuel economy. Simply rule of thumb: 2 pips think about buying gas. 1 pip buy gas. Flashing pip BUY GAS NOW.

Relax & enjoy the car.

 

cecilkitten

don't let them get you down, don't feel down... on my first Prius we in the field knew more than the people working on the cars... yes, way back then, when I had a 2002 Prius.

There have been quite a bunch that have run out of gas with the "guess gage"

for a quick overview go out to johns site: John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more

a good place to start when you don't have much time

OH, and enjoy your PRIUS...

 

cecilkitten-
Please post a reply to this question.

Was you husband going up a long gradual hill when he ran out of gas sooner than he thought he should? I think you lose access to about a gallon of gas when driving uphill and if it is a long grade you will run the fuel lines empty with gas still in the tank.

 

When the last pip flashes it means that running out of gas may be imminent. Nobody can be certain how much range remains at that point; it is foolish to continue driving without buying gas.

And who is the "resident witch"? All of the apparently-female regulars here seem to be a pretty even-tempered (and well-informed) bunch.

 

I dare say the Resident Witch is Rae Vynn... at least, according to her title