2011 Prius ran out of gas

Yeah - Others of us have done it - accidentally, or trying to push our Prii to the limit! I ran out of gas when my '08 was new on about the second tankful! I'm sure the F-150 that gave me some gas is still snickering. My '08 now has 109K miles, and still no battery problems. If you are still getting odd messages from your lights, I'd see a dealer ASAP - And they'll probably fuss, and say your warranty could be in jeopardy, etc. Just let 'em talk. Ask them to do a reset or whatever it takes, and chalk it up to "experience." The car's too smart for it to have done damage.

BlackBerry 9930 ?

 

Open the hatch, remove the spare tire cover & tray. Next remove the right small panle. This will give u access to the accessory battery. It take a 10mm wrench. Disconnect the 12v neg lead (its the black 1). Wait a min & then re-connect it. Try powering up now. If all went well ur ICE should turn on at which point u can re-tighten the 12v neg lead & cover everything back up

 

Whenever I've gotten that message, it was because I tried to power up the car with the driver's door opened (or cracked open). Are all the doors closed when you've done this?

 

This is why you should fill up at 2 pips! I do not understand why Prii jockeys try to get the last possible drop out of your tank! It just leads, well, to exactly this sort of post!
Just fill at 2 pips, you will NEVER have this problem!

 

only the dealer can determine your fate............but the battery can be tested tho if its damaged beyond repair

 

If you run out of gas:

Do NOT try to run on electric to the gas station. If the HV Battery gets too depleted to start the engine, even the dealer has no battery charger, he has to request it from Regional.

Do NOT try to restart it until you have add 3 gallons. If the computer sees too many "tried to start with no fuel" events, it sets a code and you have to tow it to the dealer.

Me, I get gas when it says to. Twice was enough to learn my lesson.

 

Silly what were you thinking.

 

I thought the gen3 would not move after the gas was gone?

 

It can until the traction battery get too low

 

Try the disconnect/reconnect of 12 volt as described above, AND add more gas, at least 2 more gallons, to the 1 gallon already put in. Hopefully that'll solve it. If not, hie the to the dealership, to see what they say. In future, well, you know...

 

Perhaps you know the answer to a question I've wondered about when the gas gauge starts blinking. I would normally think I don't have much further to go before I run out of gas, so I consider the blinking light an emergency situation (it doesn't happen often).

Last night I filled the tank when at the blinking light level. The tank took 9.3 gallons to fill up. I know that the capacity of the tank is 11.9 gallons. Simple math tells me that there were still about 2.5 gallons in the tank when it was being recorded as empty. If I take a conservative guess as to how many more miles I could go with that 2.5 gallons by assuming 40 mph (Prius III 2011), it would appear to give me 100 miles more.

Is this correct? Does the blinking light, or even one bar, give you a comfort level that you need not worry about rushing off to the nearest gas station?

Thanks.

Jeff

 

My comfort level is to fill up any time the gas gauge is below half and I'm passing my station brand. Works a charm.

 

Best quantitative answer is in the first post of this long thread:
[WARNING] Running out of gas (Gen III)

 

This is how I feel too. I've never understood why so many Prius owners want to run the tank down to fumes, what does that prove? I always laugh to myself when I see someone putting gas in a car on the side of the road. Do people feel weird for filling up when the tank is at 1/3 or 1/4 of a tank? It's not good for the fuel pump to run the tank down to fumes either. I always fill up at between 2-4 bars if I'm driving by a station that I use. To all drivers everywhere ....... fill up when you are at 1/4 tank!!!! Don't be an idiot, fill up more often and save yourself any aggravation.

 

In my case, curiosity. Knowing how it works, I have more options for when and where to fill-up. Given there can be significant gasoline price differences so over the years, it often saves a dollar or more every 2-3 weeks. It also lets me decide if I can defer a fill-up to meet schedule or need to take time to top off. This also means driving after midnight when open gas stations can be far between, I can again make informed choices.

Bob Wilson

 

Bob, that is a reason to Run out of gas ONCE. Not to drive to fumes each tank.

 

• 2.1 gallons remain after 'Flash'
• Reset tripmeter and use miles/MPG to figure out how much remains
• My bingo limit is 0.5 gallons

Bob Wilson

 

It seems to be that the cheaper your petrol, the more likely you are to run out.

I also notice the last few posters suggesting filling up at 1/4 tank are Canadians. Quite sensible.

 

no sense of adventure. unless they're wearing skates.