Fuel gauge never moves even when out of gas.

did you buy the car new?

 

Have you heard about "Autobeyours"? They might be able to help you and save you some money. Not far from you unless you think a 85 mile road trip is too far.

Here is a link to their website. They are well respected in the Prius Chat community and have been in business for a while now.

Prius hybrids sales and service Scottsburg Indiana

FWIW, I think you will find in the end the gas tank swap will fix the problem.

Best of luck to you!

 

1. I suggest that you make it a habit to note your odometer reading and buy fuel after 250 miles since you probably are getting tired of running out of fuel and this really is not helpful to your traction battery's longevity, not to mention your peace of mind.
2. When you are ready to fix the car, it is likely that a replacement fuel tank will help because the fuel gauge sender in the tank is probably stuck. As previously suggested, you may be able to purchase a used tank at autobeyours.com and they may be willing to install the tank for you.

 

Things break. That happens. Seeking out advice is good next step. But it does seem odd having waited so long... over 15,000 miles is a lot. How many gallons did it take to refill each time? Have you been estimating capacity using ODO & MPG values? Are you the only driver? Were you the only owner? Did they warn you about the damage that can be caused to both tank & battery from continuing to drive after having run out of gas?

 

One other thing to consider is that you can't simply replace the sending unit that is inside the tank on the Prius. The North American Gen II Prius has a sealed tank with the parts inside virtually non serviceable. This includes the fuel pump, fuel filter and several other items enclosed in a sealed compartment.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is what it is. That is why I said what I said about the swap of the tank fixing the problem. I understand the concern that is held since the dealer did not/would not/could not fix the problem. Sometimes the dealers are reluctant to use common sense. They tend to rely on specific codes and work flow procedures whereas an independent at times will use both the code/workflow process as well as common sense.

Take a few minutes and read thru what galaxee posted here on Prius Chat a few years ago. This should give you a better understanding of the system and possibly clarify why it has been recommended to swap the tank.

the gas bladder: exposed! | PriusChat

Hope this helps you brkpoint!

 

Total and complete BS.
Not everything that goes wrong with a car "sets a code".

For a "real" mechanic, it should be a fairly simple process to check the fuel gauge sender
to see if it is not working......since that probably is the cause.

I suggest that you contact the warranty help line for Toyota AND contact your local States Attorney's office to see what your state does to help with warranty problems.......and tell your dealer and Toyota that you are going to contact them.

I hope you have kept all of the service receipts that show this has been an ongoing problem.
If not, you are screwed warranty wise and contacting an independent shop might be your
best alternative.

 

The fuel sender and fuel tank probably were covered under the 36 month comprehensive warranty, or best case, the Federal emissions warranty, and both had expired prior to 86K miles.

 

Some people just never ask the right questions.......including ME at times.

If he really had some kind of bumper-to-bumper warranty that went to 100K, then the dealer is screwing him over.

If he just had the standard warranty, he might be way beyond coverage for the gas tank and associated parts.

And IF the $733 tank price included the labor to install it, he probably should have taken the $200 coupon and just been done with it.

A used tank might be an option but that's a gamble too.

Since when does any odometer automatically reset when you fill up with gas ??
I've never seen one that does that.
The MPG calculation resets but not the trip ODO.

So......it seems pretty obvious that this person is NOT going to be able to revise his "routine" to deal with the
absence of a gas gauge so he just needs to bite the bullet and get it fixed........or just learn to live with his own
shortcoming of not being able to deal with manually tracking his gas usage.

 

I had a similair problem on my 2006 at about 75K miles. My dealer did the re-calibration of the fuel gauge and told me to run SeaFoam through two tanks of fuel and I have not had a problem since (now 155K). There are instructions on the forum on how to run the calibration yourself without Techstream. I always assumed the Sea Foam additive was to help dislodge any residue in the tank. :: Could running the fuel gauge calibration help ? or prove that the sending unit is bad ? ( I personally like to be convinced of something before parting ways with $500 +).

 

The MPG calc. stopped resetting because the fuel sensor never reports that you put any gas in.

And I may be wrong but I don't think anybody EVER offered a 100K BtB warranty......as standard equipment, that is. The 100K warranties are typically for the "drive train" only.