Gas unexpectedly ran out!

[40oz]

Okay my mom car just stopped in the middle of the freeway today and she had 2 bars on the fuel guage.

I know the common problem of 2 bars going to a blinking one but today was different. The guage never went blinking. The fuel guage just sat at 2 solid bars and it ran out of gas.

First I didn't think the problem was the gas because with the key in the on position the fuel guage still read 2 bars of gas. I got those 1 gallon containers and filled her up and it started.

Anyone have had this problem?

[40oz]

Originally Posted by PK198105

use your odometer as backup. I know that when i hit 520km I have about 70km left on the tank going 120km/h.

as to your original question i did run out of gas, but not because my gauge malfunctioned. Do you find it is doing it often? Or is it the first time>

first time this happened. plus its my mom who drives the yaris and I don't think she will pay too much attention to the odo, being busy that she is.

[nemelek]

I have not, but I never really the gas guage.

[SailDesign]

Running out of gas is like the Spanish Inquisition - nobody "expects" it....

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Running out of gas is like the Spanish Inquisition - nobody "expects" it....

Especially when the gas gauge is still showing a ¼ of a tank's worth of gas left!

But you are correct when it comes to the Spanish Inquisition!





Cheers! M2

[jambo101]

Did the engine actually stop running or did it just drop to idle ?s my car did appear to run out of gas a few years ago but in actuality it went to idle and ultimately had a new throttle position sensor installed.

[40oz]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Did the engine actually stop running or did it just drop to idle ?s my car did appear to run out of gas a few years ago but in actuality it went to idle and ultimately had a new throttle position sensor installed.

Well what my mom told me is that it completely shut down. She tried to start it after the car shut down but it wouldn't. After getting the car towed home and putting in 1 gallon of gas it started right up.

I see this isn't a common problem and may just wait untill it happens again. My mom called the dealership and they said to just bring it in. The dealership is like 35 miles away and we might just wait untill it happens but hoping that it was just a fluke.

Well that's what I'm thinking. You guys think its serious enough to get it checked out? What if the dealership finds nothing wrong with the car? The car is fairly new, 2010 model.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by 40oz

Okay my mom car just stopped in the middle of the freeway today and she had 2 bars on the fuel guage.

I know the common problem of 2 bars going to a blinking one but today was different. The guage never went blinking. The fuel guage just sat at 2 solid bars and it ran out of gas.

First I didn't think the problem was the gas because with the key in the on position the fuel guage still read 2 bars of gas. I got those 1 gallon containers and filled her up and it started.

Anyone have had this problem?

Pretty sure no one else has ran into this problem. People have run out of gas but that was the result of stretching a fast blinking bar. Also, going from 2 bars to a blinking bar is not a "common problem", but rather what it is supposed to do. There's no solid single bar in between.

[teddy]

Originally Posted by PK198105

use your odometer as backup. I know that when i hit 520km I have about 70km left on the tank going 120km/h.

That doesn't work if you aren't consistent in how, when, and where you drive the car.
My wife and I have different driving styles, sometimes she drives more than I do or vise-versa. Neither of us use the car on a regular basis to commute to work, the car is 90% for recreational use. Sometimes it's highway driving, others it'll be weeks of nothing but shopping in cold weather.

[bronsin]

Hmm. It never ceases to amaze me that people regularly drive with, not only less than half a tank of gas, but even less than that. They seem to be mesmerized by technology that gives them the "blinking gas gauge" to tell them when they are "about" to run out of gas. That this "technology" might all be less than reliable never seems to occur to them. That there might be an emergency and difficulty in obtaining a full tank they have no clue.

Running out of gas on the highway is just bound to happen at some point. Cover your ass!

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by 40oz

first time this happened. plus its my mom who drives the yaris and I don't think she will pay too much attention to the odo, being busy that she is.

It would be a good idea to monitor the odometer. You can calculate how much gas is remaining as well as calculate your MPG. I would be concerned if someone was driving without occasionally checking the dashboard from time to time.

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by 40oz

first time this happened. plus its my mom who drives the yaris and I don't think she will pay too much attention to the odo, being busy that she is.

You're giving busy women a bad name. Tell her she can't borrow your car anymore (if it is yours), until she starts checking the instrument panel now and then. What if she drove it for awhile with the red coolant light on? Maybe put the cell phone down for awhile?

I glance at my instrument panel about once every 5 minutes. I'm busy and I still find time to do that.

[sickpuppy1]

Originally Posted by DebbyM46227

You're giving busy women a bad name. Tell her she can't borrow your car anymore (if it is yours), until she starts checking the instrument panel now and then. What if she drove it for awhile with the red coolant light on? Maybe put the cell phone down for awhile?

I glance at my instrument panel about once every 5 minutes. I'm busy and I still find time to do that.

I think he was saying she doesnt look at the odometer too much. Which is kinda normal I would think. Looking at the speedo, ok,but not reading the odometer. And yes I would reset the tripmeter every time she gets gas. good habit
I actually use trip A for gas, and Trip B for oil changes. lol, I use my main odometer if I go on a trip,lol

[teddy]

You folks suggesting that she keep an eye in the instrument panel are skipping over my post still. Between fill ups with our driving can vary quite a bit - anywhere from 400-600km a tank.

What good does keeping an eye on the odometer do if you expect to get 600km to a tank but it ends up being only 400?

[40oz]

thanks guys/gals for giving me good tips but however, I just wanted to know if the problem that I came upon happened to anyone else.

I mean yea sure its good to check the odometer and use the TRIP meters to see how far you went. The numbers don't lie thats for sure. BUT... that doesn't mean its okay for the gas to run out at 2 solid bars.

I just checked this forum to see if anyone else had this problem and wanted to know what they did with it, if they had this problem. IT looks like no one had this problem so I'm going to wait it out and see if it happens again.

If it does happen again I'm going to the dealership if not then I won't.

edit.

For those curious whose yaris this is, its my moms. Last year I was looking to buy a yaris myself because i was getting bad mpg from my 240sx along with other small problems. My moms 96 caddilac had worse mpg and started to have transmission problems and other problems here and there; burns engine oil fast,tranny problems, powersteering... So I helped her buy a yaris.

For who drives it, its her car she drives it most of the time but I get my share driving the car as well. She doesn't drive it after 4pm so I take it out when needed.

So far the yaris rocks. Great gas, quiet, and very well mannered on the road. The ride quality almost feels luxury compared to my 90 240sx. Very great commuter car.

[why?]

Originally Posted by teddy

You folks suggesting that she keep an eye in the instrument panel are skipping over my post still. Between fill ups with our driving can vary quite a bit - anywhere from 400-600km a tank.

What good does keeping an eye on the odometer do if you expect to get 600km to a tank but it ends up being only 400?

um, how about never allowing the car to go over 400km on a tank? Just to be safe.

There is plenty of evidence on these forums that the Yaris gas guage is anything but accurate or consistent. Relying on it is just asking for trouble.

[sickpuppy1]

Yeah, but what he said kinda bugged me a bit. Well, not what he said, but what happened,lol. If it hit two bars and ran out of gas later without blinking, that sucks. I mean if my old style gauge says I got a quarter tank and I run out, I'm pissed! You get the idea. And "if it happens again" ......well that means running out of gas again......Not the end of the world, granted. But Murphys law says she'll be in the middle lane in stop and go traffic,lol I think I'd fuel it shortly after it hits 2 bars and see how much it takes, try to get some feel for what its telling you. Is this still under mfg warranty period?

And why is right, instead of pressing the luck too far,juel it abit early. I've always heard you are more prone to condensation in the tank when it gets too low anyways.

[mikethecynic]

The exact same thing happened to me. I was driving down the road in my 2008 manual Transmission Yaris when the engine just stopped. no warning lites or anything. It had two bars on the fuel gauge, when a friend of mine brought me some gas. I didn't believe I ran out of gas until I got to the gas station and it took ten and a half gallons to fill it. Next I'm going to fill it up right when it gets to two bars to see if it's empty or not. Very perplexing!