Sunday, January 29, 2012

What happens when a Toyota Prius runs out of gas?

Okay, first things first.



My girlfriends' mom/dad seem to think that if they ever run out of gas in their 2007 Toyota Prius (hybrid) that the car's engine or some part of the car will "blow up". Now I don't think this is quite the case and I've tried some mild research with inadequate results.



Does anyone know of anything like this ever happening, or is this just a myth.What happens when a Toyota Prius runs out of gas?Just another myth conception.



When you run out of gas in the Prius, all that happens is that you get an array of warning lights on the dash. You can still drive a short distance on electric power but don't count on more than half a mile or so (this distance will vary by the amount of charge in the battery, speed, and terrain). Put more gas in and the lights will go out. Some Yahoo group members have run out dozens of times on purpose (for testing).



The manual indicates it's possible to run the traction battery down so far that you won't be able to start the Prius and will need to have the traction battery charged. However, Prius group members who've run theirs really far when out of gas indicate that the Prius shuts down before then, so perhaps it's only the earlier years this applies to. If you shut it off while there are still two bars on the battery icon, you'll never have to worry.



As in most modern cars, the fuel pump is located in the gas tank and is cooled by the gas so running out of gas won't be that good for the fuel pump. I've never heard of anyone actually having to replace one due to running out of gas.



In 80,000 miles on a 2001 and 104,000 miles on a 2004 my wife and I have yet to run out. Just fill as soon as you see the "Add Fuel" light and the blinking fuel gauge bar. If it's cold out or you are in an unfamiliar area, then fill when there is one or two bars left but before it starts blinking. This is really no different than what you would do in any vehicle.What happens when a Toyota Prius runs out of gas?
I ran out of gas on a Michigan Interstate. We were on two bars at a rest stop about ten miles before, and suddenly the lights came on and the car slowed down. I was able to run on electric to the next exit and, per the manual had it towed to the local Toyota dealer 45 miles away. Expensive trip.

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What happens when a Toyota Prius runs out of gas?This was a on a Saturday Night and had to wait until Monday to find out all it needed was gas. The manual said if the Hybrid system light comes on, immediately have it towed to a dealer. Long story short, it would have been nice to know that adding gas resets the system.

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What happens when a Toyota Prius runs out of gas?
I've only run out once, the car shut down, reasonably gracefully, allowing me to pull over and stop, but the electric motor would not run. I was able to stop, shut down, start up again, put it in EV mode and run a very short distance. I was fortunate enough to be on a downhill slope with fuel at the bottom. I took a couple of tries, but soon was rolling, generating power enough to keep the hybrid system happy enough not to notice the lack of fuel. Filled up and away.

The hybrid control system does everything it can to protect the main battery and will do it's very best not to let you run it down too low to start.

It won't do any great harm, but don't rely on the electric mode to get you out of trouble.What happens when a Toyota Prius runs out of gas?If the battery is discharged, it stops like any other car that runs out of gas. If the battery has a bit left in it, it may be able to proceed at slow speed to the next station to refuel.What happens when a Toyota Prius runs out of gas?
umm if it runs out of gas it runs out of gas....thats it. sounds like your gf parents are just the retarded snooty type to be driving in the damn thing
it stops moving

if you want a real hybrid get a Fusion better gas mileage and it does not look nerdy

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