NHTSA Complaint #10726406 — 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS

THE GAS TANK DESIGN TOYOTA PRIUS FROM AT LEAST 2007 AND UNTIL 2010, CONTAINS NO ACTUAL FUEL GAUGE. IN THE NORTHERN STATES WITH SEVERE WINTERS THIS RESULTS IN OWNERS FREQUENTLY RUNNING OUT OF GAS WHEN THEY THINK THEY STILL HAVE AMPLE FUEL AS SHOWN BY MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FOUND ON THE INTERNET, AND FOR US ON A TRIP IN FEBRUARY TO MARCH 2015 WE WERE IN SERIOUS FEAR OF RUNNING OUT OF GAS WHEN IN FACT IF THE SPECIFICATION FOR CAPACITY HAS ANY MEANING WE STILL HAD OVER 4 GALLONS OF FUEL. WE GOT SO WORRIED, WE STOPPED AT A BROTHEL IN NEVADA SO MY WIFE COULD ASK HOW FAR TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION. WHEN WE GOT TO THE GAS STATION THE FUEL PUMP INDICATOR WAS EVEN BLINKING TO INDICATE WE WERE IN DANGER OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL, YET THE CAR FILLED UP WITH ONLY 65% OF ITS RATED FUEL CAPACITY. RUNNING OUT OF GAS UNEXPECTEDLY IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS IN THE TOYOTA PRIUS BECAUSE SO MUCH DEPENDS ON ELECTRICITY INCLUDING THE STEERING TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE IT CANNOT HAPPEN WHEN THE BATTERY IS ALREADY AT MAXIMUM DEPLETION OR THE MAIN BATTERY ITSELF HAS FAILED BUT NOT YET BEEN REPLACED IN WHICH CASE THE CAR IS TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON CONTINUOUS FUEL FLOW. IT CERTAINLY CAME AS A SHOCK TO ME TO LEARN THAT WHAT IS DISPLAYED IS NO BETTER THAN A GROSSLY INACCURATE ESTIMATE OF REMAINING FUEL, OR ABOUT TO RUN OUT FUEL LEVEL. TOYOTA SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL ALL OF THESE VEHICLES FOR FUEL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT IN THE INTERESTS OF SAFETY AND KEEPING PEOPLE FROM BEING KILLED FOR RUNNING OUT OF GAS AT THE WRONG TIME AND STOPPING DEAD ON THE HIGHWAY. AS THESE CARS AGE, THEY BECOME MORE DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY WILL BE DRIVEN WITH A BYPASS OF A DEFECTIVE MAIN BATTERY, BUT EPA REGULATIONS PREVENTING ALTERATION OF ANYTHING EMISSIONS RELATED WILL MAKE THESE CARS ROAD HAZARDS ACROSS THE NATION IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT DEALT WITH.