Other Fuel System Tank Assembly problems of the 2006 Toyota Prius

Ran out of gas with indicator light reading approximately 1/4 tank remaining.

The Prius was being driven up a hill when it suddenly stalled and the gasoline engine died. It was very difficult to safely move the vehicle out of traffic, since the electric mode was not capable of moving the vehicle forward up the hill. The vehicle's fuel meter on the dash displayed 3 bars remaining (indicating there should have been over 1/4 tank of fuel remaining). The vehicle was towed to a Toyota dealer, who said a software reload and cleaning the throttle bottle fixed it. A little over a week later, the vehicle was being driven on interstate, and the driver was passing a semi-trailer. While in the passing lane, the vehicle stalled again, and caused great danger as it had very little eletric power to limp to safety. The gas engine would not run or start again, with the exact same symptoms as before. Again the fuel meter showed 3 bars remaining. However, it was found that it took over 11 gallons of gasoline to then fill the tank, and the total tank capacity is in the 11 gallon range. A search of the internet resulted in other similar complaints, with one entry citing a Toyota technical manual that included the statement regarding the fuel gauge, "the inclinometer must be reset if the customer complains that they can only pump a few gallons of gas into their tank or that they run out of gas with three or four bars left on the fuel meter. " it is very concerning & frustrating that Toyota apparently is aware that their vehicles can run out of gas unexpectedly due to a faulty fuel gauge, and it can place the operator and passengers in great danger. I have contacted the Toyota dealer about the expensive repair bill ($300) that did nothing to address the cause of the problem. They are willing to look at the car again, now that they understand it is likely a bad fuel gauge system, but this is a very dangerous situation that Toyota has apparently known about.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning. The contact discovered that the vehicle was out of fuel although the fuel gauge indicated that 1/4 tank of fuel was in the fuel tank. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that a faulty fuel bladder caused a false fuel gauge reading. The computer was reset, but the vehicle continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.