Have a 2005 prius. I live in Nebraska and its cold so I don't know if the weather is to blame here some. When I fill up the tank I can drive 2 miles and then 1 bar drops off and is short. Usually I can go 70-80 miles before the 1st bar is gone. Anyone know why this is ???? It's annoying me. I fill it up and it is always 1 bar short. Pelease help !! Fuel sensor ? Have tried to google it and not much luck
Yes in the summer you can fill-up more, and the first pip can last up to 150 miles at 50 MPG. In the winter you can only get say 7 gallons in there, and the first pip does not last long. so you get fewer miles per tank easily as low as 300 miles/tank in winter, whereas in summer you can approach 500 miles on a good day. The traditional explanation is the the Gen2 flexible bladder gas tank does not expand as much in winter, but I theorize something else also going on with vapor pressure of the winter fuel. The good news is the flexible bladder tank emits little if any fumes upon fill-up, so that's the purpose, hope that eco-goodness makes you feel a little better about it.
oh yah, its annoying as hell and you suspect you're getting about 20mpg when in reality its the fuel system
Yes, your situation is normal. In very cold weather there are times when the gas gauge will not even register as full, instead stopping one bar short of full. Gas mileage does go down in the winter but the quick drop of the first bar is most likely due to the fuel system, as wjtracy points out, and not a large drop-off in mpg. Gas gauge | PriusChat
