Fuel gauge

[Nuisance]

Tried searching for this but the search facility seems to enjoy giving either/or options, rather than specifics...

 

Hi, I have a 2003 Yaris which was bought recently as an 'about town runabout'.  My problem is that the fuel gauge does not appear to work like every other car I have ever driven/owned!  

Is it usual for a Toyota fuel gauge to show, for example, half full at about the 230 mile mark yet be showing empty (the last, lowest marker on the gauge, flashing urgently) just under 100 miles later?  
I didn't notice this at first, then thought I was imagining it and now I am rather angry and not a little disturbed that something that I thought I could rely on is just not fit for purpose. 

Nothing seems to be in the owners manual about it (the car didn't come with one and, like the absent parcel shelf, appears to be one of those things that used car owners have to track down themselves) and, while I haven't spoken to another Yaris owner (or former owner) yet, the chance that the gauge doesn't actually indicate the amount of fuel contained in the tank seems very strange to most other drivers I've asked - is this normal or have I just communicated with the wrong sort of drivers?  

[FROSTYBALLS]

On some Toyotas which have a bar type fuel gauge the gauge doesn't operate in a linear way. Which means that when full, the bars extinguish slowly and as the tank empties, the bars extinguish more quickly. My last two Auris and my current Aygo have the same system, which one soon gets used to.

As regards the low fuel light, Toyota tend to allow a high reserve when the low fuel light comes on.

If you have a range display, you may find it easier to use this in conjunction with the fuel gauge.

Also, bear in mind that if one fills up by less than 15 litres, this can give false range readings.

[Jonmartin]

The Auris, I recently owned, had a fuel gauge that would take at least 100+ miles before the needle even moved. Once it did start to move it would plummet towards empty, as if there was a hole in the tank. I got into the habit of ALWAYS having the display show fuel range, which was fairly accurate.

[Nuisance]

Hi, and thanks for your replies.

I believe that the lower bars on the gauge go out quicker the closer the tank gets to empty; in fact I think the last time the tank got that empty the second last bar was the uppermost for maybe 10-15 miles before I stopped, and when I restarted it was to find the lowest bar lit up and flashing at me.  While it might be easy to get used to for some, for those of us with another car that does things the logical way it is a right royal pain in the posterior (the other half cannot get her head around the concept and just insists that the thing is broken).

I have no problem with the flashing bar indicating that the car is running out of fuel; it just makes me fill up, although it does distract me more than a constant orange light doing the same job would. 

I have no range display – knowing that I will get around 340 miles from a tank and the flashing fuel gauge bar (see above) do the job in that respect. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

We've run two cars for years. Since 2006 one of these have been a Toyota (Corolla, two Auris and an Aygo), and three of these have had the non-linear type fuel gauge. Never had an issue swapping between the Toyota and other marque, and reading the fuel gauges.