Low fuel warning display on 2023 Yaris

[ISL]

After driving the new Yaris for a couple of weeks now I have noticed when it  gets low on fuel it just displays the message “Fuel low” . All general display functions stop working. Is there a way of restoring the display functions while in “fuel low” mode. This message does induce a bit of panic, so I do refuel quite quickly, however soon realise the tank still has around 8 litres (around 120 miles). Each time I am putting in around 28 litres for 400 miles of driving. On my previous car with a 72litre tank I could get 1000 miles, so quite hard getting used to refuelling so quickly.

Just wondering if anyone else is having a similar experience and whether there is a way to restore the central display showing “Fuel low”. Incidentally just before the warning, the display states around 30 miles until empty, although you have no idea after that.

[Cyker]

I haven't seen that message much as my range anxiety makes me refuel when I hit a quarter tank (Which usually leaves nearly 100 miles range ).

You can press the Back button (The sort of U-shaped arrow) on the steering wheel to clear most messages like that, but they come back after a while.

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

The low fuel warning will come on when the reserve is reached - in common with other Toyotas.

Running out of fuel in a Toyota hybrid is expensive to resolve - so you don't want to do that.

[anchorman]

10 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The low fuel warning will come on when the reserve is reached - in common with other Toyotas.

Running out of fuel in a Toyota hybrid is expensive to resolve - so you don't want to do that.

Tell me more….

[forkingabout]

1 minute ago, anchorman said:

Tell me more….

Work colleague ran his Auris hybrid company vehicle out of fuel & continued on driving.

Ended up on the back of a recovery wagon to the Toyota dealer & an expensive repair bill to reset the hybrid system that the leasing company happily passed back to the work colleague to pay as it was 100% operator error. 

[anchorman]

5 minutes ago, forkingabout said:

Work colleague ran his Auris hybrid company vehicle out of fuel & continued on driving.

Ended up on the back of a recovery wagon to the Toyota dealer & an expensive repair bill to reset the hybrid system that the leasing company happily passed back to the work colleague to pay as it was 100% operator error. 

Is that because it ran out of fuel and depleted the HV Battery?

[Cyker]

I suspect so - The one downside of the HSD is if you actually run out of fuel and then the traction Battery runs out too, the ICE can't be started, so it can't charge the traction Battery, so the engine can't be started etc. and it has to go to the dealer and wait for one of the Magical Toyota HV Battery Chargers to come from whence they are stored to charge the battery back up.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that in the newer ones, if the car runs out of fuel it will just stop, even if there is charge in the traction battery, and won't run until fuel has been added, although I don't know if something needs to be reset as well to make it work or if just adding fuel will make it work.

This is something I've yet to experience first hand so I could be totally wrong. TBH I'd be happy to remain in ignorance in this case  

[ISL]

When the warning comes up there appears to be around 8 litres of fuel left so plenty of warning to refuel, but that does mean only 28 litres of useful fuel to play with, but 400 miles range which is still better than most EVs. Love the thought of an EV but being a high mileage driver you would need to allow lots of extra time on your journeys for charging. Also Hybrid Yaris costing around 10p per mile is similar cost to EV without all the hassle.

[Roy124]

"Magical Toyota HV Battery Chargers" 

I like it. 

After a misfuelling incident, I managed a 15 mile drive home, Green Flag brought their special truck and drained both tanks of petrol before refuelling the car with 5l of diesel. 

Can't praise GF enough as AA/RAC both charge I believe. 

[RobertR]

100miles range to get the fuel is enough. More than enough. Just go to the pump when your reserve told you so. Putting 27L to yaris tank is matter of one minute.

[Jimota]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

I haven't seen that message much as my range anxiety makes me refuel when I hit a quarter tank (Which usually leaves nearly 100 miles range ).

You can press the Back button (The sort of U-shaped arrow) on the steering wheel to clear most messages like that, but they come back after a while.

 

Completely agree with your point of view Cyker.  I have a deep mistrust of manual and electronic fuel gauge read outs and always have a belt and braces approach to refuelling.  From personal experience, when I had a nice part time job picking up cars that had come to the end of their contract hire, I drove a a car from Carlisle to the south of Glasgow which had an indicated 150 miles range.  My final destination was only 94 miles, but, surprise, surprise, I ran out of fuel 20 miles short of that location.  It was the middle of winter, dark and quite remote.  Scary thing was that on separate occasions, despite having hazard warning lights in operation, two HGVs came thundering up the hard shoulder of the M74 and nearly crashed into the rear of the car while I sheepishly took cover behind the crash barriers.  From that day, I always filled up with sufficient fuel to cover my return journey but the bean counters at my company soon put a stop to that.  As a rule, I don’t like to let my fuel tank to go into reserve and always err on the side of safety.

[Roy124]

12 minutes ago, RobertR said:

100miles range to get the fuel is enough. More than enough. Just go to the pump when your reserve told you so.

With an assured range of 100 miles no problem.  With my MyT 19 Corolla with about 60 miles to go the speed display switched to Low Fuel and the anxiety switch flipped. You lost the range count and had no idea if it had been to empty or reserve. 

One time in a previous car, the light came on and of petrol stations None.  I was on a new cross country road and it lacked any filling stations for many miles.  One option was to divert into a strange town on a Sunday evening hoping to find a filling station. 

I love the Yaris Cross, 100 miles per quarter tank and range to reserve seems spot on.  I ran it down to 8 miles without the low light. 

I agree with what Jim says but I already know that the max fuel I can put in to the 36l tank is 27l or so. 

As for selling my car, I think my Corolla had enough fuel left to coast down the hill from the dealer's to Sainsbury 😁

[anchorman]

Fuel gauges are only a guide but the float switch is quite accurate.  I had mine warn me a couple of times on the Yaris because I had no intention of leaving a tank of fuel in for trading (it had over quarter in when I took it in).  If you note the mileage when the light comes on (message) then fill it up taking that into account, you can deduct it from 36 to work out what was in with a reasonable amount of accuracy.  That way you don’t need to be anxious.  On a bad day you’ll get 50mpg from it so if you prove the light to be 8 litres it works out to 88 miles.  Now if you go beyond 50 miles you’re playing with fire 🔥 

[ISL]

1 hour ago, RobertR said:

100miles range to get the fuel is enough. More than enough. Just go to the pump when your reserve told you so. Putting 27L to yaris tank is matter of one minute.

I agree 100 miles is enough now that I have worked out the remaining miles.

I’m just used to cars coming up with a warning message but also stating how many miles you have left.

With the Yaris it just comes up “Fuel low”, then it locks the display, so no info on mpg or range. First time it happened I was on the motorway so panicked slightly and set the SATNAV to nearest fuel station which added about 45 minutes to my journey. Even though I now know you have around 100 miles left it is still a bit disconcerting driving with the message staring at you for around 30 miles or so until you can find a convenient fuel station on route.

I guess I’ve been spoilt to having a car with more than double the range which meant I could largely fill up at my favourite local station.

Good training I guess for when I have to go full EV. 🙂

 

[Roy124]

Again, that is exactly how it was with the Corolla.  The gauge was not touching zero then as if all the lights went out.  With my Cross the range to go was 8! but I knew I had that reserve.  I don't know what would have happened after 8.

 

Mint choc? 

[Rhymes with Paris]

A green fishing rod rest marked with orange paint makes a good and accurate fuel gauge/dipstick.

Maybe not on hybrids, but it works just fine on a MK4 zephyr with a defunct sender in the tank.

Many times went to buy cars from private sellers at the banger end of the market, invariably they wanted a good price for the car, but could not be bothered or were too tight to put a fivers worth of petrol in it.

A BMW 520i comes to mind, bought from a professional car valeter, test drive ok , fuel gauge a bit low looking, reassured by the old Lincolnshire saying of "it'll be alright".

It wasn't,it ran out halfway between bassingham and Lincoln in the middle of mushroom farm and there be witches country.

Not quite as bad though as a mk1 cavalier that on its test drive ran out before the end of the sellers drive was reached.

I left that one where it stopped.

 

[GR Weasel]

19 hours ago, Cyker said:

I haven't seen that message much as my range anxiety makes me refuel when I hit a quarter tank (Which usually leaves nearly 100 miles range ).

You can press the Back button (The sort of U-shaped arrow) on the steering wheel to clear most messages like that, but they come back after a while.

 

This. Press the back button. And it will go back to the screen where it says how many miles you have. 

 

I've gotten to 0 before just as I reached a station. But pretty sure there is lots of range left though as it's a 36litre tank and I only ever seem to top out at 28l when refueling. 

[Baytree]

Managed to squeeze 30l into the Yaris Cross at the weekend not too long after the low fuel warning pinged on. Needle was still a tad north of the R on the gauge. Had wondered if the displayed range figure was range to reserve rather than range to empty. Obvs not. 

[anchorman]

That mileage to empty indicator will always predict less than achievable or there’d be cars stopped all over the place.  Additionally it changes as you drive, it has to if your driving style or conditions change.  It’s one of the trip computer toys I always ignore.  

[Roy124]

Colleague I used to drive to work with carried a can of fuel in his boot.  Wise precaution?  No.

His fuel filler pipe was split and he could not use the conventional way.  He poured the fuel directly into the tank.  At least he knew how much was in the tank.

Regarding your BMW520, no way could you probe my E220.  The Green Flag man tried to put the vacuum tube in but no way.  The two tanks were under the read seats.

[Countryside]

Got a Yaris for the day picked it up this morning while my Chr being serviced mot etc taking it back 8am in morning low fuel light was on sales guy said 20 miles in it I put £5 petrol in it low fuel light went off it has now come on again after 8 miles I’m panicking will I make it to Toyota dealer in morning 7 miles away ? How much petrol is in reserve ? My Chr counts down the miles on display doesn’t it do that on a 73 reg Yaris design ? Thankyou for your help in advance 

[ISL]

1 hour ago, Countryside said:

Got a Yaris for the day picked it up this morning while my Chr being serviced mot etc taking it back 8am in morning low fuel light was on sales guy said 20 miles in it I put £5 petrol in it low fuel light went off it has now come on again after 8 miles I’m panicking will I make it to Toyota dealer in morning 7 miles away ? How much petrol is in reserve ? My Chr counts down the miles on display doesn’t it do that on a 73 reg Yaris design ? Thankyou for your help in advance 

I calculated around 8litres of fuel left when the warning light comes on, so plenty of miles left.  For me I guessed around 100 miles if you are averaging around 60mpg.  I do miss those days of sipping fuel, the best I can hope for now in the GR86 is around 34mpg, so panic all round when the fuel light comes on. 😬

[Mojo1010]

Scrolling through the menu on the steering wheel can get the range figure, done minus 30 miles in summer so no problem for 7 miles. About 5.4 litres left when light come on hatchback. 

[Countryside]

Many thanks 

[Gren]

As a new driver many years ago, I was advised to never run the car below 1/4 tank of fuel to avoid any grot/water in the bottom of the fuel tank to be sucked up into the carburettor.