Rx400 Out Of Gas

[jerryray]

What would happen should a 400 runs out of gas?

Of course we would never let that happen, but what if??

[RX400h]

What would happen should a 400 runs out of gas?

Of course we would never let that happen, but what if??

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I think there was a blurb about this in the manual. Essentually, if you run out of gas, you either call the roadside assistance number or walk to the gas station. You won't be able to run on electric power alone if the gas tank is empty.

[gtfrench]

My dealer called me specifically to let me know that if you run out of gas the car will only let you try starting it three times before it is disabled. You can add gas and then it should start, but if it is disabled (you attempted to start it three times while empty) the dealer will need to get involved. My reaction was ... Yikes, I'm never letting it get below 1/4 tank! My dealer is 90 miles away.

[PizzaTurtle]

My dealer called me specifically to let me know that if you run out of gas the car will only let you try starting it three times before it is disabled.  You can add gas and then it should start, but if it is disabled (you attempted to start it three times while empty) the dealer will need to get involved.  My reaction was ... Yikes, I'm never letting it get below 1/4 tank!  My dealer is 90 miles away.

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Just wondering, does the "disable" feature apply to RX330 as well?

[Unlisted]

if you try and start the car 3 times w/ out gas it will disable the hybrid system. That can only be reactivated at the dealer. The car should never be towed as well. Only flat bedded. The car has a 3.5 gallon reserve tank. So if you let it get to 0 you will still have over 60 miles in reserve gas.The RX has the reserve tank but no similiar feature

[McGowan]

The car has a 3.5 gallon reserve tank. So if you let it get to 0 you will still have over 60 miles in reserve gas.

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I don't believe there is a mileage countdown, only a reserve light. With all the computer power on this car, that seems odd to me.

[dreamchaserflorida]

What would happen should a 400 runs out of gas?

Of course we would never let that happen, but what if??

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My salesman said that the 400h will not run if it runs out of gas. Once more gas is put in the tank, it should start fairly easily. However, if the driver tries continuously to start the engine, say more than 3 times, when there is no gas, there is a type of disabling which occurs and the car will be much more difficult to start. This is my understanding and I don't pretend to be an expert on this.

This is different from the Prius. If you run out of gas, you can force the car to run on battery alone but this ruins the battery which would be disastrous. So, I suppose the rule with all hybrids is to never run out of gas.

[katzjamr]

What would happen should a 400 runs out of gas?

Of course we would never let that happen, but what if??

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My salesman said that the 400h will not run if it runs out of gas. Once more gas is put in the tank, it should start fairly easily. However, if the driver tries continuously to start the engine, say more than 3 times, when there is no gas, there is a type of disabling which occurs and the car will be much more difficult to start. This is my understanding and I don't pretend to be an expert on this.

This is different from the Prius. If you run out of gas, you can force the car to run on battery alone but this ruins the battery which would be disastrous. So, I suppose the rule with all hybrids is to never run out of gas.

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[SW03ES]

This is different from the Prius.  If you run out of gas, you can force the car to run on battery alone but this ruins the battery which would be disastrous.  So, I suppose the rule with all hybrids is to never run out of gas.

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Thats not true, the Prius will not run if its out of gas either.

[RDKJ]

The car has a 3.5 gallon reserve tank. So if you let it get to 0 you will still have over 60 miles in reserve gas.

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I don't believe there is a mileage countdown, only a reserve light. With all the computer power on this car, that seems odd to me.

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I can't believe there is no range or countdown either. I find that amazing in a 50k vehicle. I keep looking, thing the range or countdown has got to be somewhere on this vehicle..

[SW03ES]

I know the RX330s have a range readout. My ES has a range readout.

Maybe its because the gas mileage is so variable depending on road conditions they can't have a computer that calculates a reliable range. I thought that was interesting about the Prius too.

[dreamchaserflorida]

This is different from the Prius.  If you run out of gas, you can force the car to run on battery alone but this ruins the battery which would be disastrous.  So, I suppose the rule with all hybrids is to never run out of gas.

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Thats not true, the Prius will not run if its out of gas either.

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FAQ from Toyota.com :

"Though Prius can operate in electric-only mode when gasoline is in the tank, it is not designed to run without gasoline. DOING SO could cause severe damage to the hybrid system, so drivers should be sure to keep gas in the tank at all times."

This is the info from Toyota. The Prius is not designed to run without gasoline and will be damaged if a driver drives without gasoline in the tank. What has happened is that a few drivers have been forced (their decision/impression) to drive after running out of gas such as in a time of great need to move the car to get help.

These drivers have reported this fact to Prius forums and replies were received from readers that these drivers should not have driven without gas because the (main) battery was probably ruined.

The Prius WILL run on electricity alone if there is no gas in the tank. However, Toyota states that "DOING SO so could cause severe damage".

So, it should not be done.

My guess is that Lexus made the RX 400h to be not capable of drivng without gas in the tank so that no damage can occur to that SUV. If a driver insists on trying to start the RX 400 h without gas, it will become inoperable at the third attempt.

[SW03ES]

But it doesn't run without gas in the tank, I know people who have run out of gas in them before.