Fuel Gauge

When the ignition is on, the fuel gauge tells you about how much fuel you have

When the ignition is on, the fuel gauge tells you about how much fuel you have left in your tank.

An arrow on the fuel gauge indicates the side of the vehicle the fuel door is on.

When the fuel is low, a message may appear in the Driver Information Center (DIC), and a chime will sound. See Fuel System Messages  for more information.

Here are four things that some owners ask about. None of these show a problem with your fuel gauge:

  • At the service station, the fuel pump shuts off before the gauge reads full.
  • It takes a little more or less fuel to fill up than the gauge indicated. For example, the gauge may have indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a little more or less than half the tank's capacity to fill the tank.
  • The gauge moves a little while turning a corner or speeding up.
  • The gauge takes a few seconds to stabilize after the ignition is turned on, and will go back to empty when the ignition is turned off.
    See also:

    ENGINE OIL LOW — ADD OIL
    This message displays when the engine oil level is too low. Check the oil level. See Engine Oil. ...

    Filling a Portable Fuel Container
    WARNING! Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in the vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the container can ignite the fuel vapor. You can be badly burned and the vehicle ...

    Service All-Wheel Drive Light
    This light should come on briefly when you turn on the ignition, as a check to show you it is working. The service all-wheel drive light comes on to indicate that there may be a problem with ...