This might seem stupid, but I'll ask it anyway. Since I bought the car, I've put 4 tanks of gas in. I know the car has a 16 gallon tank, but even on the "50 miles til E" indicator, the best I've been able to put in the car is 12.8 gal. Does this seem normal for most of you?

I ask this because back in '05, the gas tank design was modified after the initial run, and they had issues with being unable to fill up totally because of the design. I'm not saying it's a design issue, just curious. I'm used to putting 14-14.5 gal in a 16 gal tank when the light comes on.

 

In the year and a half of having my car it's acted weird at times. I had 1/4 of a tank left once on the visual indicator and the "50 miles til E" indication came on. On a few occasions I'd say mine has had the problem you mentioned about not being able to fill up totally. When I first got the car I suspected that when the fuel nozzle automatically shut off that my tank wasn't full based on what I'd estimated would go in. I re-engaged the fuel nozzle and started pumping again, found it pumped gas for another good 5 to 7 seconds, and then it shut off again. I re-engaged the nozzle and it pumped for another 10 seconds. This doesn't happen all the time, but I'd say I've definitely found it difficult to pump a full tank and have also questioned how much residual fuel is in the tank.

 

My car said ~35 miles to E and I put 13 gallons in it the other day. So either the gauge is wrong or Ford is giving us a 1-2 gallon buffer.

 

Once the pump shuts off, I can't seem to get much more in the tank. This is also the first car I've had with the range info on the message center, and I know there is some type of cushion, just not sure how much.

 

some of them are more accurate than others. my grand cherokee once said 10 miles to E, I put 20.5 gal in a 20 gal tank...

 

All i know is when the 'Fuel' light comes on, you still have 2 gallons in the tank.

 

at zero miles to empty I believe it still has a gallon of gas left in there.

 

Sounds like the gas pump wasn't checked for calibration recently. I use the same gas station, and the pumps are frequently checked and consistent.

So, with filling up right at the 50 mile mark, you might have 4 gallons left.

 

This sounds about right.

 

I filled up on 2 miles to E and put in 14.9 or so gallons...

 

When my Mustang came in, i was driving it with my salesman with me checking everything out. The 'Fuel' light came on about a mile away from the gas station where i got my first fill up. The salesman filled the tank with 14 gallons of gas.

 

I haven't had a problem with this car, but then I don't let it get much below half due to the distances we drive. I did have the dreaded refueling issue with the '07 And that was a major pain, especially in the winter when it could 20 minutes to fill it.

Funny thing, I had the same refueling issue on my 2009 VW CC several times. Dealer could not figure it out, but did a complete system check, including the vapor cannister.

 

The light comes on when it hits 50 miles to empty, which is of course based on your current gas mileage (so it could show up at 1/4 tank or 1/8th tank or anywhere else depending on when it computes you have 50 miles to E). Might be a couple other things it checks for. Anyway, I honestly thought it was just a 15 gallon tank based on numerous calculations with the 50 miles to E thing, but the manual quite clearly says it's a 16 gallon tank. There must be a 1 gallon padding, maybe to prevent lawsuits if the calibration is off and someone runs out of gas at 1 mile to E. :P

Rarely have trouble filling it. I think only one gas station has ever given me trouble, compounded by the fact that the handle brace was broken, the catch was missing.

 

I believe that one gallon is to help lube the fuel pump. Its not good to rum them taht low all the time

 

Yes, Ford has to make systems for the ignorant masses. Therefore, they provide a decent buffer so people aren't running out of gas all the time.

 

I understand that. The point I was questioning was simply if there was a gap between the buffer and the amount I'm filling up each tank.

 

I've run mine down quite a few times to less than 10 miles to "E" and each time it has only taken 14 gal to fill up. There seems to be roughly a 2-gal buffer so you never really run it to full empty. I wouldn't be too worried if you are putting in 12.8-13 when the "50-to-E" message comes on.

 

Gotcha. Yesterday I filled up with 30 miles to empty, and it took 12.8 gallons.

 

I usually fill up right at the 50 mile to E mark and have been right around the 13 gal mark. All this talk just confirms my initial thoughts, that we've got that "buffer" to keep us from really running dry. The fuel gauge is a little more accurate, but still good to fill up early than find out the hard way how far your car can go.

 

I've always been one to fill up once the needle gets past 1/2 tank. Because the mornings you have to get gas before work are the mornings you are either running late or you don't have much time to spare.