2009 Sable Premier "Miles to Empty" message

mdnc

I love my 2009 Sable Premier. One thing I've noticed though is that the miles to empty message comes on and says i have 50 miles to empty when the fuel gauge is at about the 1/8 mark. When I fill it up the most I can usually get in the tank is 16 gallos. This past week I ran it until it said I had 1 mile to empty - I filled the tank and was only able to get 17 gallons in the tank - meaning I still had 3 gallons (or about 75 miles highway) left in the tank. It's not really a problem but I'd just like to know if that's a reliable indicator of my fuel level.

explorerx4

I think is somewhat pessimistic. One time, I drove my Explorer for 7+ miles with the DTE reading zero. It's ok to lie to me that way, but not the other way around.

Kirstie_H

I wouldn't push the limit for any reason. I consider it a guide rather than an absolute.

With all of the technology improvements in the automotive world, as far as I know, most vehicles' fuel is still measured the same way it's been done for years. Here's a good article describing how the sending unit is constructed - once you understand that, you'll see why it's not accurate-to-the-drop:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-gauge.htm