Symptoms of a Car Running Out of Gas

The most common symptom of your car running out of gas is the indicator on the dash that illuminates. Depending on the model of your vehicle, the light illuminates to indicate low gas levels, as well as to let the driver know that the car is now running on gas reserves. These reserves will carry a driver for as much as 25 additional miles, a safety precaution to allow the driver to find a gas station. In some other vehicles, after the light has been illuminated for some time and the driver still hasn't filled up the tank, the car begins to send a warning noise to let the driver know that there isn't much fuel left.

Cars require a certain level of gas to turn on the engine. In situations where the tank doesn't have enough gas to combust and use the starter, the car will fail to turn the engine on as a precautionary measure. During the starting of the engine, the engine uses fuel at the highest rate and therefore must have enough fuel in the tank to ensure the car starts and keeps running. A car that runs out of gas during operation has the potential to burn out the fuel pump, which is why cars often won't turn on when they're low on gas.

If you do manage to get your car started despite having minimal fuel in your tank, there's still a chance that the car will start stalling. As the engine begins to run on gas fumes, the car's engine will begin to stall as you drive or sometimes just after the car starts. However, in some cases, stalling will also suggest that there's another problem with the car, so check your gas light and the fuel meter to see if the fuel tank is actually the problem.