Florida mechanic gets shocked by warning that appears on dash of his 2013 daily driver and doesn't go away
- A man was left shocked at a symbol on the dash of his hybrid
- The car was almost running on empty
- Bur thanks to his frugal ways he landed in hot water
Published on Mar 01, 2025 at 1:00 AM (UTC-5)
by Grace Donohoe
Last updated on Mar 01, 2025 at 1:00 AM (UTC-5)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A Florida mechanic was shocked when he looked at his car’s dashboard and found an unusual warning that wouldn’t go away.
As every hybrid owner knows, the cars in questions only have a limited range.
But what happens when both powerhouses behind the car run on empty?
Well, this driver was about to receive quite a shock.
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Hybrid vehicles can sometimes exist in a love/hate relationship with motorists.
Although they are better for the environment – they have a limited range, with drivers sometimes wondering how much bang they can get for their buck – like this guy who tested his Toyota Corolla’s range.
NASA has even got in on the action, launching its first hybrid aircraft in 2024 – let’s face it, this stuff is in high demand right now.
That being said, there is living on the edge, and then there is playing with fire, like this guy almost did.
Running on almost nothing – or so his dash said
This Kia driver, Parker Jones – @stangryafterdark on TikTok – revealed how he tested the waters to see how far he could get with an almost empty tank but received quite a warning.
A message popped up on the dash of his 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid blaring ‘refuel now to prevent hybrid battery damage’ – leaving him stunned.
He said: “I did not know that, that was a thing.”
And it was his own actions that landed him with a massive potential consequence.
Related
Whilst he was being frugal – his car was fighting fire
He exclaimed: “To be honest I saw the light blinking for fuel but I didn’t want to pay for the prices where I was at so I could definitely make it home.
“Then it started saying I was going to damage the hybrid battery.
“It started getting very upset.”
To quite literally diffuse the situation, he refueled his car at the gas station to make his hybrid happy again and – well – healthy.
He filled it up with 16 gallons of fuel – but was then left even more shocked as the car’s capacity is over 17 gallons, so the car still had a gallon left.
He exclaimed: “‘I still had a gallon of fuel and it was freaking out, that’s a little extra in my opinion.”
But, it was a lesson learned as he knew not to test the waters in his 12-year-old car again.
Nothing like being a bit frugal, eh?
Beginning her career as a lifestyle reporter and social-media manager, Grace joined Supercar Blondie in February 2025. Since coming on board, has thrown herself into the busy daily writing schedule. Her editorial sweet spots include writing about luxury properties and the quirky features inside them that the one percent are investing in, as well as groundbreaking advancements in space exploration.
