Is it safe to drive with the gas tank light on?
You have what sometimes seems like countless warning lights in your car. Some of them warn you of very serious problems. Others, not so much. Some lanterns just provide information and your gas lantern is one of them….
You have what sometimes seems like countless warning lights in your car. Some of them warn you of very serious problems. Others, not so much. Some lanterns simply provide information, and your gas lantern is one of them. When that light comes on, all you need to know is that you don't have a gas cap. You may have forgotten to screw it back on after refueling, and you might consider this a useful reminder that you should probably get out of the car and get it off the trunk lid or somewhere else you might have left it.
So yes, you can drive safely with the gas tank light on. Now, of course, you're wondering if you can drive safely without a gas cap. Short answer: yes. If you can drive with the gas tank light on, you can drive without a gas tank. But you need to know the following:
Driving without a gas tank cap will not damage your engine.
Driving without a gas tank cap will not waste fuel. Your vehicle has a flap valve built into it that prevents fuel from leaking out of your tank. The only danger here is if you were careless enough to lean over the fuel inlet and expose an ignition source such as a lit cigarette that could ignite the fumes that come out.
Driving without a gas tank cap will not allow harmful fumes to enter the vehicle interior.
The only real issue here isn't safety related - it's just that until you replace the missing gas cap, you'll have to live with the gas tank light on. After replacing the gas tank cap, the light should go out. However, sometimes the system takes time to reset, so you may need to drive for a while before the lights go out completely. If it doesn't go out within, say, a hundred miles, there may be other problems and you should visit a mechanic to have them scan your system and fix the problem. At AvtoTachki, we can replace your gas tank cap for you, as well as diagnose any problems that may cause your gas tank light to stay on even after the cap has been replaced.
