Fuel gauge working strangely? The problem's probably caused by the fuel sending unit. As a matter of fact, most fuel gauges are very inaccurate, thanks to the way their sending units are designed. Sending units work using a float device. So if anything happens to the float, you can bet that your car's fuel gauge is going to behave erratically. Simply put, the gauge's going to display an inaccurate fuel level. You could say car manufacturers design the fuel sending unit to trick you into thinking that there's a reserve amount of fuel somewhere in the tank, to get by with when you're running low on gas. But the thing is, the sending unit is just tricking you. There is no reserve tank. The reason the needle points to 'empty' is because the float can't drop any lower due to its physical design-meaning it or parts of it has hit tank bottom. So even if the gauge needle says empty, you're drawn into thinking you've got reserve fuel left. Still, placing all your bets on what the fuel gauge reads can be risky, especially if you're driving long distances. It's even worse if your fuel sending unit fails-you'll have no way to judge how little fuel you've got left to power your car for the ride home. You can't do anything about the way OEM sending units are designed. What you can do is order a replacement sending unit here at Car Stuff when the stock part quits.