I have a 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid. For the first 6,308 miles I averaged 36.1794 MPG. I did not have a tank of gas that dropped below 30.836. Then all of a suddent I have gotten several tanks of gas that have dropped to 25.697 / 26.705 / 26.916 MPG. I had the car into the Toyota dealer and they did an examination that appeared to show nothing wrong with the Camry. I have been watching to see if the gas station that I buy the gas at makes a difference and Murphy USA & Kroger appear to be lower then other stations. Can the place you buy the gas or the driver have anything to do with the low MPG per tank of gas?

 

You don't say where you are located.

Cold weather can have a very adverse effect on MPG, as it does with any vehicle. It's just that in a Camry hybrid the MPG is much easier to see on a regular basis.

 

I am located in Opelika Alabama. I moved from Ledbetter Kentucky to Opelika Alabama last July 2009.

 

Did your driving change to a bunch of very short trips? I've found that FE takes a dramatic hit when average trip is < 5 miles.

One other area, not so easy to tell: a couple of years ago, several gas stations owned by one guy got busted for shortchanging their customers in amount of fuel pumped. The guy was paying off the inspector for a 'early warning' and would 'adjust' the pumps to be low. Made him extra $$$ and folks filling up there a few MPG short. Easy test is to fill up at a different station and see if it helps.

 

I would say that my short trips are all over 10 miles. I try to avoid any corner gas stations only ones like BP, Shell, Marathon, Sam's, etc.

 

I have read that the ethonal blended gas will reduce your fuel economy - any chance you started using the blended gas?

 

winter gas has mileage sapping additives, maybe the switch over got you?

see the FAQ in my signature for other answers to this question

 

My understanding is that almost all gas stations have some ethanol blended gas in it now, besides I was using BP gas in Paducah Kentucky with 10% ethanol in it, and I had no problems. I started having the problems the middle of August of 2009 so the winter gas issue should not have been a problem. I purchased the Camry Hybrid the middle of March 2009 and had no problems until the middle of August 2009. Most owner's manuals do not answer this type of thing. If the local Toyota dealer could not find anything then I doubt I could find anything in the owner's manual.

 

Common culprits...
Extra weight? If you travel alone as opposed to with a few adults with a full trunk your mileage can vary.
Tire pressure? Underinflated tires sap mileage
Heater? Engine runs to warm up the air for the heater

 

Extra weight. I had the same weight in the trunk when I moved from Ledbetter Kentucky to Opelika Alabama and did not have any issues. I have had the Camry Hybrid into the local Toyota dealer twice since I have been down here and the tires and everything have been checked. I do use the heater for the winter weather, but the issue started in August 2009 when the weather here was fairly warm.

I really appreciate all the replies but I don't think that we have yet hit on the issue. The reason that I came to this forum is because the local Toyota dealer could not seem to find a problem. The only things that make sense at this point are the different gas stations that I stopped at during the moving process and the fact that my wife drove the Camry Hybrid for an extended time after she was in an accident with our Chevrolet Equinox. A difference in gas at Murphy USA & Kroger versus Shell, BP and a difference in driving habits.