2003 Toyota Prius Tires Problems

2003 TOYOTA PRIUS WAS PROCEEDING WEST ON I-40 NEAR KNOXVILLE, TN WHEN THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE LEFT REAR TIRE AND WRAPPED ITSELF AROUND THE AXLE CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL. THE CAR VEERED TO THE LEFT THEN TO THE RIGHT, HIT A GUARDRAIL AND THEN HIT A SEMI HEAD-ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED, THE DRIVER SURVIVED WITH A CONCUSSION AND A HEAD WOUND. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS. I HAD MY FIRST FLAT TIRE AT APPROXIMATELY 18,000 MILES. SECOND FLAT TIRE CAME 20,000 MILES. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TIRE STORE I WAS TOLD THAT PRIUS HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH TIRES. THEY INDICATED THAT BOTH BACK TIRES WERE COMPLETELY WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER FOR TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND SHE ADMITTED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE BUT THAT IT HAD BEEN RECTIFIED. SHE REPLACED MY LAST EXISTING TIRE AT APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES. AT 45,000 SERVICE I WAS AGAIN TOLD THAT BOTH OF MY BACK TIRES WERE COMPLETELY WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. TOYOTA INDICATED THIS WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT PROPERLY SERVICING THE CAR. I HAVE HAD ALL RECOMMENDED SERVICE UP TO THAT POINT. I CONTACTED THE MANAGER OF THE DEALERSHIP. HE ADVISES ME NOW THAT THE TIRES WILL ALWAYS ONLY LAST APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 25 K MILES. HE SUGGESTED THAT I CHECK MY TIRE PRESSURE AT LEAST EVERY TWO WEEKS AND HAVE TIRES ROTATED EVERY 5,000 MILES BUT ADMITTED THAT THIS WILL PROBABLY NOT HELP BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN OF THE CAR.*JB

WE PURCHASED A 2003 PRIUS. THE CARS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT INCLUDED BRIDGESTONE EXTRA LOAD TIRES P175/65R14. IN LESS THAN 25,000 MILES WE HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES WITH A SECOND SET. AFTER ABOUT 10,000 WEAR ON BOTH SETS THE NOISE FROM THE TIRES HAS BEEN SO LOUD IT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE TO RIDE IN THE CAR. WHILE THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE IT IS VERY AGGRAVATING WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE COST OF THE VEHICLE.

I HAD A BLOW OUT ON THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE ON MY 2003 PRIUS. THE TIRE HAD A LARGE SPLIT ACROSS THE ENTIRE INSIDE OF THE TIRE - THE SIDE YOU COULDN'T' SEE - AS WELL AS THE SPOT IN THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE THAT HAD BLOWN OUT. THE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND HAD VERY UNUSUAL WEAR PATTERNS ON IT. THE REST OF THE TIRES DID NOT SHOW UNUSUAL WEAR. I TOOK IT BACK TO BRIDGESTONE SINCE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE PRIUS. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHO SAID THE TIRE WARRANTY WAS THROUGH BRIDGESTONE. I NOW PLAN TO REPLACE THE TIRES WITH HIGHER PSI TIRES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE CAR TO BEGIN WITH WHEN PURCHASED. THE BLOW OUT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION WHEN IT HAPPENED. IF I HAD BEEN ON A FREEWAY I WOULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. *JB

BLOWN TIRE

AT 5,000 MILES THE FRONT TIRES ON MY '03 PRIUS WERE WORN TO CORD EXPOSED. WHEN I FIRST APPROACHED THE DEALER, 4/03, WITH CONCERNS AT 1,500 MILES AND OBVIOUS WEAR, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD NOT SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. THEY ALIGNED THE FRONT END AND SAID THAT SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER,6/13/03,THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS COMMON, A DESIGN DEFECT. THE TIRES ARE TOO SMALL FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE'S FRONT END. I LEFT THE CAR WITH THEM AND WAS CALLED AT THE END OF THE DAY. THE SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT GET THE APPROVAL FROM TOYOTA TO REPLACE THE TIRES UNDER WARRANTY. I WOULD EITHER HAVE TO PAY FOR THE TIRES MYSELF OR TAKE THE CAR AS IS. I TOLD THEM I WOULD TAKE THE CAR AS IS, BUT WOULD HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT MAY HAPPEN IF THE TIRES FAILED. WHEN I WENT TO GET THE CAR THEY WERE MOUNTING NEW TIRES AT THEIR EXPENSE. I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE TO FILE A COMPLAINT, 6/13/03. THEY PRETEND TO BE UNAWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH PRIUS TIRES. TOYOTA WILL NOT RECOMMEND ANY TIRE FOR THE PRIUS THAN THE BRIGESTONE POTENZA RE92. I THINK THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IT IS UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT CUSTOMERS TO REPLACE TIRES MORE OFTEN THAN OIL CHANGES. MY DAILY CANYON COMMUTE IS ADMITTEDLY HARDER ON TIRES THAN AVERAGE, BUT I DESCRIBED IT EXACTLY TO THE SALESMAN WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR. NOTHING WAS DISCLOSED TO ME ABOUT POTENTIAL TIRE WEAR PROBLEMS.

DRIVING HOME ON JULY 22, 2003 AT ABOUT 4:30PM, TRAVELING NORTH ON THE 57 FREEWAY TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 68 MPH HAD BLOW OUT ON RIGHT REAR TIRE. TIRE HAD COMPLETE BLOW OUT IF SIDE WALL, VEHICLE HAD ONLY APPROXIMATELY 10,700 MILES. I HAD CHECKED TIRE PRESSURE THE PRIOR DAY AND HAD 33 PSI IN FRONT AND 36 PSI IN REAR AS THE SPECIFICATIONS ARE WRITTEN IN THE OWNERS HANDBOOK. *LA

UNUSUAL TIRE WEAR: FRONT OEM TIRES WORN TO CORDS AT 5000 MILES. PRESSURE KEPT AT SPECIFIED PSI. ALIGNMENT CHECKED AND ADJUSTED AT 1,500 MILES. *NLM

THE SIDE WALL BLEW OUT AT 75 MPH ON THE FIRST 100 + DEGREE DAY. BRIDGESTONES REP CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS MAYBE AN INDICATION OF NAIL DAMAGE; HOWEVER THE TIRE WAS TOO BADLY DAMAGED TO BE SURE. NEXT, IT HAD BEEN RUN FLAT, HOWEVER THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUICKLY APPARENT IN THE ENGINE NOISE WITH THE CV TRANS. THEY FAILED TO HONOR THEIR WARRANTY, ADMITTING THAT DOING SO WOULD RAISE A RED FLAG AT THE NHTSA. *AK