Problems with 2004 Toyota Sienna TIRES

With our 2004 toyota sienna minivan, we have had several problems with the run-flat tires installed on the vehicle as original equipment. these dunlop run-flat tires are standard on the all-wheel-drive versions of the 2004 and 2005 sienna. the tires have been prone to puncture (two semi-delfations in the past 6 months) and the tires do not wear properly. as a result, we are forced to replace them at $300 a piece with only 12,000 miles on them and after they were properly rotated and maintained during their short life. a quick search on the internet confirms that these problems are rampant on the 2004 and 2005 siennas with these run-flat tires. the toyota dealer has admitted that this is a big problem with these cars and has offered to pay for only 2 of the 4 new tires. to exacerbate the problem, siennas with run-flat tires are not equipped with any spare tire because the run-flats are supposed to allow you to drive the car until you can have the flat fixed. two problems emerge from this -- (1) if your run-flat tire fails completely (there are reports of this on the internet), you are stuck with no spare; and (2) if you can still drive on the flat tire, there are few if any repair shops outside of major metropolitan areas that can fix these run-flats.

Consumer states: the tires came brand new with the van. the tire currently have 25000 miles and the consumer is concerned that the tires are not safe. the consumer spoke with someone at the tire store who indicated that most people only get 18000 mile out of the tires. the belts are currently showing through the tire and the tires are starting to make noise. *nm

We purchased a toyota sienna 2004 in november 2003. i was told yesterday that the tires are so worn they are dangerous to drive on. the car is only 17 months old with 20.000 miles. we have had the car in for all its routine services. the tires have been rotated 3 times, air pressure and alignment is fine. consumers have the right to know before they purchase this product that the tire will wear down quickly and cost $1300 to replace them. three hundred dollars per tire. but most important is the safety issue. the consumer is not aware that the tires can wear so quickly and pose a hazard to themselves and their family. neither the tire makers(bridgestone nor toyota will take responsibility. we are hoping that you will look into this matter. *ak

Have a toyata xle awd van with run flats and tire pressure monitoring system. the tire pressure monitoring does not work. front passenger tire has a leak which could not be found 2 weeks ago. the system was reset, all tires pressured up by the dealer 2 weeks ago. there is a 20 psi difference between the left and right wheels and the system does not light up in the dash. 3 week ago, we went on a 2000 mile trip, before which i noticed the problem of one tire being low in tire pressure and the system not working. the dealer has no fix on the problem and said toyota does not have any tsb's on it. now duse to this defective system, they have found a leak which may be close to the sidewall on the tire and cannot be repaired and it being an all wheel drive vehicle, i am being advised to put 4 new runflats at over $1200 with less than 16000 miles on this vehicle.

Lower sidewall of dunlop sp 4000 dsst run flat tire (installed as original equipment on 2004 toyota sienna xle awd minivan) was punctured by a nail. the vehicle was difficult to drive/handle under these conditions and was barely able to be driven to a tire repair facility despite the fact that vehicle owner's manual says the vehicle can be driven up to 100 miles at speeds below 50 miles per hour. based on this presumption, toyota does not equip the vehicle with a spare tire. toyota also recommends contacting the dealership for assistance. there are several problems associated with this philosophy: (i) not having a spare tire in the case of a puncture such as this has the potential to strand the driver and passengers in a potentially dangerous situation; (ii) driving the vehicle under these conditions can cause further damage to the vehicle and risk the safety of the occupants; and (iii) some toyota dealerships (such as ours) are not equipped to repair and/or replace these tires. with respect to the tires there are other problems as well: (i) the tires experience rapid tread wear (see numerous complaints listed at www.tirerack.com) requiring constant replacement; (ii) without constant monitoring of the tire wear, driving the vehicle becomes unsafe; (iii) the tires are generally in short supply and in cases such as ours, where the tire could not be repaired, vehicle owners have to wait at least a week to obtain replacements; (iv) because of the excessive tread wear, when damage such as ours occurs, it becomes necessary to replace at least two tires; and (v) the tires are outrageously expensive, averaging between $200-$300 per tire. *jb

2004 toyota sienna dunlop sp run flat tires are defective.***no answer required***. *mr the original run flat tires were noted to have a few bald spots at about 33000 miles. the tires were replaced but 4 days later one of the tires went flat while the consumer's wife was driving the vehicle (dunlop sp run flat po# 35682and 36003 toy, p225/60r17). *nm

Dt: the consumer stated that the vehicle experienced two flat tires. the first was on april 2005 while traveling at a high rate of speed. the vehicle became hard to maneuver, the ride was dangerously rough, and the tire indicator light came on. the flat was on the driver's side front tire. the consumer then realized that the vehicle did not have a spare tire. three weeks later second tire had a flat. this occurred again while traveling at a high rate of speed, tire indicator light came on before having trouble maneuvering the vehicle. this time it was the passenger's side front tire. the consumer then took the vehicle to a repair shop which did not carry the size of tires for her vehicle. the consumer contacted a toyota dealership that provided her with a dunlop regular tire that was the right size. the consumer had to take the tire to the repair shop for them to replace the tire because toyota would not be liable for the contact driving the vehicle with a regular tire. the consumer went to a toyota repair shop and they showed her the tires on the vehicle. the tires needed to be replaced because they had wore out unevenly. the tires wore out so badly that they went bald. the consumer felt unsafe with this vehicle. the consumer had been speaking with toyota and bridgestone and has yet to receive any help. on august 2005, the consumer put all regular tires on the vehicle and felt safer and believed the odds were lower for a having a blow out on the freeway. *ak updated 11/29/2005. *nm

All 4 tires (dunlop run flat) on my 2004 toyota sienna awd xle limited have (according to the dealer, miller toyota of manassas) become worn on the outsides edges of the tires indicating (according to the dealer) that i have been riding around with under inflated tires and it is my fault. i informed him that the low pressure warning light never came on and that i don't think he was right. i have asked him to erplace the tires under the warranty for faulty equipment and he said that i needed to talk to the tire manufacturer. i told him no and that he needs to take it up with the regional toyota sales rep. i am in the process of doing this now. the dealer (in typical low fashion) pressured me into buying the replacements myself and not attempt any warranty claim. i declined as the 4 tires would cost me $1350 (!!!!!) to replace. that is absolutely unbelievable for minivan tires. my complaint is that this tire wear is not a unique situation as i have read many other incidents of premature tire wear for these run flat tires and that toyota needs to take responsiblity for these problems and replace the tires with something better suited to this minivan.*ak

I am the owner of a 2004 toyota sienna le awd van. on april 2, 2005, my family and i were on a trip approximately 200 miles from home. during that trip, the light to inflate the tires came on. we inflated the tires and the light turned off. then, it came on very soon after the initial inflation. my husband took the car to several tire places, then finally a toyota dealership to treat the problem. the dealership informed us that our van was out of alignment and that two of our tires (they are of the "run-flat" variety) were severely worn, one even past the wear bars. at that time, our van had approximately 20,500 miles on it. we had taken it for regularly recommended servicing at a toyota dealership in our hometown, including two prior episodes of having the tires rotated. the most recent tire rotation occurred at the 15,000 mile check-up. at that time, the dealership noted no excessive wear on our tires. in fewer than 5,000 miles, apparently, the tires had worn down beyond what is safe. the consequence was the need to buy four new tires at the 20,500 mile mark. both toyota motor co. and our local toyota dealership indicated to me today upon inquiry that we can expect only approximately 20,000 miles from these tires. i am concerned that these tires can wear down so quickly and fail.*ak

Problems with the dunlop run flat tires and the transmission on the 2004 toyota sienna.*mr during a 3000 mile service the technician notice that on or more of the tires was balding. all four tire were replaced. a few day after the 3000 mil maintenance the vehicle would not move because there was no transmission fluid. *nm

Concerns regarding the failure of run flat tire equipment on the 2004 toyota sienna.*mr the tires became noisy between 15000 16000 miles and the noise became worse as time went on. the tires were rotated per the manufactures specs. the vehicle was one month out of warranty when the dealer determined a problem existed with the tires. the tires had to be replaced and the consumer elected to have regular, non run flat tires, installed on the vehicle. *nm

I own toyota sienna 2004. i was driving from connecticut to washington dc. the front left tyre of the car bursted in maryland & it hit the left divider on i-95 . the mileage of the car at the time of accident was 2963. i called up dealer saying how can a tyre burst when it is a new car ? he said we cannot say anything until we see the damaged tyre. i haven't shown the tyre to dealer yet as i haven't taken the car back to connecticut. kindly advise how to report this kind of incident . i tried contacting www.nhtsa.gov using email [email protected] sometimes in april,2005. the replaced tire is lf tire mich energy lx4 p2156516 96t. i do not recollect actual date of purchase now but i can inform it later. thanks. bhavana

Dt: contact states: he has put two new sets of tires on his vehicle since purchasing it. the alignment on the vehicle has been checked. the original tires on the vehicle had to be replaced at 16,463 miles. the second set had to be replaced at 15,337 miles. the tire dealer told him the tread was wearing out and experiencing premature tire failure. *jb

I purchased a 2004 sienna brand new in 2004. toyota engineered the 2004 toyota sienna w/ dunlop run flat tires. as such they designed no space for a spare or a jack. including 4 tires that were replaced as part of a recall i have replaced a total of 13 tires in 6 years. these tires cost almost $300 to replace. the low tire pressure warning light has never lit up, toyota tested it and stated it works but have no idea why it does not light up when the tire goes flat. toyota takes no responsibility for their design choice in any way. i have requested everything from partial reimbursement to a full set of regular tires with a spare and a jack. all requests have been refused. *tr

All four dunlop sp sport 4000t dsst run-flat tires on my 2004 toyota sienna xle awd are completely worn after 20,000 miles and need to be replaced immediately according to the toyota and dunlop dealers. these tires were the original equipment on the minivan. dunlop informed me that these tires had no mileage rating. i have seen a number of consumer complaints regarding this tire (see comments on www.tirerack.com). i have spoken with toyota north america and was told they do not warranty tires and this is not their problem. i believe it is a serious design flaw to put this particular tire on a minivan in the first place. i have been told by dunlop and a tire dealer that this is a high performance, short life tire. this minivan does not come equipped with a spare tire and there is no place for a spare tire in it, which is likely why toyota chose to equip it with a run-flat tire. consumers have very limited alternatives for replacing this tire and they are extremely expensive. accordingly, in my view, toyota should have (i) selected a more durable tire for this vehicle (ii) clearly disclosed the tires expected useful life to consumers or (iii) included a spare tire and well in the vehicle. i view this situation as potentially very dangerous because drivers may not be checking these tires for wear at 15,000 miles and could easily have tire failure while driving. *jb

Toyota sienna awd came with run-flat tires as original equipment and no spare. had a flat and auto dealer claimed tire could not be repaired, tire could not be replaced for three days, replacement cost $280. stranded for three days far from home. i object to not prior disclosures from auto dealer or manufacturer concerning limited availability & repairable, or cost of run-flat tires. *jb

Brake degradation on 2004 toyota sienna. toyota sienna brakes began to severly deteriorate at 14,000 miles. pads worn beyond safe use and rotors glazed and warped. *ak

Radiator ruptured and the engine overheated; hose replaced in steering column recall; rust protective tape recall; dvd screen replaced and the entire dvd player replaced(screen still not easily visible in middle row); passenger seat belt replaced; middle passenger seat belt failing; gasoline smell inside of car with ac on recirculation; driver's window fell inside door in snow storm and was not considered a safety issue to get a loaner vehicle even though the vehicle could not be locked; tires completely bald and leaking under 30,000 miles, dvd player must be at a high db volume and when returned to radio/cd will almost deafen you; interior lights have to be manually over ridden or will drain battery; car hesitates 1-2 seconds when trying to quickly accelerate and then lurches forward alarmingly; cruise control is not functioning; waiting to have fuel mixture sensor replaced. i was not informed of first 2 recalls until i my engine overheated. i did get the rust recall and a sticker on my sliding door informing user of danger of having middle windows open while opening the middle door could catch a head or other extremity. toyota dealer service manager says mine is the only 04 sienna experiencing any problems except for the recalls on the radiator; the steering hose; the rust tape; and the middle seat belt. not so according to all i have read here. most of the problems have occurred between 22,000 and 34,000 miles; the dvd screen always failed to lock into a good position for the middle row viewers. *nm

See complaint number 10120930 and 10112448. i do have had this problem on my 2004 sienna le awd. . my problem is identically to complaint number 10120930. i have contacted my toyota dealership and they gave me this "oh you have to rotate your tires and tires wear more on minivans" crap. my tires should not be wearing at 6-12,000 miles. they replace both front ends and now they are wearing out again. i sincerely hope that you take this matter seriously and have toyota look at the suspension and drive train issues and do a recall.

2004 all wheel drive toyota sienna wears tires down to metal cords on inside edges were extremely chopped at 11,000 miles and worn to metal by the time toyota replaced at 23,000 this is not a safe condition ,no one can expect to see seperated tire cords at 23,000 on ant production vehicle,,vehicle came with dunlops dsst 22560-17 and were replaced with bridgestone b380 runflats at toyotas expense .however this is a desiegn flaw in our opinion ,does the all wheel drive push and pull on suspension causing tire wear???,,we feels toyota needs to retofit suspension or come up with a runflat tire that can have normal wear.

Clunking noise noted on steering the 2004 toyota sienna just a few months after it was bought. it had gone through 3 recalls already when first the fuel tank, then the door sills, then the middle row seatbelt bezel, and finally recently, the rear hatch struts were all replaced. vehicle was test driven, but no mention of "clunking" documented. however, all this time, the clunking had become more noticeable, and vehicle had gone through 2 alignments already, with only about 42,000 miles on it. last serviced for alignment, dealer did note clunking and recommended replacement of intermediate steering shaft. it is now becoming more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at low speeds, and "k-turns" now require more maneuvers, and the steering radius has increased potentially causing collisions with objects or pedestrians if compensatory action is not initiated. (steering output has sometimes been unpredictable). second component is lack of tpms sensors when tires were changed at a facility, and i had the facility document the lack of sensors. *tr

Dt: the tires are wearing out prematurely, these are the runflat tires. the tread is mostly gone, and they have only 15,000 miles on them. consumer contacted toyota and they agreed to replace the tires with michelin regular tires. consumer states that the vehicle is taking longer to stop when applying brakes because of the wear on the tires. toyota has been cooperative in helping the consumer to get an understanding of the problem with the tires. the tire failure is on all 4 tires.*ak *sb

Vehicle wasn't equipped with a spare tire because the factory tires were made to be driven 100 miles when flat. (nar) *ph *cb