1999 Toyota 4 Runner

TIRES: THE TIRES DID NOT PHYSICALLY FAIL, HOWEVER AFTER ONLY 10,000 MILES, THEY WERE PRACTICALLY BALD - ALL 4. I REQUESTED THAT THE DEALER REPLACE THE TIRES WHICH THEY REFUSED TO DO ALTHOUGHT THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE TIRES WERE DANGEROUSLY WORN. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME "OFF THE RECORD" THAT THEY KNEW THIS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE - THAT THE TIRES WHICH CAME "STOCK" FROM THE FACTORY WERE IN FACT "TOO SMALL" TO BEAR THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. IN LIGHT OF THE SAFETY ISSUES REGARDING BRIDGESTONE?FIRESTONE AT THAT TIME, I ELECTED TO REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES AT MY COST. TAIL LIGHTS: THE TAILLIGHTS BEGAN FAILING VERY SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. WHENEVER I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER, THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS JUST A BURNED OUT LAMP WHICH WAS NOT COVERED BY MY WARRANTY. THIS HAS CONTINUED TO OCCUR AND NOW I DON'T EVEN BOTHER WITH THE DEALER. I HAVE NOTED NUMEROUS 4RUNNERS ON THE ROAD WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WHICH IS WHAT PROMPTED ME TO CHECK YOUR WEB SITE. AT ONE POINT THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP MENTIONED HIS SUPRISE THAT "THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT DID NOT COME ON" WHEN THE LAMP WENT OUT. APPARENTLY THERE IS AN INDICATOR LIGHT THAT SHOULD ALERT THE DRIVER TO A BLOWN BULB...I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE AND MINE HAS GONE OUT 3 TIMES. NOW IT IS HABIT FOR ME TO CHECK MY TAIL LIGHTS WHENEVER I DRIVE AT NIGHT. BRAKES: ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED A SEVERE "SHUDDERING" OF THE CAR AND A LOUD "CLANKING" NOISE WHEN GOING FROM HIGH SPEED TO LOWER SPEED (NOT SUDDEN BRAKING) AS IN EXITING THE HIGHWAY . ONE TIME, THE CAR WAS SHUDDERING SO VIOLENTLY THAT IT JERKED INTO ANOTHER LANE. THE DEALER BASICALLY TOLD ME I WAS IMAGINING THINGS. THIS SHUDDERING HAS OCCURRED ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND EACH TIME I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. ONE TIME, THEY AGREED TO MANUALLY CHECK ALL 4 BRAKES - AT MY COST AND DECLARED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. I HESITATE TO DRIVE IN SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. TS

SB ON I-24 N. OF CHATANOOGA, LEFT REAR TIRE "BLEW." EXAM SHOWED TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM OUTSIDE TIRE WALL. OUTSIDE TIRE WALL HAD A DOZEN OR MORE SLICES LIKE A SLICED PIE. TIRE NOT UNUSUALLY HOT; LOAD NOT UNUSUALLY HEAVY (ONLY DRIVER WAS IN CAR); TIRE PRESSURE WAS NORMAL (33PSI). NEED TO KNOW HOW TO PREVENT OTHER 4 TIRES FROM DOING THE SAME THING!*AK (TIRESIZE: P265/70R16)

EXPERIENCING VIBRATION WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 65MPH,AND THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO VEER TO THE LEFT, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE FOR AN ALIGNMENT THAT DID NOT ALLEVIATE PROBLEM, CONSUMER RETURNED AND THEN WAS ADVISED A CROSS ROTATION OF THE FRONT TIRES WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM, CONSUMER WAS ADVISED THAT TIRES WERE CHOPPED BUT NOT TO THE POINT OF REPLACEMENT, WITH THE VIBRATION STILL OCCURING THE VEHICLE IS NOW VEERING TO THE RIGHT, MECHANIC ADVISED CONSUMER THAT EVEN THOUGH TIRES WERE CHOPPED REPLACING THEM WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER CONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY A MECHANIC AT FIRESTONE THAT IT WOULD NOT BE NECCESARY TO REPLACE TIRES, AND THAT OTHER VEHICLES HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, MECHANIC BELIEVED IT TO BE THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE. *JB