2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED TIRE ISSUE!!!! I MAINTAIN MY VEHICLE VERY WELL ROTATE MY TIRES SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 2007 NEW! I HAVE APPROX. 81000 MILES CURRENTLY AND HAVE JUST PUT MY (4TH) SET OF TIRES ON THIS VEHICLE. THE TIRES DON'T LAST THE MILEAGE WARRANTY THAT THE DEALERS PLACE ON THERE TIRES 60-65 K TIRES! I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I CHECKED MY TIRES AND EVERY TIME FOUND THAT MY TIRES ARE GOING BELOW THE TREAD MAX ALLOWED (BALD) AT 19-21K ON THEM ONLY!!! TOYOTA STATED TO ME ON THE FIRST SET OF REPLACEMENTS THAT THEY DON'T WARRANTY TIRES... OKAY THEN WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MISENGINEERING SCREW UP ON THE TIRES TO THIS VEHICLE. I ALSO SPOKE WITH OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THIS AND FOUND OUT THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE, AND SOMEONE SOMEWHERE IS TO BLAME. I HAD A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB 4X4 FOR MY LAST VEHICLE AND HAD 90 K ON IT AND WAS ONLY ON MY 2ND SET THE FIRST SET FINALLY WORE OUT AT 66K SO IF THAT TRUCK CAN GO SO MANY MILES THEN HOW CAN AN HIGHLANDER GET SO LITTLE MILEAGE OUT OF THE SAME WEIGHT RATIO... IT'S OBVIOUSLY A TIRE SIZE MANUFACTURING ISSUE WITH THE SPECS BEING ALL WRONG FOR THIS VEHICLE. ONE OTHER THING IS THAT TOYOTA PUTS THE SAME TIRES ON OTHER TOYOTA'S FOR THAT YEAR ( RAV 4, SIENNA, CAMRY,AND THE STANDARD HIGHLANDER). OBVIOUSLY THIS IS AN ISSUE FROM THE GET GO BECAUSE THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED IS A LOT HEAVIER THEN THE OTHER CARS MENTIONED, SO HOW CAN THEY HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF TIRE!!! THIS IS A MISTAKE, OVERLOOK, AND OR CRIME. THE AMERICAN CONSUMER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS AND COMPENSATED FOR THIS ISSUE, AND IF THIS ISSUE WAS KNOWN BY THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE THEN LEGAL ACTION SHOULD BE STARTED !!!! BUT, AN INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE OPEN TO CORRECT AND COMPENSATE THE CONSUMER OF THESE VEHICLES THAT I HAVE AND OTHER YEARS THAT HAVE THIS ISSUE... IF YOU HAD TO BUY 4 SETS OF TIRES ON A CAR THAT ONLY HAS 81,000 MILES ON IT YOU WOULD COMPLAIN AS WELL!!! TIRES ARE NOT CHEAP!!! ESPECIALLY THE SIZE FOR THIS VEHICLE A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED. *TR

I PURCHASED 4 SUMITOMO TIRES FROM NTB ON WEDNESDAY, 12-15-09. ON FRIDAY, 12-17, JUST 2 DAYS LATER, I PACKED UP FOR A TRIP TO BOSTON FROM DC WITH MY WIFE AND 2 TODDLER CHILDREN FOR A SCHEDULED EVENT THAT I WAS SLATED TO SPEAK AT. BY THE TIME WE REACHED THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE, WE PULLED OVER FOR GAS. THE GAS ATTENDANT NOTICED OUR LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS FLAT. THE AUTOSHOP ATTENDANT THERE INFLATED THE TIRE AND ROLLED IT AROUND IN WATER BUT COULD NOT FIND A LEAK. THEY TOLD ME TO DRIVE A LITTLE LONGER AND SEE IF I STILL HAVE A PROBLEM. I PULLED OVER LATER AND SAW NO PROBLEMS, BUT I NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TIGHT. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED TO BOSTON (3 HOURS BEHIND SCHEDULE BECAUSE OF THE TIRES), 3 OF THE TIRES WERE FLAT. THE NEXT DAY, I BROUGHT IT TO THE NTB LOCATION IN DEDHAM, MA. THEY TOLD ME THAT ALL FOUR VALVE STEMS WERE ACTUALLY RECALLED BECAUSE THEY HAVE A TENDENCY TO CRACK AND LEAK AIR. UPON MY ARRIVAL BACK TO DC, I WENT TO THE NTB IN ALEXANDRIA AND ASKED THEM TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY SOLD ME THESE RECALLED PARTS. THE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT HE HAS BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS FOR 20 YEARS AND NEVER HEARD OF VALVE STEMS BEING RECALLED. I TOLD HIM THAT I DID A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH AND FOUND LINKS GOING BACK TO 2007 ABOUT THESE PIECES BEING RECALLED AND ASKED WHY HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THEM. HE TOLD ME I AM THE FIRST PERSON TO EVER MAKE THIS COMPLAINT. I TOLD HIM I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE # OF PEOPLE WHO COMPLAINED BEFORE ME AND THAT HAD MY FAMILY AND I LEFT A DAY LATER, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING IN WET CONDITIONS AND COULD HAVE CRASHED. HE SAID THE TIRES SEEM TO BE WORKING FINE NOW SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM. I TOLD HIM THE PROBLEM IS THAT HE IS SELLING PIECES THAT COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I ASKED HIM WHY THE NTB IN DEDHAM KNEW ABOUT THE RECALL AND HE DIDN'T AND HE SAID HE CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEM. HE DID NOT EVEN PULL UP MY RECORD TO SEE WHAT THE DEDHAM BRANCH SAID. HE THEN OFFERED ME A FREE OIL CHANGE BUT IF HE THOUGHT THEY DID NOTHING WRONG, WHY MAKE THE OFFER? TO SHUT ME UP? *TR