1998 Toyota Sienna

THE LEFT REAR TIRE WENT FLAT AS I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 60 MILES PER HOUR. I FOUND THE SIDE WALL OF THE TIRE (THE SIDE FACING IN TOWARDS THE CAR) HAD SPLIT IN 4 PLACES. THE TIRE CAME WITH THE CAR AT TIME OF PURCHASE AND THERFORE ONLY HAD 21100 MILES LOGGED ON TO THE TIRE. THE MINIVAN IS TYPICALLY USED IN LOCAL TRAFFIC AT A AVERAGE SPEED OF 35 MILES PER HOUR. *AK( DOT NUMBER: W2VF TIRE SIZE: P215/65R15 )

ON 9 AUGUST, 2000 EXPERIENCE A SEVERE STEERING WHEEL FLUCTUATION WHEN DEPARTING A PARKING LOT AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. STOPPED AND CHECKED TIRES, APPEARED OKAY. PROCEEDED TO DRIVE HOME, AT NIGHT, CHANGED TO LESSENING VIBRATION WITH INCREASE OF SPEED. TOOK CAR TO DEALER TO HAVE CHECKED OUT. THEY REPORTED THAT STEERING AND CHASSIS SYSTEMS WERE GOOD, THAT THE PROBLEM WAS BAD TIRES. THEY DID NOT ELABORATE ON WHAT WAS BAD WITH THE TIRES.......TOOK VEHICLE TO TIRE DEALER, NOT FIRESTONE, AND HAD THEM INSPECT AND SUBSEQUENTLY REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES. THEY STATED THAT THE TREAD WAS SEPARATING ON THE INSIDE AREA OF THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. RETAINED OLD TIRES AT MY HOME FOR REVIEW IF NECESSARY. ONLY THING I NOTICED WAS ABNORMAL WEAR ON INSIDE AREAS OF ALL 4 TIRES.......NO VIBRATION EXPERIENCED AFTER TIRES REPLACED......ORIGINAL TIRES HAD BEEN BALANCED, ROTATED AND ALIGNMENT COMPLIED WITH AT THE DEALERS AT PRESCRIBED INTERVALS.....NO PROBLEMS WITH TIRES OR VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UP TO THE TIME OF FAILURE( DOT NUMBER: W2MOF6L178 TIRE SIZE: P205/70R15 )

WHEN I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR A YEARLY WV STATE INSPECTION, I WAS TOLD IT FAILED DUE TO THE TIRES BEING "SHOT". I WAS SHOWN WHERE THE TREAD ON BOTH FRONT TIRES WAS SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE. MY VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT NEW AND HAD ONLY 24,000 MILES ON IT AT THAT TIME. AN ALIGNMENT CHECK WAS DONE AND THE VEHICLE WAS FOUND TO BE IN PERFECT ALIGNMENT. THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THIS TYPE OF WEAR AND TREAD SEPARATION WOULD OCCUR WITH ONLY 24,000 MILES ON THESE TIRES. THE NEXT DAY WAS WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE CONCERNING FORD VEHICLES AND THE FIRESTONE TIRES . I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AND WAS DISMISSED WITH THE COMMENT TO VOICE MY CONCERNS TO THE FIRESTONE COMPANY. I HAVE WAITED FOR TOYOTA TO EITHER MAKE A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OR SEND A QUESTIONAIRE TO ITS CONSUMERS ASKING THEM TO CHECK THEIR TIRES AND BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR TREAD SEPARATION ON THE AFFINITY FIRESTONE TIRES THAT WERE PLACED ON THESE VEHICLES. I AM OUT THE COST OF REPLACING THESE TIRES , BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HAD MY STATE NOT HAD AN INSPECTION PROGRAM, I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TO CHECK THESE TIRES AT THIS TIME AND MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC SOON AFTER. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME ANYTIME. I AM REQUESTING THAT THIS COMPLAINT AND MY CONCERNS BE PASSED ON TO SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AND NHTSA ADMINISTRATOR SUE BAILEY IMMEDIATELY.( DOT NUMBER: W2VF A1T TIRE SIZE: P215/65R15 )

LOUD BANG FROM EGINE FOLLOWED BY FIRE. DEALER SAYS ENGINE THREW A ROD AND FOUND HOLE IN ENGINE. ALSO DAMAGE TO RIGHT AXLE FROM PROJECTILE FROM ENGINE. COMPLAINED ABOUT WHITE SMOKE AT STARTUP TO DEALER AT 22,500 MILE SERVICE, BUT DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEMS. NOW DEALER REFUSES TO HONOR WARRANTY CLAIMING THAT SLUDGE IS IN ENGINE. WHEN I HAD SIMILAR SMOKE PROBLEM WITH 1998 TOYOTA CAMRY, DEALER ADVISED THAT THE VALVE SEALS WERE DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED THE VALVE SEALS AND GASKET UNDER WARRANTY. INTERNET SERCHES HAVE REVEALED AT LEAST ONE AND POSSIBLY AS MANY AS THREE OTHER SIMILAR ENGINE FAILURES DUE TO SLUDGE AFTER COMPLAINTS WERE MADE TO THE DEALER OF WHITE SMOKE AT STARTUP. I ALSO FOUND MULTIPLE REPORTS OF ENGINE FAILURE ASSOICIATED WITH WHITE SMOKE AT STARTUP WHEN DOING SEARCHES REGARDING THE CAMRY. WHEN I WENT TO DEALER TO REMOVE ARTICLES FROM THE VAN AFTER IT WAS TOWED, THE SERVICE ADVISOR POINTED OUT THE LEFT REAR TIRE, ON WHICH APPROXIMATELY 10-12 INCHES OF THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE BODY OF THE TIRE. THIS IS FIRESTONE FR 680 TIRE WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MILES ON IT. THE TIRE WAS CHECKED AND WAS FINE PRIOR TO OUT TRIP TO PICK UP OUT EIGHT YEAR OLD DAUGHTER FROM SUMMER CAMP. THE ENGINE FAILURE AND FIRE AND THE SEPARATION OF THREAD OF THE TIRE OCCURRED AFTER WE HAD DRIVEN FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS IN 100 DEGREE PLUS TEMPERATURES WHILE RETURNING FROM THE CAMP. LOCAL POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE.( DOT NUMBER: )

ON 8/4/00 WE WERE HAVING OUR TIRES ROTATED BY AMERICA'S TIRE STORE IN FOLSOM, CA. THEY SHOWED US THE PASSANGER FRONT TIRE WAS BEGINNING TO PEEL. ABOUT 20% OF THE TIRE WAS AFFECTED. WITH THE REPORTS I'M HEARING ABOUIT THE OTHER FIRESTONE TIRES I WANTED TO REPORT THIS. WE KEPT THE TIRE FOR EVIDENCE JUST IN CASE IT IS NEEDED.( DOT NUMBER: W2M0 F6L TIRE SIZE: 205/70/R15 )

THE RIGHT REAR TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE TIRE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE ENTIRE SET SAID THAT ALL THE TIRES WERE COMING APART. THE ONLY REASON WE REALIZED WE HAD A PROBLEM WAS THE CAR HAS A TIRE CONDITION/PRESSURE INDICATOR AND THE CAR WAS RIDING ROUGH. MY HUSBAND INSPECTED THE TIRES ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND NEVER NOTICED THE TREAD SEPARATING. I ALSO TOOK MY CAR TO A TIRE DEALER ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THE LIGHT INDICATOR. THE TIRE DEALER NEVER NOTICED THE TREAD COMING APART EITHER. WE ONLY REALIZED WE HAD A PROBLEM WHEN THE RIDE BECAME VERY ROUGH. MY HUSBAND CHANGED THE TIRE AND PLACED THE SPARE ON THE CAR UNTIL I COULD GET TO THE TIRE DEALER.( DOT NUMBER: 95S TIRE SIZE: P205/70R15 )