New tire issue with Yokohama

We have a new 2014 Prius that came with Yokohama tires. The "tire light" on the dash came on at about 1000 miles, so I checked the air pressure. Except for 3-4 psi differences between tires, there was no major problem. There was a small vibration. When I installed mud flats I inspected the tires and didn't see anything obvious.

About 2000 miles, the light came on again. This time we took the car to the dealer. They also checked the air pressure and dash light. They didn't find anything wrong with the tires.

We never hit a curb, pot hole, or anything. At 3200 miles we were driving about 35 in front of a school when the left rear tire just deflated in a couple second - a complete blow out. We were lucky there was a grass shoulder and it was easy to pull into the school parking lot without driving but a few yards. The side wall had a jagged split.

We took the tire to three tire shops (all sold Yokohama) and the dealer. The dealer was no help - they said that the tires were covered by the manufacturer, not Toyota. They would only sell us another Yokohama. Two of the tire dealers said the tread wear didn't indicate under inflation, but they didn't know what happened. Neither was enthusiastic about getting Yokohama to replace the tire. One thought it was a manufacturer defect, and said it would take several days to try and get anything from Yokohama.

We gave up and bought 4 Michelin tires based on Consumer Report ratings and the fact we've had good luck with Michelin in the past. Right now, we're pretty unhappy with the cheap tires, lack of help from the dealer, and having to spend money on a new car.

We wrote Yokohama, but aren't expecting much help.

 

Thanks. I filed a report with the NTSB. That was a good idea.

 

Thanks, I found it. I filed a report with them.