Have had a rather weird thing happen to one of my 6-month old tires on my 2016. Started slowly losing air over a couple days time in the right front tire. Took it in to Toyota and they found I had a "industrial" sized (about 1" wide) staple in the tire rim area on the INSIDE edge of the tire. They said it was "not fixable" and not covered by warranty so am having to buy a new one for $250 What I can't figure out is HOW in the world would that have happened? Obviously since it was not in the tread part of the tire it wasn't something I ran over but how did it get there? I'm wondering if it could have come that way on the new car and was just now, after 6 months, causing a problem? Naturally being on the inside of the tire, it was not noticeable to me or anyone. Wish there was some way to convince Toyota to pay for this as "faulty" equipment.
So something like this? If it just started losing air in the last few days, I'd guess vandalism. Maybe. Strange though, especially on the inside wall.
The staple could have come from road debris. Hitting something on an edge can make it pop up and hit the side wall. Saw an instance where a customer ran over a 1" x 3" board about 2 ft long; it ruined the tire on the sidewall and dented the wheel.
There is a tire manufacturer warranty that , I think is prorated. You need to take the car to a dealer for that manufacturer, though. My 2 month old Prius (~3200 miles) with the Bridgestone Ecopia tires had the rear driver's tire get low, triggering TPMS. I refilled & checked a couple of days later. I thought I had a leak but did not see any external issue. The dealer claims they removed the wheel & submerged it and could not find any leak. They did not charge me, though. I will need to keep a check on my tire too.
What's the tire, specific make/model, as it would show on a bill of sale? $250 seems pretty steep for a 15". Say for example: "Bridgeston Ecopia EP422 195/65R15". Also, how many miles on the odometer? If it's low mileage you can get away with swapping in one tire, but there's limits. Addendum: the cheapskate in me keeps thinking, an oblong patch properly applied on the inside would undoubtedly last the life of the tire; it's only two pinprick holes involved. But yeah, probably illegal.
Sorry, not faulty equipment in my opinion. I think as someone said earlier there was some road debris that flipped up and hit your sidewall ☹️ Also the warranty that another poster refers to is road hazard warranty that would cover that situation is usually an extra cost warranty that can be purchased when you buy tires. Rarely it is included. You can ask that question of the dealer. If it were me, I'd call around to tire dealers on the cost of your exact tire. Their estimate of $250 sounds high. If you find lower you may be able to bargain with them. Lastly is that estimate including mount and balance? That can be around $20+ per tire. Sorry it not the news you wanted. I just had a razor tipped hunting arrow pierce one of my tires. Cut a pencil sized hole with a huge x where the razors cut in. (Right in the middle of the tread) thankfully my tires are worn out ☹️
the terms lads & mate are reserved on PC for UK users only. Please relocate your steering wheel & car to the proper positions.
My Marine Corps dad spent a lot time in an Australian hospital, recovering after the battle for Guadalcanal. He came home with a whole new language…
OP hasn't disclosed what the tire is, though EP422 Plus is one of the OEM 15". In the States the EP422 plus is showing at TireRack for $88. Even at Costco Canada, either the EP20 or EP422 Plus is around $115 Canadian, plus $15 installed, and taxes/recycle fee.
Also the nice thing about TireRack is you get 24 month warranty for new tire, which we got replacement at 23 months. At least OP knows what got him, I was not able to get the installer to save the big metal chunk inside our tire.
take it to the tyre dealer, or better yet, call the manufacturer. someone else just had a bad toyo with 5,000 miles on his 2016, and toyota dealer told him it wasn't covered. he called toyo, and they gave him a new one for $39. or something. was it big michael kim?
'Sright mate! That's Ozzy, that is. Brits use any number of terms and it can vary significantly from one area to another. Add to that there are four different languages, viz: English, Welsh, Gaelic (Scottish) and Cornish, without mentioning the Irish Gael!
My last flat was in 2009. I got a quarter inch bolt through my sidewall just like that. It happened on a freeway and I was doing at least 75 MPH. I figure it had to have been kicked out at me from another vehicle. There was a lot of traffic that day and a lot of garbage on that road.
I'm only a few miles from the main Toyo US headquarters. I will be banging on their door if my tires go bad… I've been driving a lot in the rain recently. The Toyo's seem to perform fairly well in the wet weather. I haven't noticed anything unusual. Traction seems normal. Acceleration is good. Braking is good. Just wish they were quieter. (I'm wondering if Michelle is snowed in up in her area??)
It's invariably noted by auto manufacturer that tires warranties are by the tire manufacturer. Check in the warranty booklet?0 (I haven't found a pdf as yet.)
The US manuals are here, but you need to select the model & year. Toyota Online Owners Manuals and Warranty Or did you mean the Canadian manuals? There are French pages in the US owners manual, if that makes you feel more at home
Yes Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus BW and Toyota's price installed is $216 (sorry I was a little off when I said $250) is what's on the paper they gave me for the quote. I have 4100 miles on odometer. Not sure what you mean by "swapping one tire."
