It happened. Flat tire. No spare.

My newest Volvo was MY1998, but I think that model played out until 2000. In 2001 Ford's influence began in earnest. I think they managed to keep the quality fairly high. I have not tried a newer Volvo because my '98 and '93 are still very much alive and kicking. The '98 is now driven by my son who grew up in that car. He was two when I bought it and it was our main family car. Now I got an '07 Prius to replace it. In 1999 the fly by wire throttle made it into the Volvo line and troubles began. That entire model (S70 from '99 to 2000) has issues with the ETC.

 

All true, but there are plenty of other things that can go wrong on a car.

I've been stranded three times because of coolant system failures (hoses and a cracked radiator).
I was once stranded because of an intake failure (hose popped off).
I was stranded by a low battery a couple of times.
I was stranded by cold temperatures once (-41F).
Once I was stranded because an extremely heavy rain flooded the ignition system (a wall of water went over the hood).
Once I was stranded because a wheel hub broke (the steel actually sheared).
A friend of mine was stranded by a flat despite having a spare because the wheel lock key got stripped.

I've never once been stranded by a flat.

Are you going to insist on spares for all of that?

 

One of those was in my 2004 Prius (battery failure), and my friend's flat with stripped wheel lock was in a G2 Prius.

I've been driving for over 30 years and I've never had a flat.

 

Let me be more clear.

I've had to have several tires repaired over that time because of nails or screws in the tire. I've had one damaged side wall. However, none left me stranded. All were slow leaks caught long before they became a problem.

 

I think it is reasonable to have a spare tire for your Prime. Whether you always carry it with you is another issue. I bought a donut spare from a Lexus C200 for less than $100. I keep it in my garage as 90% of my trips are within 20 miles of home. If I take a cross country trip I will consider carrying it behind the driver's seat. Otherwise, if I am stranded locally with a flat I will either call my wife to come get me or call a cab and go home and get the spare. I have already tried putting it on the car to ensure that I can and have the correct tools onboard. My previous car was a Miata and I had a spare for it in my garage for eight years and never had to use it. However, I felt better having that option.

 

17,000 miles in 4 months! How is that possible?

 

Totally agree about carrying a spare after having to drive over 40 miles on a flat tire in rural Virginia last April. With no cell service in the middle of nowhere, you are screwed without a spare. (It is especially frightening as a female.) AAA finally came and towed me to a WalMart, which was about to close on Good Friday night. I learned that lesson the hard way. Spent over $300. to buy a spare and wheel to match the others. Store it in my garage. When I go in remote areas, that spare is tied behind the passenger seat. Period. Some of us are unable to change a spare because of reduced mobility, but at least carrying the tire in the car means that we have a chance of getting where we are going. In my younger days I drove down to the Lower 48 from Alaska alone twice with no tire problems, but it seems that we get at least one flat every six months and have to replace at least one tire a year due to sidewall damage.

It is maddening that so few places stock the OEM tires; dealers should be required to keep one in stock for at least ten years because who can wait 2 to 5 days for a new tire to arrive by mail? If you spend time in the country, you will get flats. Same with being around construction sites. Same with getting your roof replaced. There are nails and screws all over the place. Over time it will happen to most drivers.

It is quite callous and selfish of car makers to leave out spares, but they will do what they can get away with. They should at least make buying a spare and rim easy and more affordable at the dealers so that folks are not blindsided by the horrendous prices during an emergency, which is bad enough by itself. If women designed cars, all would come with a spare. No doubt.

 

If I did that, I'd have to decide which kid to leave home. If I put it in the cargo area, I'd have to leave our clothes at home.

 

I've never used the goop in the repair kit that comes with the Prime. I'm guessing it works OK as long as the nail / screw is in the tread and not to close to the sidewall? Probably wouldn't be usable if you ran over a cement block / huge stone (don't ask, done that to TWO tires - front & back!).

Think I'll buy another can of the goop, and a plug kit. I've watched YouTube videos on the plug kit and it looks easy enough, at least for plugging a front tire while still mounted on the car. Rear tire might be more of a problem.

 

Unfortunately there is no one OEM tire for Gen 4 Prius, for instance. I remember 4 or 5 different 15 inch ones in the tire poll. We were trying to determine if the Eco used a special tire. We found all trims used the same models that varied by individual vehicle. My Prius has the Bridgestone Ecopia tires. Your Prius mar have had the same tires or a different brand.

Toyota specifically does not warranty the tire but passes it off to the tire vendor. ToyotaCare, to be consistent needs to permit towing to a tire vendor for tire issues. There current policy makes no sense.

 

This is not just for Prime. With over one third and growing numbers of vehicles sold in the US not having spare tire, there going to be less choice for a new car with spare. This article summarize good points. Do You Even Need a Spare Tire? - Les Schwab Tire Centers

 

As long as customers go along with it, yes.

 

And yet, this is by far the best car I've ever owned and I've already taken it out of state on three different trips full of family and stuff without issues of any sort.

I have many backups to handle a ture puncture.

1. TPMS - get to service before it becomes undriveable.
2. The goo kit that comes with the car.
3. A tire plug kit and compressor.
4. My cell phone with roadside assistance through my insurance.
5. My wife's cell phone with same.
6. Safety Connect.
7. A good samaritan or officer stopping to help.

When I was little, we had the hub break on our boat trailer in the middle of nowhere on the way to Flaming Gorge Reservoir. No spare is going to fix that. We still managed to get help, get it fixed, and go on our way.

I have jumper cables in the car that would be useless for me if someone wouldn't stop to help.

I have two cell phone chargers and multiple cables.

I have three flashlights.

I carry food and water.

I have two blankets.

I have a well stocked first aid kit.

Would I like a spare tire? Sure, why not. But lacking it isn't going to cost anyone life or health and its absence isn't likely to cause inconvenience either as long as I properly maintain my tires.

 

Options:

1. receiver hitch and spare tire carrier - you will need to rig up license plate holder, light, and 12V power.
2. 2018 Camry Hybrid LE looks to be a sweet ride, 52 MPG combined, and comes with a donut spare.

Bob Wilson

 

we need phev camry. 25 mile range and 49mpg. trunk no smaller than gen2.

 

Are the elves still working on something for you?