2004 Toyota Sienna LE 3.3 from North America
Summary:
It's a great vehicle, but the tires are junk
Faults:
I bought a 2004 Sienna LE All Wheel Drive in Feb. 2005. I noticed when I was rotating the tires at 5000 miles, that the two front tires were worn on the outside really bad.
I went back to the dealer and they said it was an alignment problem. I took it to an alignment shop that had a computerized alignment machine. They said the alignment was fine.
At 10,000 miles the tires that were on the front now were worn just like the ones on the back. I took it back to the dealer again, they said have the alignment checked again. I took it back to the same alignment shop, and again they said the alignment was fine. They rotated the tires again at 10,000 miles.
At 16,000 miles all tires were shot. These tires were Dunlop 4000 run flat ($300.00 a tire) and I had checked the air pressure every two weeks, and always made sure they had 38 lbs. in them. The alignment shop told me to keep 38 lbs. in them even though the manual says 35 lbs. They said it would help keep the front tires from wearing so bad on the outside edges. It says on the tire maximum 44 lbs.psi. So 38 lbs. isn't going to hurt the tire.
I put Bridgestone 380 run flats ($200.00) a tire on it this time. Toyota would not pay for these tires. At 16,000 miles I took it to another alignment shop and they said the alignment was fine. At 19,000 miles these Bridgestone tires are wearing just like the original Dunlop tires did.
I called the Toyota customer care center about one week ago. They told me that they will reimburse me for the new tires that I bought, if I send them all the paperwork on the new tires. This is great, but what do I do when these tires are shot, which will be at 32,000 miles at the rate that they are wearing. I don't want to go with regular tires because of losing the space that a spare tire will take.
I have talked to Dunlop customer service, they say that they know of no problems with this tire. I find this hard to believe. I have also talked to Bridgestone customer service and they said that they made this tire to Toyota specifications. And Toyota knows that they have a real problem. Bridgestone won't warranty this tire on mileage because it is not made to last more than 15 to 20 thousand miles.
In the past I have owned 3 other Toyota vehicles and liked all of them. At the present time I own a 2004 Sienna Van, a 2005 Tacoma, and a 2005 Corolla, so you can see that I like a Toyota vehicle. But this tire issue has just about turned me against Toyota.
I talked to an individual at Toyota to see if they have done anything to rectify this serious problem about the tires. They said they have educated the buyer by putting stickers on the vehicle telling them to rotate the tires regularly, and to keep the air pressure up on the tires. I have done this and more, and it didn't help one bit.
So in my opinion, Toyota has done nothing to rectify this serious problem. If Toyota doesn't come up with a better plan to help out all the people who have bought Sienna All Wheel Drive Vans with run flat tires, I will be trading my van in when the tires wear out, which won't be long. Needless to say I won't be buying a Toyota. They are going to lose a great customer.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 19th June, 2006
18th Oct 2006, 15:14
We have a 98 Toyota Sienna and our experience is very similar to others regarding tire problems. It is almost unbelievable--every year we are requiring new tires, and we had the same experience regarding the alignment. The car pulls to the right. They checked it and said it was fine, but the car still pulled to the right and the wear on the tires was awful.
Of course, tire warranties are useless, since they tell you it is an alignment problem.
I've never contacted Toyota directly about this, but maybe I will. Of course, everything else about the car is great.
22nd Oct 2006, 18:56
I have a 2004 Sienna Van, with Dunlop 4000 tire. It has 43,000 miles. The tires were worn, needed replacement. No one in this town carries Dunlop, they have to be ordered, this being the case I figured it was a good time to switch tire brands. I had Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread tires put on, with recommendation from the company supplying tires. They drive like they are made of concrete. The steering wheel shakes, I can feel the vibration in the seat of the car. They did check the aliment before they put the tires on, so that isn't the problem. I am going back tomorrow. I don't know what to use to replace the Dunlops, they did ride beautifully. The van almost floated, in compare to the Goodyear's.
19th Aug 2006, 02:51
When my fiancee and I bought our 2006 Sienna XLE Limited about 2 months ago, the salesman at the dealership where we got the van had given us a red flag warning about the run flat tires.
He said that that they do tend to make the van ride of harshly, and he was right. But with a full load of either passengers or cargo, it rides better. However, a buddy of mine looked at the tires on the minivan and suggested that we get much better tires for the van. I will be contacting Toyota's customer service as soon as possible to see if we can have them pay for our new tires.