| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 005016643 | Incident Date: Apr, 17 2005 |
| Consumer's City: ALEXANDRIA | Consumer's State: VA |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: DUNLOP TIRE CORPORATION |
| Model Name: SP4000 | Model Year: 9999 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Tires |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 5TDBA22C34S | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Apr, 21 2005 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Aug, 15 2003 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 6 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Lower sidewall of dunlop sp 4000 dsst run flat tire (installed as original equipment on 2004 toyota sienna xle awd minivan) was punctured by a nail. the vehicle was difficult to drive/handle under these conditions and was barely able to be driven to a tire repair facility despite the fact that vehicle owner's manual says the vehicle can be driven up to 100 miles at speeds below 50 miles per hour. based on this presumption, toyota does not equip the vehicle with a spare tire. toyota also recommends contacting the dealership for assistance. there are several problems associated with this philosophy: (i) not having a spare tire in the case of a puncture such as this has the potential to strand the driver and passengers in a potentially dangerous situation; (ii) driving the vehicle under these conditions can cause further damage to the vehicle and risk the safety of the occupants; and (iii) some toyota dealerships (such as ours) are not equipped to repair and/or replace these tires. with respect to the tires there are other problems as well: (i) the tires experience rapid tread wear (see numerous complaints listed at www.tirerack.com) requiring constant replacement; (ii) without constant monitoring of the tire wear, driving the vehicle becomes unsafe; (iii) the tires are generally in short supply and in cases such as ours, where the tire could not be repaired, vehicle owners have to wait at least a week to obtain replacements; (iv) because of the excessive tread wear, when damage such as ours occurs, it becomes necessary to replace at least two tires; and (v) the tires are outrageously expensive, averaging between $200-$300 per tire. *jb |
