I bought a new (2017) Corolla in November. Less than 3 months later, one of the tires shredded on the highway (there was no indication of low pressure and we didn't hit anything). We were just cruising west on I-10 in the California desert, when we could hear and feel the tire shredding. We narrowly missed being hit by the huge number of cars and semis on the highway.
A few hours later, after being towed to a Toyota dealer, we found that the tires are not covered by a warranty of any kind... not Toyota and not Hankook. (How this is legal is beyond me!) Over the next few days, I also found that this shredding problem was fairly common on Hankook tires. After complaining about this situation on Toyota's Facebook page, Sam M. (he has refused to give me his last name... I guess he really doesn't want to stand behind his offer) from Toyota offered me a $500 credit to buy whatever I wanted for the car.
So, prior to my next big trip, I went to Discount Tire and bought a set of Michelin tires, which I've never had any problems with. I dutifully scanned the receipt and sent it and the case number assigned to me to Sam M. The next day, he calls to tell me that the $500 has to be spent in a Toyota dealership. Of course, he never told me that. (This sounds like FRAUD to me.) And, does he expect me to spend the money on more crappy tires? It makes no sense. It's just more corporate greed in action. "We'll give you money so you can give it back to us." What kind of logic (other than the logic of greed) is that?
So, Toyota is really riding on a slippery slope of "reckless disregard." If they intentionally put sub-par tires on their cars (they used to put on Michelin tires) that put people's lives at risk, that is a reckless action on their part.
By the way, tires shredding is a different kind of experience. As the plies begin to separate (going 65 or so mph), it feels like you're going over the warning bumps they often put on highways where you have to slow down dramatically...for a curve, inspection station, etc. It was after one second of this, I realized something was wrong and started pulling off the highway on the left side (fortunately I was able to move into the left lane, since the right shoulder disappeared in front of us), when their was a huge "pop" as the plies completely separated. I've had tires pop before, but never due to shredding. They popped with no prior warning. But, even after that, the outer wall showed no indications of a complete circular puncture, like what was evident in the photo of this tire. Of course, I've seen such complete circular puncture in tires that have been ridden on after going flat, but I've never had that sort of thing happen. This was a complete deterioration of the integrity of the tire, which endangered me and my son and other travelers behind us on the highway.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
click to see larger images
I bought a new (2017) Corolla in November. Less than 3 months later, one of the tires shredded on the highway (there was no indication of low pressure and we didn't hit anything). We were just cruising west on I-10 in the California desert, when we could hear and feel the tire shredding. We narrowly missed being hit by the huge number of cars and semis on the highway.
A few hours later, after being towed to a Toyota dealer, we found that the tires are not covered by a warranty of any kind... not Toyota and not Hankook. (How this is legal is beyond me!) Over the next few days, I also found that this shredding problem was fairly common on Hankook tires. After complaining about this situation on Toyota's Facebook page, Sam M. (he has refused to give me his last name... I guess he really doesn't want to stand behind his offer) from Toyota offered me a $500 credit to buy whatever I wanted for the car.
So, prior to my next big trip, I went to Discount Tire and bought a set of Michelin tires, which I've never had any problems with. I dutifully scanned the receipt and sent it and the case number assigned to me to Sam M. The next day, he calls to tell me that the $500 has to be spent in a Toyota dealership. Of course, he never told me that. (This sounds like FRAUD to me.) And, does he expect me to spend the money on more crappy tires? It makes no sense. It's just more corporate greed in action. "We'll give you money so you can give it back to us." What kind of logic (other than the logic of greed) is that?
So, Toyota is really riding on a slippery slope of "reckless disregard." If they intentionally put sub-par tires on their cars (they used to put on Michelin tires) that put people's lives at risk, that is a reckless action on their part.
By the way, tires shredding is a different kind of experience. As the plies begin to separate (going 65 or so mph), it feels like you're going over the warning bumps they often put on highways where you have to slow down dramatically...for a curve, inspection station, etc. It was after one second of this, I realized something was wrong and started pulling off the highway on the left side (fortunately I was able to move into the left lane, since the right shoulder disappeared in front of us), when their was a huge "pop" as the plies completely separated. I've had tires pop before, but never due to shredding. They popped with no prior warning. But, even after that, the outer wall showed no indications of a complete circular puncture, like what was evident in the photo of this tire. Of course, I've seen such complete circular puncture in tires that have been ridden on after going flat, but I've never had that sort of thing happen. This was a complete deterioration of the integrity of the tire, which endangered me and my son and other travelers behind us on the highway.
- Jeff B., Phoenix, AZ, US