Particularly, many members have written to us regarding the all-wheel-drive vehicles that feature 17-inch run-flat tires as standard equipment. The issue appears to be that these quickly degrading tires normally only last 18,000 to 20,000 miles. For some owners, getting new tires for their Siennas is an annual expense. In addition, many of our subscribers report that it costs over $1,000 to replace a set of four of these tires. Only the Bridgestone and Dunlop original equipment model is available as a replacement. Both appear to deteriorate quickly. Owners dislike having to replace tires frequently and paying a hefty price to do so.
The two tire vendors are aware of the issue. For certain owners, Bridgestone has at least prorated the cost of the original equipment tires. A lot of angry owners claim that the Toyota dealers are also well aware of the issue. We bet that topic is never brought up when a new Sienna is being sold. Owners are dissatisfied with the Toyota Motor Company’s and their dealers’ inaction. Even CR’s correspondence with Toyota was met with silence. Oddly, Toyota now sells a spare tire kit that fits under one of the back seats to customers who choose to replace those pricey and quickly depreciating run-flat tires with regular tires. The third-row seat must be removed in order to install the temporary spare tire and accessories, according to our neighborhood Toyota dealer, who quoted a cost of $900 for the entire package (individual parts are offered individually). One drawback: We’re not sure whether traditional tires will wear any more efficiently. Yes, they cost less and there are more models available, but you must compare that to the price of the extra spare tire package.
What ought you to do? Sadly, Toyota is acting in a very un-Toyota-like manner. Owners of Siennas that we spoke with expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s lack of response to their complaints and the short tire life, which contrasts with the Sienna’s excellent owner satisfaction ratings in CR’s Annual Survey. If you own a Sienna AWD, you might want to visit our forum to interact with other owners and learn more. You can find more information by searching Google for other forum sites. We are aware of at least one class action lawsuit.
One suggestion that we feel is essential is to regularly check your tires to ensure that they are properly inflated (low pressure may cause the tires to wear out even more quickly), and to replace them when necessary. Some owners risk sacrificing the tires’ winter and wet traction by trying to get every last mile out of them.
In either case, we believe Toyota has satisfied Sienna owners by introducing run-flat tires.
Are run-flat tires used on Toyota Siennas?
The latest third generation Run-Flat technology, which provide improved ride comfort when compared to older versions of Bridgestone Run-Flat tires, are installed in the Toyota Sienna AWD for the first time ever.