New car tire problems

[Ale-8(1)]

My wife bought a brand new 2024 Toyota Rav4 eight months ago. It now has a little over 5000 miles on it. She really likes the car.

It developed a rather nasty front-end shudder/vibration and she took it back to her dealer who attempted to re-balance the front tires. One of them wouldn't balance no matter what they tried. They told her the tire was defective, possibly cord/tread separation, and that she'd have to take it up with Firestone, the manufacturer. She had them move the bad tire to the rear, for which they charged her twenty bucks. She then took the car to a local Firestone dealer who told her they don't do warranty on tires unless they sold them to you . . . they don't cover tires that come on new vehicles.

Way back when, I ran into the very same thing with the then-new Firestone Wide Ovals that came on my 1967 Mustang . . . cord/tread separation. Long story short, I created such a nuisance of myself in our very small town that the Firestone guy eventually replaced all four of them, but I was on his crap list forever after.

Is there a solution for this these days? Personally, I think Firestone ought to be responsible for new-car tires.

 

[Dan in MI]

That should be a dealer issue.

 

[Jim Walsh]

My last new car was a 2021 that had a 36,000 mile "bumper to bumper" warranty. I would have thought a Toyota would have something similar. Regardless, in my new owners paperwork is a tire warranty from the tire manufacturer which applies once past the bumper to bumper new car warranty. Surprised you don't have the same.

 

[WAYNO]

Tires are on a separate warranty than the car itself. There will be inserts with the owners manual, outlining the tire company responsibilities. Or their lack of responsibility.

I have had failures on relatively new tires on a new vehicle, and I never have received any help whatsoever from the tire manufacturer.

 

[hittman]

Where's GasGuzzler when you need him?

 

[Jeepnik]

Contact the regional sale folks. Heck usually if you just tell the dealer to give you their contact info a "senior service writer" will authorize the repair.

But, did they road balance the tire/rim. Did the remove the tire and check the rim for being out of true.

 

[eveled]

Doesn't sound safe to be on the rear either.

 

[GypsmJim]

Tires are a Tire Company issue, not the auto manufacturer. All the warranty papers so state.

I only had a bad tire on a new car ONCE. I went to the tire dealer. They checked the car mileage, verified I was the first owner, verified it was under warranty, and they gave me a new tire post haste.

If your tire dealer did not do as they should, you need to file a complaint with the BBB, and the tire manufacturer.

You got screwed. The dealer you went to should be fined. It's their responsibility whether they sold it to you or not.

 

[GypsmJim]

Doesn't sound safe to be on the rear either.

It's OK as a temporary expedient until the tire is replaced. Sometimes things take time for the goon to contact the manufacturer and validate the job.

 

[eveled]

I wouldn't take any highway trips on it. Especially if my wife and kids were in the car.

I'd pay to replace the tire then look for reimbursement after.

 

[bedfordboy]

Firestone pretty much says it all, I remember all the Ford Exploders having that exact issue all the way back to the 90's, guess some things haven't changed.
My 2024 Silverado came with Goodyear's which I'm not a fan but I'll leave them on there until they wear out and then I'll get Michelin's. Tires are definitely one of those things that you get what you pay for.
If it was me I wouldn't have bought the car until the dealer changed the tires… Firestone's are a piece of crap IMHO
"That's about all I've got to say about that"

 

[DGW1949]

I got bit by a set of Firestone tires back in the 60's and haven't bought one since.

DGW

 

[bigbillyboy]

My opinion , the dealer should have went ahead and replaced it just out of goodwill .

 

[ArizonaTea123]

From my experience, many manufacturers put the most basic cheap tire they can legally install on a new car.
I bought a brand new Toyota RAV4 in 2008, and the factory tires were almost bald at 35,000 miles.
Same thing, dealer said not their problem.
I contacted Dunlap and was told that was normal wear on "that particular tire"
So Toyota put soft sticky tires on the RAV4 for better handling but soft compounds wear out faster.

 

[Cholo]

She had them move the bad tire to the rear, for which they charged her twenty bucks.

Good grief, what poor customer service to be so petty and charge you $20 on a brand new car!

 

[Justice B. Swift]

I would give a hard push for the Dealer to make good on their product. If no luck then take it straight to Toyota Customer Service, along with a bash on the selling dealer and a promise to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and see if you can "inspire them." If that doesn't do it, then replace them out of pocket and be thankful that no injury resulted. Back in 1999 we bought a new Ford Explorer (Exploder) with the faulty Firestones. Ford blamed Firestone. Firestone blamed ford. Nobody wanted to own it, and endure the cost. I valued the life of my wife and children, so with no warranty resolution I made the choice to replace them with Michelin ATX, keeping the Firestones just in case. Later when Ford eventually stepped up on the replacement I hand delivered the "take-off" Firestones, which they refused to take. They PIAD me for them, but didn't physically want the tires. I asked if they wouldn't want to destroy them and was told 'no, we just want the D.O.T. number. After receiving their check I asked what would keep me from reselling them? Their reply was "NOTHING, GO AHEAD." So much for safety! I cut them up with a Sawz-All.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Direct quote from the Toyota WARRANTY AND MAINTENANCE GUIDE FOR THE 2024 RAV4 HYBRID, Tire Limited Warranty . . .

All tires supplied as original equipment on new Toyota vehicles are warranted by the individual tire manufacturer only, and not Toyota. Coverages by individual tire manufacturers may vary.

The terms of the tire manufacturers' warranty can be obtained from the tire manufacturers' websites. If you wish to obtain a hard copy of the warranty terms, please contact the tire manufacturer directly.

They do provide contact info for Bridgestone/Firestone.

Still trying to review Firestone's position, but they claim no responsibility for new vehicles' tires in certain cases.

 

[roylt]

20 bucks just to move the tire. Way to kick you when you were down. That dealer wouldn't be getting much more business from me.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Obviously the OP has made it past some of my advice but I relied as if I were first to do so in case anyone needed the info later.

Where's GasGuzzler when you need him?

I come here in the mornings only on week days.

I cannot speak to Toyota specifically but usually issues like this are industry wide.

First I'd go to the dealer and demand a refund of $20 for moving a tire front to rear. That kind of work is generally done by an hourly employee and there is no cost loss for such a menial task. Second, I would have a discussion with the sales manager at minimum and the GM if needed on the lack of help ... ASSuming this is the dealer from whom you bought the vehicle. If not, they really don't have an obligation if Toyota doesn't warrant tires for Firestone.

That's the next issue. Technically the tires are warranted by the tire manufacturer and there is a booklet thrown in with the other papers. In GM's case though, a dealer can use the GM warranty to replace defective tires (not road hazard or wear). This is something that changed around 1998-2000. Before that, you were on your own. Study the new vehicle warranty disclosure for detailed info.

The dealer still needs chewed out. They should at least help you to a solution even if they cannot do it themselves. Leave the local tire shop alone. They cannot do it. If you need to go through the manufacturer, it needs to be on the wholesale level through their customer service, not an independent franchise.

Good luck. Should be a simple process but people are making it tougher.

I would give a hard push for the Dealer to make good on their product.

It's not the dealer's product. It's Firestone's product installed on Toyota's product.

 

[David Lee Valdina]

When you are buying a car from a dealer, you can ask for the tire you want. In some cases, no additional charge. Other cases, a nominal charge. You do that before you sign. The sales department will be your friend, they want the sale and the commission.