2005 Toyota Prius: tire blowout or tread separation

Filed Oct 23, 2014 · Tires · CA

I purchased four new hifly hf201 tires, size 185/65r15, on september 5, 2014. On october 21, 2014, the front driver's side tire blew out while I was driving home on the freeway. There were a number of holes -- one as large as a baseball -- along the outer sidewall of the tire. As previously stated, the tires were a little over one month old, were purchased new, and were professional installed. I drive a lot for my work and have two kids, who are often in the car with me. My daughter is about to get her license and will be driving my car, and I'm very concerned about the safety of these tires. The dealer who sold me the tires gave me a new tire, free of charge, to replace the one that failed, but I have little confidence in these tires. I have been driving since I was 16 (I'm now 52) and I have never seen a tire fail like this one did. I'm filing this complaint because I don't believe these tires are safe and don't want to see anyone get hurt. Thank you, and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Filed Feb 5, 2014 · Tires · 103,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius equipped with bridgestone/firestone insignia se200 all season tires, size: p185/65r 15 86t. The contact stated she was driving 30 MPH when she heard a flapping noise coming from the rear passenger's side tire. The contact checked the tire and discovered that the tire was deflated and the side wall was split. The contact took the tire to a tire shop where they provided her with a replacement tire. The tire failure mileage was 3,500. The vehicle failure mileage was 103,000.

Filed Jun 10, 2009 · Suspension · 79,044 miles · IN

I recently had a michelin tire separate on the rear of my 05 toyota prius. Tire ware has been a continual problem. I discarded the original tires at 40k miles, they were too cupped to rotate and too dangerous to use. There was a lot of tread left on the tire, at least half, but cupping gave intolerable vibration. I had michelin tires installed and had the alignment checked. The alignment was not perfect but was within spec. The michelin separated about 40k miles later and was replaced before it failed. The tread separation caused a total loss of tread in one line at a diagonal across the tire tread. Luckily I had gone in for rotation when they discovered the problem. The extreme tire ware causes noise and vibration. I have been in touch with the dealership throughout my ownership of the prius which I bough new. I have requested technical bulletins but none have ever been available. The dealer has never acknowledged that the prius has a problem but it has been documented in online computer sites. The dealer just keeps suggesting that I rotate the tires more frequently. With my past cars I have never had a cupping problem even with rotation and with the prius since it is within alignment spec, it should not wear tires like it does. Anyone who does not rotate and change tires frequently on the prius is looking for a blowout.

Filed Aug 20, 2008 · Tires · 12,000 miles · CA

I purchased a 2005 toyota prius and drove it for 12,00 miles at which time the tires were completely wore out. When I went in to toyota and pointed this out they replaced the tires because the car was still under warranty. I take my car in for the scheduled services recommended by toyota. To date my car has 25,000 miles and I am experiencing the same problems with the tires. Therefore the tires only have 13,000 miles wear. I called toyota and spoke to the head manager who indicated that the prius cars have this problem because of the battery and toyota is aware of this. If they are aware of this problem, why do they use the goodyear tires which wear out so quickly? I have also read on the internet of other prius owners experiencing the same problem with the tires and having blow outs on freeways, etc. I think there should be a safety recall on toyota prius tires since upon reading information on the internet there have been a multitude of owners who have experience the same problem as I. They should put safer tires on the car since they are aware of this situation.

Filed May 3, 2006 · Tires · 14,000 miles · NY

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the mechanic noticed a tread separation problem on the front driver side tire. The contact was referred to the tire dealer and upon inspection the tire dealer determined the tread separation was related to impact damage. But, the vehicle was never involved in an accident or other type of impact. The tires had been regularly rotated every five thousand miles as recommended by the manufacturer. The tire was replaced with a like tire by the tire dealer. The failed tire was a good year, integrity, p185/65/r15.

Filed May 2, 2006 · Acceleration, Electrical · 8,063 miles · WI

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle stalled on two separate occasions. The first time it occurred was on april 7th while driving at a steady speed of 25mph. The second time it occurred was on april 21st while driving at a steady speed of 5-15 MPH. All the warning lights illuminated and the vehicle was pulled over. Once pulled over, the vehicle would not go back into the drive position. Afterwards, it stalled and would not restart. The stalling occurred 3-5 minutes after it was pulled over. The vehicle was towed to the dealership both times. The first time the dealer replaced the entire transmission. The second time the dealer replaced the inverter. On april 23rd while driving the dash board lights became inoperable including the speedometer, and the gear indicator. The contact alerted the dealership by phone who explained the problem was likely the circuit board and it was okay to continue driving the vehicle. Afterwards, the vehicle began to blow out hot and cold air and the dealership was alerted again which explained it was okay to continue driving. Shortly after it began to rain, the wipers were turned on, and the dash lights became inoperable once again. The vehicle is scheduled for inspection on monday may 8th.