NHTSA Complaint #10761931 — 2012 TOYOTA SIENNA

I OWN A 2012 SIENNA WITH APPROXIMATELY 34,000 MILES. THE WHEELS ARE ALUMINUM, AND THE TIRES HAVE ALL RECEIVED ROUTINE ROTATIONS AT THE DEALERSHIP, AND TIRE REPAIRS AT THE LOCAL TIRE DEALER, ALL OF WHICH INVOLVED THE USE OF AIR DRIVEN IMPACT WRENCHES. IMPACT WRENCHES HAVE DAMAGED THE TWO PIECE CHROME PLATED PROTECTIVE COVERING ON MOST OF THE LUG NUTS ON MY WHEELS TO THE POINT THAT THEY LITERALLY CANNOT BE REMOVED OR REINSTALLED USING THE FACTORY SUPPLIED LUG WRENCH. THE WRENCH NO LONGER FITS THE DAMAGED LUG NUTS. TWICE RECENTLY I HAVE HAD FLATS, REQUIRING THE USE OF THE FACTORY SUPPLIED LUG WRENCH TO REMOVE THE FLAT AND INSTALL THE SPARE. THIS TASK WAS IMPOSSIBLE BOTH TIMES BECAUSE OF EXISTING DISFIGUREMENT TO ONE OR MORE OF THE LUG NUTS ON THE WHEELS INVOLVED. I HAD TO GET HELP FROM TIRE SHOPS BOTH TIMES TO CHANGE MY TIRES. FORTUNATELY BOTH TIMES HELP WAS AVAILABLE, BUT WITHOUT SUCH HELP, A SIMPLE FLAT TIRE CAN STRAND MOTORISTS, SUBJECTING THEM TO EXTREME SAFETY HAZARDS WITH TERRIBLE POTENTIAL SAFETY CONSEQUENCES. ONCE REMOVED, LUG NUTS CANNOT BE RELIABLY RETIGHTENED.