NHTSA Complaint #770752 — 1999 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER

TIRES: THE TIRES DID NOT PHYSICALLY FAIL, HOWEVER AFTER ONLY 10,000 MILES, THEY WERE PRACTICALLY BALD - ALL 4. I REQUESTED THAT THE DEALER REPLACE THE TIRES WHICH THEY REFUSED TO DO ALTHOUGHT THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE TIRES WERE DANGEROUSLY WORN. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME "OFF THE RECORD" THAT THEY KNEW THIS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE - THAT THE TIRES WHICH CAME "STOCK" FROM THE FACTORY WERE IN FACT "TOO SMALL" TO BEAR THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. IN LIGHT OF THE SAFETY ISSUES REGARDING BRIDGESTONE?FIRESTONE AT THAT TIME, I ELECTED TO REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES AT MY COST. TAIL LIGHTS: THE TAILLIGHTS BEGAN FAILING VERY SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. WHENEVER I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER, THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS JUST A BURNED OUT LAMP WHICH WAS NOT COVERED BY MY WARRANTY. THIS HAS CONTINUED TO OCCUR AND NOW I DON'T EVEN BOTHER WITH THE DEALER. I HAVE NOTED NUMEROUS 4RUNNERS ON THE ROAD WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WHICH IS WHAT PROMPTED ME TO CHECK YOUR WEB SITE. AT ONE POINT THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP MENTIONED HIS SUPRISE THAT "THE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT DID NOT COME ON" WHEN THE LAMP WENT OUT. APPARENTLY THERE IS AN INDICATOR LIGHT THAT SHOULD ALERT THE DRIVER TO A BLOWN BULB...I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE AND MINE HAS GONE OUT 3 TIMES. NOW IT IS HABIT FOR ME TO CHECK MY TAIL LIGHTS WHENEVER I DRIVE AT NIGHT. BRAKES: ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED A SEVERE "SHUDDERING" OF THE CAR AND A LOUD "CLANKING" NOISE WHEN GOING FROM HIGH SPEED TO LOWER SPEED (NOT SUDDEN BRAKING) AS IN EXITING THE HIGHWAY . ONE TIME, THE CAR WAS SHUDDERING SO VIOLENTLY THAT IT JERKED INTO ANOTHER LANE. THE DEALER BASICALLY TOLD ME I WAS IMAGINING THINGS. THIS SHUDDERING HAS OCCURRED ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND EACH TIME I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. ONE TIME, THEY AGREED TO MANUALLY CHECK ALL 4 BRAKES - AT MY COST AND DECLARED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. I HESITATE TO DRIVE IN SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. TS