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23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
* Does the Sienna normally come with a full sized spare tire or a bicycle tire?
* The manual says to access the tire lowering mechanism from the back of the van. The carpet appears to be very securely fastened. Does it in fact get pulled up to access the tire lowering mechanism?
* My Low Tire Pressure indicator light is keeps coming on yet the mounted tires are fine. Would a low spare cause this problem?
Thank you for any insights you can give
My light is on also (2010 Sienna AWD) but that is because I am using winter rims & snow tires and even though I bought additional sensors, I didn't realize they had to be programmed at the dealership every time I switched tires (2x per year in Vermont at the cost of $75 each time). Due to the cost, I am just "living with" the light being on all winter.
If you just purchased the car, was the light on when you bought the car?
For a couple of years before that I think they used the ABS-style TPMS, i.e. they measured wheel speeds to see if there was a variance in pressure.
In 2007 each wheel got an actual sensor.
That should mean no issues with wheel swaps 2006 and prior.
If they did that, it's probably because it didn't fit under the car.
I believe the newer Chrysler minivans with Sto-n-Go are different. For sure, on the new 5th gen T&C, the spare is located under the front of the van between the front seats and it is a baby spare, even for those with the towing package. In that case, the full-size tire just removed from the vehicle would not fit back in the opening and, as Ateixeira says, will need to be stowed somewhere else.
Also, be sure to note the orientation of the spare tire as you are lowering it out of the opening in the rear. Life will be easier if you remember it when cranking the tire back up. IIRC, the fancy side of the wheel seen publicly faces up. Tighten it snug, but don't over do it.
One final thought. It's a good idea to exercise the spare tire cable once every year or two and lower it enough so you can spray some lubricant on it. There have been incidents where the spare tire would fall out after the cable broke due to corrosion. I'd recommend performing this little task now while, at the same time, practicing what needs to be done in case of a flat tire on this vehicle. All the best. -Ken
Would AWD suffice or do I need snow tires for buffalo NY?
If you up-size I'd get those, since your 2004 is similar to the 2010.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i3CZPJXvtZZ46SY9bcMupivluKswD9- F4M7TG4
Toyota recalls 600,000 Sienna minivans
By KEN THOMAS (AP) – 2 hours ago
WASHINGTON — As congressional investigators dig further into potential electronic problems in runaway Toyotas, the automaker is facing other safety concerns, recalling 600,000 Sienna minivans over rusting spare tire holders.
The recall Friday came as House investigators said they would hold another hearing in May to review possible electronic problems in runaway Toyotas. The Japanese automaker has recalled more than 8 million vehicles because of faulty accelerator pedals, humbling a car company long known for its quality and safety.
Company leaders vowed to respond quickly to the safety concerns.
Separately, Toyota said its engineers in Japan had duplicated the same results of tests that led Consumer Reports to issue a rare "don't buy" warning on the 2010 Lexus GX 460 over rollover concerns. Toyota responded by halting sales of new GX 460s and conducting tests on all of its SUVs.
Lexus spokesman Bill Kwong said the company was evaluating potential remedies for the GX 460 but it was "too early to speculate (on) the details of the remedy and its timing."
Toyota said its latest recall covered the 1998-2010 model year Siennas with two-wheel-drive that have been sold or registered in 20 cold-climate states and the District of Columbia. Toyota said rust from road salt could cause the carrier cable that holds the spare tire to rust and break, allowing the tire to tumble into the road. The problem could threaten the safety of other drivers.
Toyota said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it received six complaints of spare tires falling off Siennas.
The company said it was working on a fix. In the meantime, customers will receive a notice telling them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for an inspection.
The recall involves Siennas in the District of Columbia and the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Steve St. Angelo, Toyota's chief quality officer for North America, said the company was providing free inspections of the spare tire carrier cable across the nation, including states not included in the recall. Owners can call (800) 331-4331 for more information.
I should check to see if there's any rust on mine. MD uses plenty of salt, unfortunately.
Thought this would be a no-brainer and fixed without any issues. Having previously owned a Toyota Camry, and currently owning 2 Lexus ES sedans, I am extremely disappointed with Toyota Motor Corp.
Suggest you go to http://www.nuckleslaw.com/software-negotiations-expert/toyota-alloy-wheels-bubbl- ing-toyota-quality-concerns/
Someone started an independent posting at this site with pictures for people with bubbling rims. There are over 50 postings of problems with Toyota rims bubbling. Only one or two has Toyota stepped up and made an attempt to resolve.
In my own case, I was well within warranty (2005 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD) when I discovered it and brought it to the dealer and subsequently Toyota's attention in 2006, so warranty means nothing to Toyota. All they did was offer me two "free" rims if I paid over $900 for the other two. You'll find at the posting above that others that had rims replaced had the same problems with replacements, and it includes Lexus. I ended up paying $500 to have all four rims refinished. I have had no problems with the refinished rims. They have gone through a winter, less cleaning than we performed when new, and hold up to rim cleaning products when we do wash the van so the problem is with the Toyota materials or process.
Also, thanks for reporting that update.
Can I replace the AWD tires with regular tires and risk driving around w/o a spare? Would this actually improve the ride on the car??? I I replaced the RFTs with regular tires, would this NEGATE my extended 100K warranty that I purchased when I purchased the car? Is driving around w/o a spare a crazy thing to do?
Any suggestions on what to do, tire suggestions -- anything would be helpful.
Thanks very much.
I don't see how it would affect the warranty, perhaps with the exception of the wheels themselves and maybe the suspension components like the shocks, but even that's a stretch.
Which would you recommend:
TOYO EXTENSA
or
YOKOHAMA AVID TOURING S
Thanks.
Has anybody had good or bad experience driving the LTD with these tires in the snow??
Thanks for the info.
Tire rack link:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+RS-A&p- artnum=355VR8RSA&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Toyota&autoYear=20- 11&autoModel=Sienna FWD&autoModClar=Limited
I am happy with the service. We still don't know what the root cause of the problem was, or if the paint job on the new wheels will hold up. Time will tell, but this problem seems to have affected mostly the Sienna 17" mag allow wheels and not those with other styles on other models.
Not only would you get a new set of rims (15" vs 16"), the total radius is too small (13.9" vs 13.1") and would make your speedometer and odometer inaccurate and cause the engine, transmission and traction control computers to have problems.
A quick tutorial of what the numbers in the tire size mean for 215/70/r16:
215= width of tire in millimeters
70 = ratio of sidewall height to width, meaning the tire's side wall is 70% the dimension of the width or 0.7*215=150.5mm
r16 = radial tire to fit a rim 16" in diameter
A good place to look to experiment with sizes of tires to work without messing up the total combination radius :http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
I am an automotive engineer with some experience in axle and suspension designs. Aside from the quality of the materials in the tires and the tire production processes, there are several factors in the adjustments of the suspension system and wheel alignments that can cause tires to fail prematurely. What does your dealer say about your suspension and wheel alignments?
Does anyone have any feedback on the tire wear for the 2011 AWD Sienna? Did they make any changes to improve the premature wear?
Fred in California
We are getting ready to get our 2004 Sienna XLE Limited AWD its 4th set of tires (~82,000 miles). I just dropped you an email. :-)