DUNLOP SP4000 TIRES Complaints

EXTREMELY RAPID TIRE WEAR ON DUNLOP RUN FLAT TIRES THAT WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA AWD VAN. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN ROTATED SEVERAL TIMES. AT LESS THAN 17,000 MILES AT LEAST ONE IS DOWN TO THE WEAR MARKERS. THE OTHERS ARE NOT FAR BEHIND. I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS ONGOING ISSUE FOR NEARLY ALL OWNERS OF THESE AWD VANS. THESE ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TOP OF THE LINE TIRES. NOW A DAYS 40,000 + MILES IS THE NORM! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT A $33,000+ VEHICLE IS SOLD LEGALLY WITH SUCH INFERIOR EQUIPMENT TIRES!. *JB

MY 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN WITH ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) HAS TIRES THAT HAVE WORN OUT VERY QUICKLY (LESS THAN 20,000 MILES) LEAVING MY MINIVAN WITH VERY DANGEROUS (BALD) TIRES. ALL TIRES MUST BE REPLACED AND IT WILL COST OVER $1,300. IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET REPLACEMENT TIRES AND A DEALER WITH EQUIPMENT TO CHANGE THE TIRES, FORCING OWNERS TO DRIVE ON BALD TIRES. THEY ARE TOO EXPENSIVE, TOO DIFFICULT TO REPLACE, AND I WAS NOT TOLD OF THIS WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. *JB

MY 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA LE AWD HAS JUST 7,000 MILES ON IT. RECENTLY TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A REGULAR SERVICE AND REQUESTED THAT THEY LOOK AT THE TIRES AS I WAS EXPERIENCING VIBRATION WHEN DRIVING. DEALERSHIP SAID THAT ALL FOUR TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS THERE WAS CUPPING AND UNEVEN WEAR. THEY SUGGESTED THAT I CAUSED THIS PROBLEM BY DRIVING ON THE TIRES UNDER-INFLATED OR BY SOMEHOW NOT MAINTAINING THEM. HOWEVER, I AM METICULOUS ABOUT MAINTAINING MY VEHICLE AND I HAVE NOT NOTICED AT ANY TIME THAT THE PRESSURE WAS TOO LOW, AND NEVER AT ANY TIME DID THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING GO OFF. STILL HAGGLING WITH DEALERSHIP TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY WILL PAY TO REPLACE THEM, THOUGH I'M NOT SURE REPLACING THEM WILL DO MUCH GOOD IN ANOTHER 7,000 MILES. NO FAILURES, INJURIES, OR DEATHS TO REPORT,... YET. WITH THESE POORLY MADE, DEFECTIVE TIRES, IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. *JB

DT: CONTACT STATES: HE HAS PUT TWO NEW SETS OF TIRES ON HIS VEHICLE SINCE PURCHASING IT. THE ALIGNMENT ON THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN CHECKED. THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 16,463 MILES. THE SECOND SET HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 15,337 MILES. THE TIRE DEALER TOLD HIM THE TREAD WAS WEARING OUT AND EXPERIENCING PREMATURE TIRE FAILURE. *JB

MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA LIMITED AWD WITH DUNLOP RUNFLAT TIRES AS FACTORY EQUIPMENT. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 19,700 MILES ON THE VEHICLE AND HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY OUR DEALERSHIP THAT THE TIRES ARE WORN TO THE POINT THAT THEY ALL NEED TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. WE HAVE CONTACTED BOTH TOYOTA AND DUNLOP WITH NO ASSISTANCE FROM EITHER SOURCE TO DATE. IT IS A WELL KNOWN FACT, STATED ALL OVER THE INTERNET, THAT THERE ARE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THESE TIRES YET FOR SOME REASON NEITHER TOYOTA OR DUNLOP ARE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE FAULTY AND DANGEROUS TIRES ON THESE VEHICLES. APPARENTLY THEY ARE WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO BE INJURED OR KILLED BEFORE STEPPING FORWARD AND TAKING RESPONSIBILITY! *JB

OUR 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA HAS RUN-FLAT DUNLOP TIRES THAT ARE WEARING PREMATURELY AT AROUND 13000 MILES. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT SERVICES OUR CAR DOES NOT WANT TO ADMIT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES. THIS HAS PROLONGED OUR REPLACEMENT OF THE TIRES WHICH HAS PUT OUR FAMILY AT RISK FOR PERSONAL INJURY SHOULD THE TIRES FAIL SUDDENLY. WE SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE TIRES 1000 MILES AGO BUT DID NOT BECAUSE THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT TELL US THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AFTER 3 SERVICE VISITS FOR ISSUES RELATED TO THE TIRES(MOST LIKELY BECAUSE OF A FEAR THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO REPLACE THEM AT SUCH AN EARLY TIME). THIS IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM AND THESE TIRES NEED TO BE RECALLED BEFORE YOU START TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONAL INJURIES AND DEATHS. *JB

I PURCHASED A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA AWD XLE IN APRIL OF 2004 EQUIPPED WITH DUNLOP SP SPORT 4000 DSST RUN-FLAT TIRES. AFTER ONLY 8900 MILES ON THE VEHICLE I DISCOVERED I HAD A FLAT TIRE. I WAS TOLD BY TWO TIRE DEALERS THAT ALL FOUR TIRES NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO TREAD WEAR. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TIRE MODEL ON THE 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA AWD XLE. TOYOTA'S RESPONSE HAS BEEN THAT THE TIRES ARE WARRANTED THROUGH THE MANUFACTURER AND THAT I NEED TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. THE LOCAL AUTHORIZED DUNLOP DEALER HAS OFFERED TO REPLACE THE TIRES AT $60/EA PLUS $15 INSTALLATION/EA. HOWEVER, I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING ON THESE TIRES AFTER READING ALL THE INCIDENCES OF TIRE FAILURE. TOYOTA IS SUGGESTING AS AN OPTION THAT I CONVERT TO REGULAR/CONVENTIONAL TIRES, WHICH WOULD ALSO MEAN CONVERTING THE VEHICLE TO CARRY A SPARE AND LOSE THE SPACE FOR THE SEVENTH PASSENGER (THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY NOT SET UP TO CARRY A SPARE). I DON'T KNOW YET HOW MUCH THIS IS GOING TO COST ME OR IF TOYOTA WILL COVER ALL OR SOME OF THE COST. THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION SHOULD INVESTIGATE AND DETERMINE WHETHER THE DUNLOP SP SPORT 4000 DSST TIRES ARE SAFE OR WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE RECALLED. *JB

TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY- MULTIPLE TIMES CONCERNS OF BLOWOUT. PREMATURE/UNEVEN TIRE WEAR ON RUN FLAT TIRES. SELF MONITORING OF AIR PRESSURE AND REPLACEMENT OF TIRES. *NM

DT: 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THE TIRES TREAD WORE AT A VERY LOW MILEAGE. THESE WERE THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. THE TIRES HAVE NOT BEEN REPLACED AT THIS TIME. THERE IS APPROXIMATELY 21,050 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. THESE ARE DUNLOP, SP4000T DSST. THE CONTACT NOTICED THE WEAR ON THE TIRE LAST WEEK, OCTOBER 11, 2005, WHEN THE TIRES WERE GETTING THEIR THIRD ROTATION. *AK

2004 TOYOTA SIENNA LIMITED AWD WITH DUNLAP RUN FLAT TIRES. VEHICLE IS 18 MONTHS OLD WITH 16,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HAVE HARD RIDE WITH INCREASE ROAD NOISE. TAKEN TO LOCAL TIRE CENTER, 2 TIRES TREAD WORN OFF, THE OTHER 2 SIGNIFICANTLY WORN. ADVISED THAT THE TIRES WERE DANGEROUS TO CONT TO DRIVE ON. COST TO REPLACE TIRES APPROX $1300. NO SPARE TIRE IS PROVIDED, SINCE THE RUN FLATS ARE STANDARD EQUIPMENT. MUST THEN BUY THE SAME TIRE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. CONTACTED TOYOTA, THEY ARE UNWILLING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY, DUNLAP WAS WILLING TO PRORATE THE TIRES, BUT STILL OFFERS NO WARRANTY ON NEW TIRES. REVIEW OF THE INTERNET SHOWS THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT. I THINK THE RUN FLAT TIRES ARE A GOOD IDEA, BUT I DOUBT THEY WERE ACTUALLY TESTED TO BE SURE THAT THEY ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE. *NM