TOYO OPEN COUNTRY A/T TIRES Complaints

2011 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH LESS THAN 13K MILES HAS TIRES WITH VERY LITTLE TREAD LEFT ON THEM. WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA TECH THAT IT NEEDS NEW TIRES. LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD AND THE TIRES ARE BALDING. THIS POSES A SAFETY HAZARD AND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. *TR

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 19" RIMS WITH TOYO OPEN COUNTRY A20 TIRES ARE VERY UNSAFE. THIS TIRE/WHEEL COMBINATION WAS STANDARD ON 2008/09 LIMITED AND SPORT HIGHLANDERS. MY 2009 HIGHLANDER WOULD SLIP ALL OVER THE PLACE IN WINTER DRIVING. BY FAR THE WORST WINTER VEHICLE I EVER OWNED AND I'VE OWNED PLENTY THAT WERE NOT ALL-WHEEL DRIVE. LUCKILY THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM IS GOOD AND SAVED ME FROM SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. TOYOTA USED VERY LARGE 19" RIMS AND PERFORMANCE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. THE TIRES WERE WORN OUT AFTER 18 MONTHS AND 21,000 MILES. WHY TOYOTA THOUGHT BIG WHEELS AND PERFORMANCE TIRES WERE IMPORTANT TO AN SUV PURCHASER IS BEYOND ME. TOYOTA ALSO REFUSES TO STAND BEHIND THEIR SAFETY DEFECT (NOT TO MENTION THE TIRES ONLY LASTED 21,000 MILES). I PURCHASED 17" RIMS ON MY OWN AND TOYO PROVIDED CREDIT FOR 2 OF THE 4 NEW OPEN COUNTRY HT TIRES AND THE SUV IS NOW MUCH SAFER - IT NO LONGER FEELS LIKE I AM RIDING ON ROLLER SKATES! *TR

THE TIRES ON MY 2009 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THE SNOW EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AN ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE. *TR

THIS REPORT CONCERNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED THAT WAS PURCHASED NEW AS A DEALER LEFTOVER. THE VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 20,000 MILES AND THE TOYO OPEN COUNTRY A20 TIRES ARE SHREDDING AND HAVE PIECES OF THE TREAD MISSING. THIS IS ON ALL FOUR TIRES. THE TIRES ARE P245/55R19 WITH A DOT NUMBER CXHH-DK80508. I HAVE NOT YET CONTACTED TOYO, HOWEVER FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS NOTED, IT DOES NOT SEEM THAT THE MANUFACTURER WILL WILLINGLY ACCEPT THE DEFECT OF PREMATURE WEAR OF THIS TIRE. THE TIRE SIZE IS UNIQUE, WHICH CAUSES THE REPLACEMENT COST TO BE MUCH HIGHER THAN MORE STANDARD SIZES. *TR

TOYO OPEN COUNTRY A20 TIRES 245/55/19 WHICH CAME AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WORE SIGNIFICANTLY AND PREMATURELY. AT 18000 MILES THESE TIRES WERE WORN NEARLY TO THE WEAR BARS RESULTING IN EXTREMELY POOR WET AND SNOW TRACTION LEADING TO SLIDING AND HYDROPLANING. THE TREAD ALSO BEGAN TO PEEL ON ONE TIRE. I DID NOT NOTICE THE WEAR UNTIL IT WAS POINTED OUT BY A MECHANIC AS THEY LOOKED GOOD FROM A DISTANCE AND I DIDN'T THINK TO CHECK THE TREAD ON A 60,000 MILE WARRANTY TIRE AT ONLY 18000 MILES. TOYOTA STATES THAT THIS IS NORMAL WEAR AND TOYO DOES NOT HONOR A MILEAGE WARRANTY ON OEM TIRES. THESE ARE DANGEROUS TIRE AS THEY WERE SOLD ON ONE OF THE BEST SELLING FAMILY VEHICLES IN THE INDUSTRY AND COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ESPECIALLY COMING INTO THE WINTER MONTHS AS OWNERS OF LOW MILEAGE VEHICLES MAY NOT REALIZE THAT THE TIRES ARE ACTUALLY COMPLETE WORN OUT ALREADY. *TR

TIRE FALLING APART AND FLAKING INCLUDING PREMATURE WEARING ON FACTORY OEM TOYO OPEN COUNTRY 245-55X19 A20 TIRES WHICH WERE ON MY 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER PURCHASE BRAND NEW ON JUL 2008. APPROXIMATE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 20,195. ALL TIRES ARE SHOWING THE SAME ABNORMAL WEAR AS VERIFIED BY TOYOTA DEALER. THERE ARE NUMEROUS ONLINE COMPLAINTS OF SIMILAR OWNERS WITH PICTURES OF THE UNUSUAL WEARING. MINE ARE WORSE THAN ARE DESCRIBED AS CONCURRED BY TOYOTA SERVICE ADVISORS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER EQUIPPED WITH TOYO OPEN COUNTRY AT TIRES, SIZE P245/55R19. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WERE CHIPPING AWAY ON THE SHOULDER OF THE INSIDE. WHILE DRIVIGN 35 MPH, THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE TIRES WERE INSPECTED AND THE CHIPPING WAS DISCOVERED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE TIRE MANUFACTURER WHO ADVISED HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THEIR TIRE DEALER. THE CONTACT DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WITH THE DEFECTIVE TIRES. THE TIRES HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 28,000.

GREETINGS. I AM WRITING TO YOU REGARDING MY 2008 HIGHLANDER SPORT, SERIAL NUMBER [XXX]. SPECIFICALLY, I AM WRITING ABOUT THE OEM TIRES, TOYO OPEN COUNTRY, DOT CXHH, DK82508. AS OF TODAY, I HAVE 23, 897 MILES ON THE VEHICLE; AND THE TIRES ARE COMPLETELY WORN OUT TO A POINT BELOW THE WEAR BARS, WHICH INDICATES THAT THEY MUST BE REPLACED NOW. WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN OCTOBER 2008, I PURCHASED THE TOYOTA MAINTENANCE PROGRAM, SO THE TIRES ARE ROTATED AND BALANCED (IF NECESSARY) EVERY 5,000 MILES WHEN I ALSO CHANGE THE OIL. I AM A 46 YEAR OLD FATHER OF THREE SMALL CHILDREN, WITH NO MOVING VIOLATIONS, TICKETS OR ACCIDENTS. I TELL YOU THIS ABOUT MY LIFE TO INDICATE THE TYPE OF CONSERVATIVE DRIVER THAT I AM. I HAVE CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE AND HAVE IDENTIFIED THE LOWEST PRICE FOR A SET OF FOUR TIRES AT $759.88, WHICH WILL ACTUALLY MORE EXPENSIVE DURING THE BUY DUE TO THE TPMS SYSTEM, THE NECESSITY FOR AN ALIGNMENT WHEN REPLACING FOUR TIRES, AND TAX. I REALIZE THAT TIRE REPLACEMENT IS JUST ONE PART OF THE OVERALL MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENT FOR A VEHICLE. HOWEVER, TIRES ON A $33,000 VEHICLE SHOULD PROVIDE FAR MORE MILEAGE THAN 24,000 MILES. IN FACT, IF YOU HAVE THE TIME-I INVITE YOU TO GO THE BLOG TITLED TOYOTA NATION, WHERE ALL OF THE WRITERS CONSISTENTLY MAKE DISPARAGING REMARKS ABOUT TOYOTA?S CHEAP TIRE SELECTION. SO MUCH IN FACT, WRITERS DISCUSS VARIOUS METHODS FOR OVERCOMING THE BURDEN OF FINDING A SUITABLE, WELL-PRICED REPLACEMENT WHEN THERE ARE ONLY THREE COMPANIES WHO MAKE THE 245/55-R19. THOSE COMPANIES ARE TOYO, BRIDGESTONE AND HANKOOK. MOST WRITERS CONVERT TO A LARGER TIRE OR A SMALLER TIRE WITH NEW WHEELS, WHICH OF COURSE AFFECTS NOT ONLY THE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER READINGS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY PERFORMANCE AND POSSIBLY SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID EQUIPPED WITH TOYO OPEN COUNTRY A20 TIRES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE NOTICED THAT THREE OF THE ORIGINAL TIRES (EXCLUDING THE FRONT PASSENGER BY ANOTHER TIRE MANUFACTURER) ON THE VEHICLE WERE BEGINNING TO SHRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT SEEMED AS IF SOMEONE TOOK A "CHEESE GRATER" TO THE TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE OR THE TIRES; THEY DID STATE THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE TWO OF THE TIRES. THE CONTACT HAD NOT SPOKEN WITH THE MANUFACTURER AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 22,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 21,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER EQUIPPED WITH TOYO OPEN COUNTRY TIRES, SIZE P245/55/R19. THE CONTACT STATED ALL 4 TIRES ON THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING THE SPARE, EXHIBITED TREAD SEPARATION. THE DEALER PERFORMED AN ALIGNMENT YET THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE AND TIRE MANUFACTURERS WERE CONTACTED AND NEITHER WOULD PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 27,000.