| Issue ID | 694722 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10243606 |
| Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
| Brand | TOYOTA |
| Model | SIENNA |
| Model Year | 2008 |
| File date | 17/09/08 |
| Component | TIRES |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | My wife was making a low speed right turn from leeland road (rt lane) onto deacon rd (left lane) in stafford county virginia when she simultaneously heard an "explosion" and felt a jolt coming from the driver's side front wheel. There is no curb or other obstructions in the intersection but after the "explosion" she was startled and lost control slightly grazing the curb on deacon road before regaining control. She managed to pull off into a safe area; my two children (ages 9 & 7) were also in the vehicle. Upon visual inspection of the tire, it appears that a side wall failure occurred. The vehicle my wife was driving is a new 2008 toyota sienna that has michelin energy lx4 tires on it, approximate miles on the vehicle/tires was approximately 10,200. My wife contacted michelin that evening and reported the incident; she was instructed to take the tire to ntb who is an authorized dealer. Ntb refused to honor the warranty citing the tire was "road damage" after a naked eye visual inspection. The ntb store we went to did not have the tire in stock and referred us to their other store. Upon arrival, it was obvious the "road damage" assessment was phoned ahead and the "mechanic" also would not honor the michelin warranty and accused my wife of lying and hitting a curb. I ended up having to pay $198. 73 out of my own pocket just to get a new tire put on for my wife. I have the tire in question in my custody, i would not let the tire store keep it; i also have photos. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 10200 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | FREDERICKSBURG, VA |
| VIN pattern | 5TDZK23C88SXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 10 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |