Tire Tread/belt problems of the 2001 Toyota Prius

Consumer inspected the tires and the belts wore into the steel. Tires were replaced on the front four times. Vehicle was aligned several times but the tires continued to wear. They were replaced with the same make/model tire.

6/2001 Prius; mileage ~20,000; bridgestone potenza 175/65/r14rx original tires; while driving approximately 40 mph on surface streets, rear right passenger tread separated from the tire. Dealer recommended going to tire vendor for warrantee replacement. Plan to pursue issue with Toyota.

Potenza 175/65/r14xl (oem tires) which are specifically made for the Prius, wear quickly and on the edges. This resulted in my tire tread having a 1/32 rating, while the middle of the tire still had a long life left. When making sharp turns at low speeds (especially when the car is cold), the steering wheel will vibrate (sometimes audibly, sometimes not). Were this to happen at even a slightly higher speed, accidents may occur. This problem has become more frequent in the last few weeks. It now occurs at least every other day.

While traveling about 70mph on the highway without prior warning the driver side front tread separated from the vehicle. The tire bridgestone potenxa re92 175/65r14. Dealer is aware of problem. This is the correct tire 175/65r14 xl845.

The tires on our 2001 Prius continually fail after about 15,000 miles. We have had state inspections fail because of tread wear, refused service at bridgestone dealers because of tread wear. With less than 50k miles we are working on the third set of tires. We check pressure and rotate our tires regularly. Since Toyota claims there are no replacements and no tread wear warranties, we think the car should no longer be allowed on the us market.

Consumer took vehicle to a shop for a routine check up and mechanic inspected front tires, and noticed that on both tires tread began to separate. They were bridge stone/ firestone tires. Dealership was aware of problem.