Six problems related to tire have been reported for the 2002 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Toyota Prius based on all problems reported for the 2002 Prius.
Tire thread separation occurred while driving at about 60-70 mph on the highway causing vehicle to weave nearly out of control. A collision was avoided by the driver. Damage to the fender, bumper and side marker lights on the front passenger side. Tire brand was bridgestone insignia 175/65r14 dot ic8i e20 1604 eq8r.
I got this vehicle in 2005 from my father. I have since then had to replace the tires of this car many times and I have always replaced them with the tires recommended for the car. Since this car is a hybrid, the car requires tires made to withstand the weight of the car battery and therefore they cost 100 dollars or more per tire depending on where you purchase them from. The incident date listed is my most recent tire failure.
2002 Prius has had numerous problems with tires having to be replaced or repaired. The consumer has had to replaced 6 tires and has had 3 tires repaired. The tire on the vehicle are special tire and can only be purchased at a Toyota dealer.
Several months ago I had a blow out on my left rear tire. Those things happen- so I replaced the tire, glad that there were no injuries or damage. Two weeks ago the same thing happened on the left front. Whn I went to the dealer I was advised to keep the tires inflated to 45lbs though the owner's manual (on my 2002 Prius) advised inflating to only 35lbs. The dealer said that they found that 45lbs allowed better wear and avoided the blow-outs. Owners should be advised of this and given replacement tires with an adjustment for wear. I was outraged that Toyota had this information and essentially sat on it. On the 2004 Prius (which we also own) the tire is larger and thus the "problem" has been corrected by Toyota. . . Except that owners of 2002 Prius's are driving around on tire that literally blow up.
While driving, the consumer noticed a noise was coming from the front end. The first failure of the front tires was July 2,2003 at 20624 miles. New replacement tires were put on the rear. The old tires were moved to the front. The front tires failed Sep 27 2003. Took vehicle to dealership and the consumer was informed by the mechanic that the tires wore out badly on the inside and would need to be replaced. Tire size p175/65r14xl. The vehicle jerked when started. No problem found.
Premature tire wear.