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Ongoing issue with loss in tire pressure

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by mfeubanks, Jan 30, 2015.

  1. mfeubanks

    mfeubanks Junior Member

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    I purchased my 2014 Prius v 11/29/2014. Drove it home, all good. About 2 weeks later, while driving down 231 in Alabama, tire pressure light goes off. 3 tires needed air. No dealer and no nitrogen available. So in goes air. One of the tires was at about 20psi. Only tire holding pressure was left front. (Less than 500 miles on car)

    After Christmas while returning home, lights go off again. Passenger tires needed air. Estimate mileage at about 1200, but not completely sure.

    I did not take the car on road trip again until this week. 360 miles out no problem, but on the return trip was a different story.
    On my home, I didn't take the interstate this time. I took the rural route home. And the sensors went off again. Oops. First station out of business (it had air pump, but would not have been working) neighboring station had no air. Next station that had air compressor visible was apparently just a bit to far. One tire went completely flat (and must be replaced) and another is at 25psi.

    At this point I'm right at 2 months into the new car, less than 2500 miles and every road trip has had the sensors go off with significant pressure loss.

    Toyota has not been able to identify any reason for the pressure loss other than temperature change, which is crap. Because it would be all 4 tires if that was the case.
    So Toyota is sending me of with a replacement tire (same brand, which I'm not going to name right now but would not be my choice). And I'm now going use this thread to document ongoing tire pressure and local temperature. Two of the tires I'm leaving have already demonstrated repeated loss of pressure. And i don't trust those tires.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    weird. can you define which tyre in each instance and how much pressure was lost? have you considered check the pressure everyday to try to determine what's happening?

    wait a second, temperature change? were they talking to bill belichick?:cool:

    i'm thinking that your tyres need remounting or new valves. they might be losing a small amount of pressure daily, but more at highway speed.
     
    #2 bisco, Jan 30, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
  3. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Leaky valve stems or seals with rims, and/or rim cracks or porosity?
     
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  4. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    Yeah...make sure Tom Brady gets nowhere near your Prius.
     
  5. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    He's already been there a couple of times from what I read...
     
  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    That's unusual P loss as per above may need to have Toyota check rims and re-mount tires.
     
  7. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    ..assuming you just didn't have the misfortune of 3 way FOD.

    This is a safety issue and they know it...so you need to document and squeaky wheel this one to Regional and Corporate. Worst case they fix them (all), best case you get 4 new tire/wheel assemblies to make you go away...and there's almost always a set of take-offs laying around at the dealerships if your willing. Be polite, but move fast and with authority on this one.
     
    #7 frodoz737, Jan 30, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2015
  8. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Huh...

    It IS a safety issue...so you really need to get to the bottom here.

    Strange though. As they say, it's not Rocket Science. Your tires are losing air. And you would think there would be a finite, or relatively easily to ascertain reason as to how.

    I'm assuming the dealership would check all the obvious things. Like the tires themselves being defective. Defective stems and valves, or improper seating with the rims.

    Which makes me oddly think that perhaps it is something that is ONLY manifesting when you drive the vehicle an extended period of time. So everything "appears" fine when the vehicle is stopped and not moving.

    Is it possible you have defective rims? That somehow are becoming unseated properly with the tires as the tires heat up and under the stress of operation?

    I've never heard of this happening before. But it just seems so unlikely that you would get 3 defective tires, and even if that DID happen, that it wouldn't be obvious upon investigation that they were defective.

    I suppose you just do what you are doing. Document the problem. Keep focused on the solution, until you find the solution. If you change tires and the problem goes away, you can assume it WAS something wrong with the tires. If the new tires demonstrate the same problem? Then it obviously wasn't the tires. Which would lead me to start questioning the rims..and/or the suspension itself.

    Your vehicle is so new, I'd think I'd just say...hey, let's just replace all 4 tires. With less than 2,500 miles? I think Toyota should foot the bill.

    If the problem is happening with 3 of 4 tires? Why are they just giving you one?
    And have they tried something as simple as moving the one good tire to a rim that is experiencing the air loss, and switching it with one that is on that rim..to see if the behavior manifests from the rim and position or the tire itself?
     
  9. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

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    Relax, Toyota isn't some scam artist, your dealer nevertheless;)

    Obviously, something's fishy, I'd go so far as to put a motion detecting camera pointed at the vehicle, someone may be playin fun...

    In the meantime, put a few drops of oil on the valve stems when they are down, air bubble are obvious, a valve stem tool to tighten a loose stem to remove clean and reinstall a dirty stem is a good tool.

    Nobody but nobody has ever had these symptoms, something's fishy, the tires are sold and installed by the multi-million, as are the rims, relax, err, get a good air pressure gauge.

    Wow, just reread this, slick advertising by ???
    I certainly didn't put shortcuts to consumable and or consumer products, not happy it happened, bs
     
    #9 ursle, Jan 30, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    as per post above the leak rate is so fast you should almost be able to hear it.
    Check with soap solution valve stems, and heck I'd just mix up some Dawn+water in a bucket toss it on a tire.
    I'd be listening for gurgles and looking for bubbles.
     
  11. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    You CAN lose some pressure due to cold weather, enough to set off the tire pressure warnings. Obviously a tire that goes flat has a leak, let them replace your Bridgestone (probably) and be done with it. Any side of the road tire shop can take the wheel off and submerge it in water to find a leak.
     
    kithmo likes this.
  12. mfeubanks

    mfeubanks Junior Member

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    I'm only getting one new tire (which I had to pay for) because of this happening on a dark rural highway, I drove on it long enough to destroy the tire. Do the same thing again. Not safe is NOT SAFE. And they need evidence to replace the others... Service shop over inflated the tires and didn't find evidence of leaking. The pressure doesn't change when the car is sitting at my house either - even when home for weeks. Only happening when I'm on a road trip, when you DON'T want car problems.

    I've ordered a new fancy digital pressure gauge.. cos the old stick; the one which worked just fine for 3 sets of Michelin tires, plus the OEM on my 2004 Prius (LOVED THAT CAR), isn't trust worthy enough. My old digital kept eating batteries, and never worked when I did want to use it (usually on my bicycle.) And I did think of the soapy water. I will be traveling with some from here on out.
    I was asked to not take the frequent readings.. apparently being a girl, I'll screw up and let out all the air. (Sorry - projecting - its been a stressful day)

    SO, my plan is the next time this happens-- and I'm betting by next Friday on my way to the lake - is to call service manager and have him 1) send a Toyota service guy to me or 2) acknowledge each photo of pressure reading of the fancy digital gauge as I check each tire (got to figure out how to record the call), 3) or they can authorize me to drive the car in the deflated condition to the nearest Toyota, and they can pay for the damage to the tires (yeah, not happening). They want evidence, and I can't get the car to them without destroying the evidence or the tires.

    I hate having crap tires. - A crap car with good brakes & tires is better than a good car with crap tires.. You can always find a way to go somewhere.. but not being able to stop --- is a problem.

    But thank you all for the support.. Makes me feel some better even without a resolution.
     
  13. mfeubanks

    mfeubanks Junior Member

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    I forgot to add. The lowest pressure readings, different tires at different occurrences, were ~22 and ~25. That is way to much loss for temperature to be the cause. I'm in the south.. it ain't that cold.
     
  14. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I am in the south and it does get cold enough for those pressures IF you start with tires that were adjusted to 32 after they were driven (eg after the tires heat up). You should check and adjust the tires first thing before you drive.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    are you starting with 40 psi?
     
  16. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    Any competent tire shop could quickly identify the source of a leak. A dealership is not competent, apparently.

    I had a tiny nail in one tire, it leaked 5lb in about 2-3 weeks. Took the tire shop 10 min to find it.
    Skip the dealer completely and go get some competent tire service.
     
  17. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    Get on FaceTime with the dealer when you are checking the tires if you need proof.
     
  18. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    You can go ahead and tell us the tire brand because we need to know that. We will probably say that tire is a good one, presumably with no history of problems like that. Whatever happened is probably not the tire itself, probably another root cause which escapes me at the moment.
     
  19. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Agreed, but this car is 2 months old so it's on them to fix or replace (assuming you did not FOD your tires). Escalate this as I mentioned mfeubanks.
     
  20. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    As AirBoss said, leaky (or maybe cross-threaded) valve stems is a possibility. It would seem more likely that one guy mounted them wrong rather than you got a bad batch of tires that all were damaged. It's also possible that someone vandalized the tires prior to your purchase, but that should be rather obvious upon inspection.

    As Frodoz737 said, hold the dealership accountable for resolving the issue. Escalate as necessary until you find someone who will take ownership of the issue.