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2016 Prius Eating Tires

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by pleasedpriusowner, Feb 3, 2018.

  1. pleasedpriusowner

    pleasedpriusowner Junior Member

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    Hello,

    This is going to be a long and detailed post. I apologize in advance for its length and level of detail...I want to be complete and share as much info as possible in the hopes that someone will be able to help.

    Just so we are all on the same page, I am somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to keeping my car mechanically maintained by following to the letter (and/or exceeding) the recommended service schedules set forth in the Owner's Manual.

    My car is a 2016 Prius (the hatchback/regular model) Four Touring with the original equipment, 17 inch tires. I purchased it brand new and it entered service on May 31, 2016. It currently has 36,500 (+/-) miles on it and spends most of its life doing highway driving between Toledo and Columbus, Ohio, USA. Its "lifetime MPG average," according to the on board computer, is 52.5 mpg.

    As you can see from the subject line of this post, my 2016 Prius Four Touring is chewing up its tires. Specifically, it is chewing them up on the "inside" of the rear tires (that is, the tread of the rear tires closest to the center of the car is being worn off faster than the tread on the "outside" of the tires). I discovered this by noticing an unusual tire noise at slow speeds and/or while rolling to a stop. I wear hearing aids and am never certain about what I'm actually hearing, so in to the dealer we go (on Thursday, 2-1-18). The service writer goes with me for a drive and says that he hears tire noise (and not bearing noise). We stop, take a look at the tires, and discover the unusual wear noted above. I ask why this is happening. Service writer says it's probably out of alignment. I say possible, but doubtful as I have had the alignment checked and adjusted (as needed) three times in the 36,000 (+/-) miles and one year & eight months I've owned the car.

    (Side note: I purchased a "lifetime alignment check/adjustment package from a local - Toledo, Ohio - and reputable tire/auto repair store chain. Have had the "lifetime alignment" deal - where I pay an increased one time alignment charge and can then get as many alignments per year as I wish while I own the car - on several different cars and have found it to be a cost effective way to maintain my cars' alignment).

    I say I will make an appointment to have alignment checked. Dealer service writer says he has a quick alignment check machine in the service bay entrance area, let's check it here. He puts it on the machine and it shows the CAMBER is negative 1.7 degrees "out" of where it should be (the top of the tire is "tilted in" toward the middle of the car 1.7 degrees from where it should be). I ask the service writer if there is a way to fix it. He isn't sure and goes to find out...comes back and says, according to the dealer parts guy, there is a "kit" available to fix the problem (just like there was for my Gen 3 Prius 5). Fine...I'll take the car to the tire store for an alignment.

    On Friday, I go to the tire store. They do alignment check and find out that the rear wheels are out of alignment...the camber is 1.7 degrees "off" from where it should be (just like the dealership quick check said). The rear tire TOE, which IS adjustable, can be brought into tolerance, but the camber can't be fixed. They CAN'T adjust the CAMBER because no kit exists to make the CAMBER adjustment. I say, the Toyota dealership says a kit is available. Tire store calls the dealer. Dealer parts person who had done the parts search on Thursday is not in...will be in on Saturday.

    Today (Saturday), I get a call from the dealer service writer saying that the dealer parts guy made a mistake (on Thursday) and THERE IS NO KIT/REPAIR to make a camber adjustment on the rear tires of the 2016 regular Prius cars (which is the same thing the tire store said after checking with the "Moog" company and another manufacturer who makes these kinds of parts). The dealer service writer says that I should take the car to a body shop which has frame straightening equipment to check the frame alignment to see if all is okay.

    (Side note: On Friday, the tire store had adjusted things as much as possible and sent me on my way.)

    That's where we are.

    I'm going to make an appointment with a body shop to have the frame checked. I seriously doubt that the frame will be the problem. If it is, I will have it fixed.

    My questions to Prius Chat People:

    1. Do any of you know of others who are having this problem? If so, what are they doing about it? I'll admit that I didn't do an extensive Prius Chat search for this subject. I am a somewhat frequent reader here and have not seen this topic discussed. If I've missed it, please accept my apologies for being lazy and point me in the correct direction.

    2. Is it really possible that Toyota has produced a car that eats tires and there is no way of fixing it? At the rate the tires are wearing, I will need to replace them at 50,000 miles (+/-). I'm the kind of driver that, due to my "fanatical" maintenence tendencies, generally gets outstanding milage results from a set of tires (for example: 90,000 miles on a set of original tires on my 2009 Chevy Malibu LTZ and were still safe...I think they were Goodyear Eagle tires?).

    3. I have no real idea about how many Gen 4 Prius cars have been built/sold worldwide since 2016...maybe 250,000 - 300,000?? Is it possible that I am the only person on the planet having this problem? Is it possible that no one has manufactured a fix for this rear tire camber problem because I'm the only one with this problem?

    4. If the frame turns out to be okay and there is truly no fix for my car, is it possible that I have a case for a "lemon law" claim?

    5. I absolutely love everything else about my Prius. Am I being unreasonable to expect my car to treat its tires more kindly and not "eat" them?

    Thank you to all who have suffered through my gross verbosity and details. I look forward to your replies.

    Dave
     
  2. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    @bwilson4web has done some alignment experimenting on the Prime with may be similar. Perhaps he has some ideas.
     
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  3. ATHiker

    ATHiker Senior Member

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  4. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    As Toyota writes in the Repair Manual, available by subscription to techinfo.toyota.com, under Suspension: Alignment/Handling Diagnosis: Rear Wheel Alignment: Adjustment:

    HINT: Camber is not adjustable. If the measurement is not within the specified range, inspect the suspension parts for damage and/or wear, and replace them if necessary.

    The Repair Manual also gives the complete alignment specifications and inspection procedures.
    Tires wear out on every vehicle. I doubt Toyota would have published alignment specifications and tolerances, however, without expecting that most cars would be able to meet them.
    That’s not a bad idea, though before pursuing any repairs, you might consider whether the investment of time and money is worthwhile, compared to the possible savings from making the tires last longer.

    I wouldn’t be disappointed to get 50,000 miles from a set of original-equipment tires, especially if they’re like the Yokohama BluEarth S34RY tires that came on my Three Touring, with a treadwear grade of only 320, presumably optimized for fuel economy rather than long life.
     
  5. djarmy2004

    djarmy2004 Junior Member

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    I got 50k out of my factory 15s on my prius 4

    SM-G955U ?
     
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  6. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    I got 65,000 on my 2008 Touring...
     
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  7. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    I have 56,000 miles on my 2016 Two. I'd say I have 10 to 15 k left on them. One has been patched with a plug (by me).
     
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  8. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Weak springs ?
     
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  9. altdel

    altdel Member

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    I just had a four wheel alignment done on my 2016 Prius Two today, after replacing the OEM tires at 44K miles. My overall average MPG is around 60, going by the car display. The Before Measurements showed that the front left & right TOE were off slightly, and a -1.7 degree CAMBER on the right rear wheel. The tolerance range for rear CAMBER is [-1.7 to -0.2]. So, it's right on the threshold of the range. The service advisor said it's probably caused by the wheel hitting the curb while making a right turn. I searched my memory for such a scenario, and did recall an occurrence a while back. He said it's not a big deal, just do the tire rotation every 5K miles.
     
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  10. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I was thinking a frame and axle shop myself. Maybe the robots were having a bad day when your car was built.

    I had a car that the robots didn't do a good job on some of the welds and it was causing a popping sound but only when cold but that's another story.

    I would take it up to a higher level with Toyota if they can't or won't fix it. I doesn't seem to be a safety issue.
     
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  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I wonder would it be cheaper on fourth gen, swapping parts to remedy excess camber? Third gen it's the solid rear axle has to go, and they don't come cheap. Fair bit of labour too.
     
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  12. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I had the rear tires off when I installed mud guards but didn't study the design of the rear suspension.
     
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Crawling around under a dealership demo :oops:

    upload_2018-2-14_19-59-50.png
     
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  14. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I would think by looking at Mendel's picture that an eccentric shaped bolt in one of the control arms would give it some camber adjustment. It's all about geometry, but I didn't take it in school. Lol
     
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  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    It's gotta adjust something.

    The best teacher I had for practical trig was when I took a steel detailing course. For stuff where you had deflections in two direction, say a conveyor beltline on a slope, and then the distance down to the centre of pin connection on a truss. Walking your way from the head end workpoint elevation down to the centre of that pin, determining it's elevation, was invariably two right-angle triangles. That was an easy problem, there were lots that got trickier, intersecting arcs, tricks with tangents.

    That was in the early eighties, and then along came AutoCAD, whole new game. Things that had you tearing your hair out, wondering why they were paying you, were suddenly child's play.
     
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  16. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I worked with several engineers where I worked, I came up with a saying, "You can always tell an engineer, but you can't tell him much". That's usually when the fight started. Lol
     
  17. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    It would, but I think (if it's like the Ford system) that bolt may be for toe adjustment. Pulling it in will lessen the negative camber, but will toe out the rear wheel at the same time.
     
    #17 kithmo, Feb 15, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2018
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  18. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I don't know if it is adjustable, I am just iffing it.
     
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  19. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I looked at my online manual last night and it says there is no camber adjustment and if it is out of specs to look for damaged components. The Caster is adjustable on Gen 4.
     
  20. pleasedpriusowner

    pleasedpriusowner Junior Member

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    Hi Everyone,

    Sorry for going silent on this thread/topic! I just changed phones...the old one wouldn't let me post?

    My Prius is now fixed for a cost of $490...took until July to get it done due to my schedule and playing phone tag with the dealer collision shop. Had to replace the suspension on the right side (did not replace the shock/strut or spring). I can't quite believe that Toyota makes a car that doesn't adjust in all ways that it might become out of alignment. On the other hand, I guess they don't expect people to run over (not into) a dead deer on the road.

    Unfortunately, due to the uneven wear on the tires caused by the damaged suspension, they (the tires) are now CRAZY noisy. Lots of tread left...just really, really NOISY! Gonna try to put up with the noise until 75,000 miles (if tread holds up okay) and then replace them (51,000 miles on the car now).

    Thank you to everyone who replied...you all helped!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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