Hi Scotty
I have an unusual problem with a brand new Toyota Prado 150. It has Dunlop AT22 tires: 265/60R18.
The issue is that even if I park the car overnight, the next morning I get a wobbly steering wheel once the speed gets above 55mph. After driving for 20-30 miles the vibration/wobble goes away, only to return the next morning.
Toyota and Dunlop are saying that this temporary flat spotting is "normal".
I've owned a lot of different SUVs in the last 30 years, and never came across a vehicle getting temporary flat spots in just 10 hrs parking. The Dunlop and Toyota engineers told me "unofficially" to keep 33 psi instead of the "company"recommended 29psi., but that has made no difference. The also told me that they were getting quite a few cases of these vibrations in the 2022 Prados with the 18 inch wheels.
Do you think this is indeed "normal" or another DPF type class action in the making?
Thanks in advance for your advice on what could be the cause and how could I fix this problem.
Love your channel.
Best
+1 Chuck
This is really on Dunlop, however since Toyota supplied the vehicle with these fitted from the factory, ask Toyota to provide you with a goodwill warranty replacement (with a different brand) of all tyres, seeing that all of them have the identical issue, which should not occur during regular usage, on any vehicle.
All the best!
@InThrustWeTrust: Replacement with a different brand is what I have proposed to Toyota, but they aren't coming to the party: as per them "temporary flat spots are normal".
So the option I have is to go the consumer forum appeal route, or just change the tires on my own.
What I'm worried about with the second option is that if the problem does not get resolved, Toyota can now say "You changed the tires to non OEM." .
What a PITA! Maybe try writing to Toyota Japan and check if they are interested in resolving your issue. Before going to the consumer court try emailing Scotty (or visit him if you live near) and ask if he’s willing to highlight this on his YouTube platform.
I've written to Scotty. Let's see what happens.
Thanks for your opinion, will let you know how this pans out. Cheers.
No worries and good luck!
Sound to me like bad tire design. We used to have flat spot problems with nylon-cord, bias-ply tires but those have been gone for decades. Modern tires should take a much longer time than overnight to develop any flat spots.
My thoughts exactly Chuck.