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MissFJ previously said:
^^^Wait, so you're mad that nothing is wrong with your tires?
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I think Judah is upset because his FJC is in the VIN range AND his tires DOT# is in the serial range affected by this recall, but his dealer refuses to replace the tires.
According to what TMS USA has told us in this forum, the fact that no damage was observed during visual inspection is irrelevant. If the VIN and DOT serial are both in the affected range, the tires are supposed to be replaced, no questions asked. In this case: "Inspect tires" == "Verify DOT serial is in range". I'm guessing the potential damage is not necessarily visible during a visual inspection, or the dealers are not qualified/authorized to visually identify the damage, therefore all tires within the DOT serial range (installed on FJCs in the VIN range) are to be removed and destroyed. This is my understanding from TMS USA in this forum.
But the dealers have interpreted the letter differently. They believe they are to dismount and visually inspect the tires for actual physical damage. Also, some people at the Toyota Customer Experience phone number are stating that the tires must be visually inspected.
So we have 2 ways to interpret this recall. And customers are not getting their tires replaced. I'm disappointed in the lack of communication, and I think Toyota needs to clarify the terms of the recall with the dealers and customers.
An additional note on the severity of this issue: The possible damage is thought to cause a small leak. This would seem minor. But a slow leak, which could gradually get worse while driving, could cause the tire to lose pressure quickly while driving. A tire run at high speeds (65mph) at low pressure builds up enough heat to break down the glues holding it together, causing it to blow out. So in my opinion, this is a legitimate safety issue.
My VIN is in the range, but my tires are not, so this doesn't affect me. But I want to see this handled properly for the affected customers.
TMS USA: Please make sure the proper communication makes it to the dealers so this is handled properly. You need to clarify the meaning of this item on the flowchart: "Confirm all 5 tires, including the spare, to determine if they are affected. Does the vehicle have an affected tire?".
Does "confirm" mean "check DOT#", or does it mean "visually check for damage"?
