Yaris Dangerous Practice

[BlackJack]

3 months ago I bought a Toyota Yari G Limited edition.

Last week i had a slow puncture in the front left hand side tyre.

I took out the spare to replace it.

The spare was a different:

1. model tyre and tread

2. rim and weight

3. size (14 and not 15 like the other fitted tyres)

I sent email to Toyota as I thought this was a mistake

I just received a phone call from BKK Toyota head office.

Customer service said this was normal Toyota practice.

I said i had bought several new cars over my life time and had never seen such a dangerous practice. Particularly when Yari is front wheel drive.

CS said they would forward the letter onto their complaints office.

I am now wondering if the leather interior is real leather

[thaicbr]

Ok black jack. two things

1) as far as i'm aware standard wheels on the yaris are 14's

2) most small hatchbacks now only have a 'spacesaver' wheel and tyre to save space but only suitable to get you to a tyre dealer and get yours fixed or replaced. it was the same 10 years ago when i got my fiat punto it only had a spacesaver so i'm suprised you haven't come across this before

yours is a special edition and i agree it really should have had a 15" spacesaver (i wonder if one would fit in the wheel well). but it would not be a major problem using the 14 anyway as long as you were careful.

Hope this helps.

Allan

[ballbreaker]

If the radius of the rim with tire mounted are the same on both then no problem.

Usually when they go from 14 to 15 inch rim they also go to a low profile 15 inch tire which gives you pretty much the same radius.

Edited November 27, 2008 by ballbreaker

[mgjackson69]

Many autos in USA have had this "feature" for 25 years or more...the spacesaver (read, profit increaser) spare.

As another posted, these are intended for low speed, temporary usage to get you to a place where you can repair/replace the "regular" tire.

As long as you exercise a bit of restraint, it is not "dangerous".

[torrenova]

Only some time later did I realise that the spare on our Isuzu was not alloy as agreed and steel instead. Even partially checked when new and looked alloy to me !

[BlackJack]

thanks for all the feedback

Toyota must buy millions of tyres and alloys at LOW cost.

the 4 alloy wheels are 15 inch

the spare Heinz tyre is 14 inch

in the owners book there should be reference to this and there is not. If in the USA and had an accident (on the spare) I could sue for neg and possibly win.

reference in the owners book shows how the tyres should be rotated for wear and tear. Rotation includes the 5th tyre.

Rotating the 5th tyre and in particular putting it on the front drive Yaris is an accident waiting to happen.

I am waiting for Toyota to address the problem. The Limited model cost a lot more than standard model and I think the skimping on an alloy wheel and tyre is not on.

when they have answered I will post here.

[dingdongrb]

thanks for all the feedback

Toyota must buy millions of tyres and alloys at LOW cost.

the 4 alloy wheels are 15 inch

the spare Heinz tyre is 14 inch

in the owners book there should be reference to this and there is not. If in the USA and had an accident (on the spare) I could sue for neg and possibly win.

reference in the owners book shows how the tyres should be rotated for wear and tear. Rotation includes the 5th tyre.

Rotating the 5th tyre and in particular putting it on the front drive Yaris is an accident waiting to happen.

I am waiting for Toyota to address the problem. The Limited model cost a lot more than standard model and I think the skimping on an alloy wheel and tyre is not on.

when they have answered I will post here.

In the USA you can sue for being stupid and spilling hot coffee on your crotch, is this right?

As for your spare, all auto mfgs over many past years, as other posters have mentioned, have replaced the once normal size spare with much smaller one to get you to the nearest service center so you will not be stranded. Have you been living on another planet for the past decade as this is not unusual these days?

[Mintman]

This is common practice with most models in the Toyota Range Except Fortuner which has an alloy spare the same as fitted all round the vehicle which is surprising,Maybe the new models in the Fortuner range are fitted with a get you home spare,Worth checking when you buy one Then no surprises when you get a puncture Happy motoring.....

[prakhonchai nick]

My Honda City also has a spacesaver spare tyre.

Don't see how it saves space however!

[Ski_Goong]

My Honda City also has a spacesaver spare tyre.

Don't see how it saves space however!

About 2 months after I bought my Vios I had a flat tire. Imagine my surprise when I open the trunk and saw a FULL size spare. All the cars I own in the U.S came with the "space saver" spare and I was shocked to to a full size spare on my cheap Vios.

Ski...

[onnut]

My Honda City also has a spacesaver spare tyre.

Don't see how it saves space however!

About 2 months after I bought my Vios I had a flat tire. Imagine my surprise when I open the trunk and saw a FULL size spare. All the cars I own in the U.S came with the "space saver" spare and I was shocked to to a full size spare on my cheap Vios.

Ski...

my old civic had a space saver made from steel. but the accord has a full size alloy spare.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

"Space Saver" is a joke - even in Germany, my '93 Volkswagen Polo G40 (little rocket) had one of those, a 14" wheel which was about as wide as a CD and sitting forlorn in the spare wheel storage - which was large enough to hold a full size one, i know because that is exactly what i ended up putting there! That "emergency wheel" (as it was labeled) came with bright yellow printing on it (NOT stickers!) saying that it is only for max. 50 km/h and max 150 kilometers distance.

Still better than certain other cars (i heard Benz, of all, are doing this nonsense) which don't have a spare wheel at all but instead a can of "quick fix", a kind of foam that seals a puncture hole well enough to keep going at reduced speed and for limited distance on the damaged tyre.

However if you got a larger damage, like a piece of metal shredding the tyre, or someone slashing it with a knife? You're lost and permitted to wait for the tow truck.

My Volvo 460 (here in Thailand) had a full size spare, although 14" as opposed to the 15" on the car (also steel rim instead of alloy), i had to use that once on the way to Chiang Mai where i, just out of Bangkok, caught larger piece of steel. The difference (this was on a rear wheel) was notable but i could continue on at normal speed and reached Chiang Mai safely. And my brand new D-Max has a 15" same size as the normal wheels, although steel rim as well.

Best regards...

Thanh

[junkofdavid2]

It's definitely very dangerous.

Heck, everything is considered very "dangerous" nowadays, ever since the proliferation of rampant lawsuits in the U.S. for just about everything.

How dare McDonalds sell me hot coffee every morning in their drive-thru... that's DANGEROUS!

I'm writing a formal complaint and hopefully, they will cease in selling me this dangerous contraband. Until then, I'm angered that they continue to sell it to me as I order it every morning.

.

Edited December 2, 2008 by junkofdavid2

[PattayaParent]

My Honda City also has a spacesaver spare tyre.

Don't see how it saves space however!

About 2 months after I bought my Vios I had a flat tire. Imagine my surprise when I open the trunk and saw a FULL size spare. All the cars I own in the U.S came with the "space saver" spare and I was shocked to to a full size spare on my cheap Vios.

Ski...

My new Vios has a smaller spare but the wheel well is big enough to accomodate a full size spare.

[BlackJack]

thanks for all the feedback

Toyota must buy millions of tyres and alloys at LOW cost.

the 4 alloy wheels are 15 inch

the spare Heinz tyre is 14 inch

in the owners book there should be reference to this and there is not. If in the USA and had an accident (on the spare) I could sue for neg and possibly win.

reference in the owners book shows how the tyres should be rotated for wear and tear. Rotation includes the 5th tyre.

Rotating the 5th tyre and in particular putting it on the front drive Yaris is an accident waiting to happen.

I am waiting for Toyota to address the problem. The Limited model cost a lot more than standard model and I think the skimping on an alloy wheel and tyre is not on.

when they have answered I will post here.

In the USA you can sue for being stupid and spilling hot coffee on your crotch, is this right?

As for your spare, all auto mfgs over many past years, as other posters have mentioned, have replaced the once normal size spare with much smaller one to get you to the nearest service center so you will not be stranded. Have you been living on another planet for the past decade as this is not unusual these days?

First we aint in the good ol USA

Second its a very unsafe practice

Third its the top of the line Yaris and not some Fiat (fix it again Tony)

Forth Toyota is the number one car company in World and buys tyres in the millions so why save pennies on saftey.

Five I have bought many new cars and this is the first time i saw this cheapness.

Read the Yaris manual on car tyre rotation - the 5th wheel ie the spare is incorporated in this rotation. If the wheel is different why print it in the book as a procedure???

[BlackJack]

It's definitely very dangerous.

Heck, everything is considered very "dangerous" nowadays, ever since the proliferation of rampant lawsuits in the U.S. for just about everything.

How dare McDonalds sell me hot coffee every morning in their drive-thru... that's DANGEROUS!

I'm writing a formal complaint and hopefully, they will cease in selling me this dangerous contraband. Until then, I'm angered that they continue to sell it to me as I order it every morning.

an elderly USA lady did burn her mouth and sued for 5 Million dollars - she won.

So your to late

Also stay on the subject!!

.

[PattayaParent]

Is the size of the rim on the smaller spare the same size as the full size rim or is it completely different?

I want to know whether I can just put the regular size trye on the spare rim or would I have to buy a new rim AND spare?

[Kwasaki]

I thought top of the range Yaris was the sport !!! anyway.

My Mrs. Her Yaris has after market wheels and tyres which makes the spare smaller but driven carefully will get you to the tyre shop.

Can't say I ever noticed whether the spare was different or not to the originals.

If I was as concerned as you are I'd change a rear tyre with the spare, jacking up lifts both front and back.

Your waiting for Thailand Toyota to address the problem, Ok !! best of luck.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Kwasaki

[xen]

I bought a Yaris about 6 months ago here in Oz and it has a full size spare. I think my car was manufactured in Thailand. However Toyota use it as a selling point having a full-size spare as the market is quite competitive with the Mazda 2, Mitubishi Colt, Hyundi Getz. . I know it was one of the features i looked for.