At 1200 miles I took my Prius back to the dealership saying it needed a front end alignment. They checked it and said no it didn't it was fine. Despite taking my Prius in for all scheduled maintenance at 18000 miles one of my front tires blew out - it was bald. I said the dealership should have noted the uneven wear before they got that bad (it had been in for a suppossed tire rotation at 15,000 miles). They had a million excuses why it wasn't their fault (they also said my tires were not part of the recall) In the end I had to pay $600 for 4 new tires. I contacted Toyota and received zero customer service. At 22,000 miles I had the car in for service at another dealership, specifically told them to check for wear, they said the wear was normal. Now at 26,000 miles I have the car in for service and they are telling me the tires are worn out again. Apparently there is a defect in either my car or the Prius in general. At this point I am now getting an attorney to go after Toyota. As an environmentalist, I hate to disparage this car but I refuse to pay $600 to replace tires every 10,000 miles - THAT certainly isn't environmentally sound. If anyone else is encountering a similar problem please feel free to email me, a class action lawsuit could be a consideration.

> They checked it and said no it didn't it was fine. There's no guess work involved, the diagnosis of "fine" should be obvious. Just check what the exact alignment measurements were. They should be very close to 0.05 Degrees of toe IN each side, for a total of 0.10 Degrees. If that wasn't documented, you can't trust what they told you. > In the end I had to pay $600 for 4 new tires. Since they only cost $75 each, the dealer was taking advantage of you. > I hate to disparage this car but I refuse to pay $600 > to replace tires every 10,000 miles I only paid $270.21 (including labor) for my alternates which I bought from a tire shop, not the dealer. They now have 24,500 miles on them and still look fantastic. So there are other options vailable. JOHN http://john1701a.com

I had the same problem with my 2001 as well! This is a defect they are trying to hide. I installed Douglas Tires on them from Walmart and they seem to work well. I have only 2K miles on them, but it seems to be wearing faster than a normal tire. These tires are rated to 80K miles. I think I will get 20K. The dealer gave me the same story when I brought the car in for alignment. David Danens '

> This is a defect they are trying to hide. A heavier-than-average car will naturally cause faster-than-average wear. There's nothing to hide about that. Allowing the tire-pressure to drop below the minimum will accelerate tire wear too. There's nothing to hide about that either. Owners with proper alignment, that never allow the tire-pressure to drop below the minimum, who drive in typical traffic conditions do achieve the expected 25,000 to 30,000 miles with the factory tires. And with alternate tires, they can go even farther. That rules out a defect. There isn't actually a problem beyond certain dealers taking advantage of some customers. It's a sad fact of life. But if you join the Prius GROUP rather than here, we can actually help prevent that from happening to others. Telling your story here really doesn't accomplish much beyond venting some emotion. JOHN http://john1701a.com

What do you mean - join the Prius Group?

You know, this isn't the first car I've ever owned, I've owned plenty, and I NEVER had to replace the tires on average every 12,000 miles. Previously I lived in Philadelphia, which has 1,000 times more potholes than where I live now and drive my Prius (Jacksonville, FL) I do not take this vehicle off road and nearly every stretch of road I travel is newly paved so please don't condescend to me as though I don't know how to handle a car. I have put more money into this new, $22,000 car than I have into the 1983 Chrysler I bought for $500 at a Salvation Army auction - which is driving the same roads and is experiencing no problems. I spoke with an attorney yesterday and I am obligated to pursue the matter first under Florida's lemon laws, which I am pursuing today. If I do not receive satisfaction there, I will be hiring an attorney. My car is a lemon - no ifs, ands or buts.

The car weighs only 1940 lbs with me in it. I am about 180LBS.

> The car weighs only 1940 lbs with me in it. I am about 180LBS. Prius weighs 2,765 pounds. That's *MORE* than the typical compact. The source of your information is a total mystery. Here's the official specs... http://www.toyota.com/html/shop/vehicles/prius/specs/prius_specs.html JOHN http://john1701a.com

I work for an aggregate mining facility and I actually put the car on the scale. Our scales are balanced due to weight requirement for the truckers on the road. So no! Your info is incorrect!

That is curb weight you are looking at.

> That is curb weight you are looking at. Yes... and what the heck are you talking about? What type of measurement are you using that comes up with a difference of 1,005 pounds? JOHN http://john1701a.com

Let me see... I drive up on a scale used for large trucks carrying aggregate. This is calibrated to the nearest 10th. My auto weighed in at 1940 lbs. I don't believe the specs you show are very accurate even though that's what the manufacture says. Sorry, but the scale is true and accurate. Since the scale is certified by the State of California.

Toyota Pruis 2001 model! I don't drive a Honda Insight. I know what the specs say about the car but my scales are correct in determining weight. I have had this car up on the scales at two different locations and it was only about a 15 lb difference between each scale. Aggregate trucks are weighed in about 80K lbs to be allowed on the highways, so our scales have to be accurate.

Hello, Actually I have weighed myself on the scale and it did weight me at 200 lbs which I am actually 184. A little off. D

is it possible you ate to much and that effected the scale

Let me see.............NO! Smart A&$*#!

What kind of last name is Tuke? Or is it Duke?

what kind of name is dj

did anybody see the french connection? didnt they weigh the car in that, maybe call gene hackman and see if he can help.

Hyphenated