NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE06010

ODI OPENED PE06-010 BASED ON 12 REPORTS OF ALLEGED TIRE PRESSURE WARNING SYSTEM (TPWS) FAILURE ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ALL REPORTS ALLEGED THAT THE TPWS WARNING LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION PANEL WHEN THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW OR THE TIRE WAS FLAT.IN SOME INCIDENTS, THE CONSUMER REPORTED THAT TPWS LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE TIRE PRESSURE IN 1 TIRE WAS AT 15-20 PSI AND THE OTHER TIRES WERE AT OR NEAR THE RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURE.DURING PE06-010, ADDITIONAL FAILURE DATA WAS IDENTIFIED AS NOTED IN THE FAILURE REPORT SUMMARY ABOVE.AS OF JULY 25, 2006, ODI WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY ALLEGATIONS WHERE THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTED IN A CRASH, AN INJURY, OR A FATALITY IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.IN ADDITION, ODI IS AWARE OF ONLY TWO INCIDENTS WHERE A TIRE WAS REPORTED TO HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE DURING THE INCIDENT.IN BOTH INCIDENTS, FIRE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE AND TIRE WELL AND/OR SMOKE DAMAGE TO ITEMS IN THE VEHICLE.ODI'S ANALYSIS SHOWED THE FOLLOWING:(1) THE SUBJECT VEHICLES USE AN INDIRECT TPWS SYSTEM WITH P225/60R17BRIDGESTONE B380 OR DUNLOP SP SPORT 4000 DSST RUN FLAT TIRES(RFTS). (2) THERE IS A LARGE VARIABILITY IN THE PRESSURE AND DRIVING TIME ATWHICH THE TPWS WILL TRIGGER THE TPWS WARNING LIGHT TOILLUMINATE. (3) THE TPWS MAY NOT MAKE AN ACCURATE JUDGMENT UNDER A VARIETY OFROAD OR DRIVING CONDITIONS, INCLUDING IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVENOVER 62 MPH, THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 32 DEGREESFAHRENHEIT, THE TREAD WEAR IS UNEVEN, THE LOADING IS OVERTHE LIMIT, OR THE PRESSURE OF 2 OR MORE TIRES DROPS AT THE SAMETIME. (SEE TOYOTA'S APRIL 10, 2006 INFORMATION REQUEST RESPONSEFOR MORE DETAILS.) (4) SOME CONSUMERS REPORTED THAT THEIR TIRE PRESSURE WAS BELOW 15PSI OR EVEN AS LOW AS 0 PSI BEFORE THEY REALIZED THAT THEY HAD ATIRE PRESSURE ISSUE AND AS A RESULT HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRE. NOTE: TOYOTA STATES THAT IF THE TIRE PRESSURE DROPS TO BELOW 15PSI, THE TIRE CAN NOT BE REPAIRED. (5) IN APRIL 2006, IN RESPONSE TO REPORTS OF PREMATURE OR UNE