Toyota Alloy Wheels Bubbling – Toyota Quality Concerns
The Problem – Toyota vehicles equipped with alloy wheels are experiencing abnormal corrosion and bubbling of paint and/or clear coat finish. I noticed that the finish on my Sienna’s (2005 XLE AWD) alloy wheels had some bubbles several months ago. My wife drives this vehicle almost exclusively, so I don’t “inspect” it too often. But last week I noticed the wheels now look horrible. Looking at other Siennas with these same wheels, most (over 80%) have the exact same problem. The problem affects post-2004 Siennas and other Toyota models equipped with alloy wheels.
Toyota’s Position – At this time, not admitting any manufacturing defect, and not extending any corrosion warranty protection. Toyota has suggested that brake dust build-up and lack of prompt removal of road salt are to blame. Very interesting because my 1998 4Runner has alloy wheels, and they’re in great shape. Same geographic location, same level of care (probably above average), and 7 more years on the road.
My Suspicion – Toyota or its alloy wheel supplier switched to a “greener” manufacturing process, perhaps using a water-based finish process (as opposed to solvent based), or at the very least, a lower level of solvent. The switch-over, although well-intentioned and environmentally responsible, is often difficult to pull off. Recall the peeling paint problem (body panels) GM had in the 1990s. The problem we’re talking about here is similar, originating under the finish, as if there is a problem with the finish’s ability to adhere. The problem has nothing to do with curb rash, stone chips, etc., in which the integrity of the finish has been compromised externally.
Strength In Numbers – If you have the same problem with premature bubbling or corrosion of your Toyota alloy wheels, add your comments below. Be sure to provide the Model and Year of your vehicle. If you submit a photo of an affected wheel (150X150 px .PNG or .JPEG file preferred), I will add it to the “Toyota Quality Wall of Shame” below. Send wheel photos to: olivecg(@ symbol)charter.net. With enough feedback from angry customers, we might be able to get Toyota to accept responsibility for this widespread problem.
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Tags: Bubbles On My Alloy Wheels, Finish Bubbling, Sienna Alloy Wheel Problem, Sienna Alloy Wheels Bubbling, Sienna Wheel Corrosion, Sienna Wheel Problem, Sienna Wheels Bubbling, Toyota, Toyota Alloy Wheel Complaints, Toyota Alloy Wheel Manufacturing Defect, Toyota Alloy Wheel Problem, Toyota Alloy Wheels, Toyota Alloy Wheels Bubbling, Toyota Poor Quality, Toyota Wheel Complaints, Toyota Wheel Problem
I noticed a slight bubbling on my alunimum alloy wheels when I purchased my Toyota Tacoma new in 2006. It was very minute and I thought it was in the forge. It has progressively gotten worse over the years and really bad after the 3 year warranty mark. A wheel refinisher explained that it is a common problem with Toyota wheels and they can only be replaced because the way they are painted. The inside edges are not sealed and begin to separate and flake. Moisture then gets in and corrosion ensues. My dealership said too bad for me. Toyota deserves this recent accelerator major recall.
Just FYI… You can buy aftermarket OEM matching rims that probably don’t rust for as little as $120 each and $20 shipping on Ebay… come on, Toyota! $900 to refinish two wheels? Please!
We bought a brand new 2006 Toyota Sienna LE AWD from Leesburg Toyota in Leesburg, VA. Same problem. All four wheels bubbling and peeling. Dealer offered to replace two if we bought two. When we said we take the two replacements and live we the other two, the offer was retracted. When we said we would complain to Toyota directly, the service manager told us the offer was completely off the table and only available as incentive for happy customers. I thought that was a very odd thing to say. Needless to say, we have taken our business elsewhere in terms of maintenance… I thought this was a dealer issue, but I see it is a much larger problem. Good luck everyone.
A lot has happened with Toyota since my entry back in Oct. 2009. I remember hearing an expert say it was only a matter of time before Toyota would fall victim to the same failures that the big three suffered back in the 70’s and 80’s. They had so much success that they quit listening to their customers complaints and focused entirely on profits and growth.
Now it’s biting them in the rear really bad. This is same road the big three took thirty years ago and opened up the market for the Japanese automakers to come in and steal away their customers. Toyota needs to get back to its roots and make sure their customers are happy for 200,000 miles and not 36 months (or less).
I still believe they’re building excellent vehicles and don’t regret buying my Tundra. But now, the big three have improved so much that they’re poised to step in and steal the buyers back.
Get it together Toyota, or you’re heading towards becoming just another car company.
I’m the original owner of a 2004 Sienna LE, AWD with 4 rims that are in bad shape….the rims have been through the bubbling and peeling phase and now can be the poster child for all of us…I have always maintained my car to high standards but I was helpless when it can to the rims peeling. It started over two years ago and was not able to get any from the dealer or Toyota.
This is ridiculous!I have a 2004 Tacoma.My rims are bubbled so bad that I would have to replace them in order to sell the truck. They are worse than bad. They look horrific. We should start a class action lawsuit.
Please also notice that almost every Lexus IS has the exact same problem. This is just a case of low quality wheels. I’m done with Lexus/Toyota forever.
We have a 2007 FJ. The first set of rims were replaced by Toyota under our warranty due to all 4 (except the spare) were bubbling and pealing. Now the new set, which was replaced October 2008 are bubbling and toyota won’t replace them this time as our warranty has expired, but yet they started pealing again, within 1 year of the replacements. 3 family members have newer Tacomas with the same rims and all are pealing also. My brother in laws tires still had nubbies on them with barely any wear and they are pealing. Very poor quality on Toyota’s part. I wish I would have just got the FJ with the steel rims and bought my own instead of getting Toyota’s.
I have the same problem with my 06 XLE AWD. Rims look horrible and the dealership will not help. I won’t buy another Toyota
My 2006 tundra doublecab is equipped with 17″ alloy wheels. They are bubbling and seems to be happening from the inside out. Looks like a defect to me. This should not happen in wheels that are 3 to 4 years old and well kept.
My wife has a 2006 sienna awd. After the first winter and 3500 miles, we noticed the wheel problem. I took the van to Berlin City where we bought this and two other cars at the same time. The dealer said there is nothing we can do and suggested buying an aftermarket rim if it bugged us. I explained it did very much, considering we spent 90k there of three cars.
The service manager explained that for every one upset customer, there are 100 waiting to buy a Toyota at full price. He then asked me to go away and take my complaint elsewhere. Toyota was as much help if that can be true. We will never buy another Toyota again, or anything from Berlin City in New Hampshire.
We have a 2005 RAV4 (lease) with 18″ alloy wheels. After it’s first winter I noticed the the paint was beginning to bubble at the very inside edge of all the spokes on all the wheels. I took it to the dealer for a service and asked them about the wheel problem! This was the first time they ever saw this and no one else had this issue! They took pictures and were going to check into it. A week later I received a call from them, they were not going to do anything about it. I am refreshed to see I am not the only one. Am I responsible to repair this before my lease is up?
I have a the same problem with a 2007 Toyota Tacoma with sport TRD package. I got lucky… the dealer took pictures of the RIMs and Toyota is replacing all 4 rims at no charge. So they are in turn admitting there is a problem. I did not have to put up a fight.
Same thing here. I have a 2009 Toyota Tacoma Sport with 38,000 Miles on it. They actually started to bubble almost a year ago; we never drive the truck so it went unattended on our end. We could be regretting t that now. I also owned a 2004 Toyota Tacoma that did the exact same thing. Toyota did refinish the wheels under warranty. It was within the 3 year 36,000 mile period.
Same problem with my 2006 Toyota XLE Limited. Spoke with local dealer who said that even though the car was less than 3 years old it past 36,000 miles. Registered Complaint with Toyota Customer Satisfaction 1(800)331-4331 but they were no help. Suggest everyone file a claim. This is ridiculous.
I wrote a letter to Toyota. I actually had a customer service rep call me after receiving my letter with 2 weeks of sending it. They said they need to have enough complaints from customers in order to do a recall. The address is below if anyone would like to start sending letters to get this problem solved.
Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc.
Customer Assistance Center Department H200
19001 S. Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90509
Looking at buying a 2007 FJ and noticed the rims are starting to bubble. Spare too. It is going to be fun when I ask the Toyota dealer to replace them before I purchase.
I have a 2006 Sienna XLE with Toyota alloy wheels. All of the rims now have bubbling paint near the inside edges. Looks very bad. Toyota should repair, replace, or give a vouchere towards a purchase of replacement rims.
I have the same problem on my 2003 4Runner Sport, after 3 years paint was flaking off badly. Toyota Service manager said it was my fault, I must have used some corrosive agent on the wheel. I am pretty anal about keeping the truck clean but have owned 5 other vehicles with alloy rims and never experienced this before. I tried having the rims repaired but it would involve painting the entire wheel so I ended up finding a very clean set of rims from a 4Runner Limited on ebay for a fair price. Silly me, now I have a second set of Toyota rims with the paint peeling off. Insanity is defined as . . ..
I also have client with Lexus 470 and the paint on his rims peeling far worse than mine and Lexus would not repair or replace.
wheels look like they are 15 years old on a 2007.
Although you may need to speak to the dealer first, I was given this number by the dealer for Toyota Customer Satisfaction and would recommend that all persons register their complaint to them.
1(800)331-4331.
I have the same problem on my 2005 xle awd, The look much worse than the ones in the photos. I had the problem before my warranty expired. In fact, I am almost certain that even though when new they weren’t people, there was a bubble like look to the rims. Somehow I thought it was just road grime. I mentioned it the dealer when the car was under warranty and was told the rims were not under warranty . I never pursued it any further.
They are looking really bad now. Is it possible somehow to just get them replated or painted instead of replacing them?
I own a 2005 Toyota Tacoma with aluminum wheels my problem started after the 36k warranty ended. I believe that these wheels will in the near future be a driving hazard and will have to be replaced. My hope is Toyota will respond to this issue before a tragedy happens.
I’m having the same problem with my 2006 RAV4 – the paint is peeling on all the wheels. Of course it didn’t start until the warranty ended!
2006 Sienna XLE….I keep the vehicle clean and looking great but all 4 Alloy whhels have the bubbling issue discussed here….very frustrating because everything else is great and I love the easy turning radius while parking.
@Ed: Agree that this is uncharacteristic treatment from Toyota. I have had 5 new Toyotas and the quality has been great–why I kept coming back. My experience with my Sienna is totally out of character for Toyota. Same response as everyone here: Out of warranty, and not a recall item. My wheels look horrible, like they came from a junker. Rest of the van is showroom condition. Obviously this is a widespread problem (lots of sites, including this one, discussing the problem). The bottom line for me is that if Toyota does not step up and address this problem, I won’t be shopping for a new Toyota in the future. Toyota has to realize the long-term damage this type of issue does to its reputation.
2006 Sienna XLE AWD. Unfortunately, my Sienna had 49,000 miles and was one month out of warranty before I finally brought the corrosion to the attention of my dealer, Jim Barkley Toyota in Asheville, NC. They said they could do nothing for me since the car was out of warranty. District rep made a goodwill offer to “buy” me 2 wheels if I buy 2 wheels. Of course, with a more than 50% markup, Toyota is not actually out any money. Oh, of course the dealer would charge me for mounting the tires and balancing the wheels. Instead, I will buy 4 recondition wheels for $189 each and spend less money than I would with T’s goodwill offer. Oddly, I just got a form letter from the dealer telling me how good a customer I am and offering to “buy,” actually trade, my Sienna for a new Toyota. Ha, Ha, like I’d even consider that now that I know how they are treating their customers over this wheel corrosion issue.
Purchased our RAV4 Sport V6 new in 2007. All of the outside corners on the five spoke wheels (18 inch) as of Fall 2009 look ruined cosmetically, which is still important! Toyota dealer in Sayre P.A. has promised to replace/warranty all four. We are still waiting for dealer to follow through. The same problem is more severe on a family members 2004 Corolla S. in Buffalo N.Y. The sub-surface bubbling, chipping and oxydation extends from the inner to outer lateral sides on the spokes of the wheel. Both models came with the factory silver five spoke “Premium” alloy wheels.
Hey,
Not sure if I am the winner (or Loser) with the worst wheels. Here is my 2004 Sienna XLE Limited at 50K miles. All four look like this. Raised issue to dealer at 40K miles. They did not offer any solution. Raised to local Toyota Rep…he never called me back. Wrote to Toyota in California, received a call that they would not be offering ANY assistance since the van was outside of 36K miles. …not covered under 5 yr corrosion since it is not a body panel. It’s comforting to know that I paid extra for 17” wheels to have them corrode like this versus the 16” which I have yet to see someone have an issue with.
Rob K.
i have a 12 09 court date
I’ve got a 2004 Toyota Tundra Crew cab SR5. My alloy wheels have all bubbled really bad. I got the truck used from my son. It looks like a manufacturing defect to me.
I’ve seen several of them in parking lots that look the same as mine.
Thanks visco2, Right now we need data. My gut tells me it is something with the pain to metal bond. I dont think it is porosity or a problem with the chemistry or casting of the aluminum. I need to talk to a buddy of mine who owns a body shop and is very in the know with all the latest types of paints. I will keep you posted. Thanks, Peter
Pete:
Not sure what would help you in court, other than prove it is a systemic defect. I recommend you go to the SiennaClub.org forum and the townhall-talk.edmunds.com. Not sure if they are still there, but I have hard copies of around 8 postings from the former with problems from Sep 2006 when I was fighting the dealer and Toyota. Of course, the dealer told me that the postings could be someone with an ax to grind against Toyota. There were also at least 5 more on the latter forum. You need to check both rims and tires since I found comments on the rims in the tire forums. You also have the postings above. Only thing I can think of for the collective group is a class action lawsuit.
Hello all, Currently have a 2005 sienna, all four wheels bubbled within the first 6 months, toyota very nicely replaces all 4 wheels, now they are bubbling worse than the first, right down to the metal. Reginal rep told me I am I am out of the 3yr/36K warr. I filed in hackensack superior court 9/09 requesting money to buy a new set of rims. They are asking for info regarding the misuse, modification,,, No misuse here, just want to buy a new set, strip them and properly refinish the rims to maintian the stock look. Any help would be appreciated in helping me, to help toyota see that the right thing to do is to take care of the problem. Regards, Peter
I have a 2006 Toyota Rav4 Sport and all 4 wheels are peeling! I will send a photo to post but they are getting really bad. This is my 2nd Rav4. Never had any issues with the first and this is the only issue I have ever had with this one. It looks terrible!
I have three wheels on my 2005 Tundra that started bubbling about one year after I bought it. I spoke to the service techs. at Jim White Toyota in Toledo, Ohio and they said that it was due to the large amounts of road salt used in our area.
I love the truck and have no other complaints, but this is baloney. I’ve owned really trashy vehicles made in Detroit that had wheels hold up for much longer.
I’d like to find a touch up kit so I can grind it down and recoat the bad areas, but they don’t have any advice on that either. A recall is definitely needed on this.
Paint peeling off every single wheel on my 2007 FJ Cruiser. Any talk of not washing salt off in time is bull because even the spare wheel mounted well above the back bumper is also peeling. As a matter of fact I noticed this problem starting when I received delivery of the vehicle, but I thought it was just a defect in the finishing of the wheels themselves. Yes I also feel that the paint job on this Toyota is thin and poorly bonded to the prime coat from top to bottom, interior and exterior!
Same problem on my 2006 Sienna XLE. Very frustrating. I will try to send some photos. My rims look just like those in the photos above, but I think you are after “impact in numbers”, so I will send mine too. Thanks for adding structure to a process. In numbers we can and will make a difference. And best of luck to all with this problem.
I too have an 06 xle ltd. The problem is exactly the same as pictured above. Sorry, not able to post addt’l pics. I also noticed the problem 2 months over 36,000 mi. A service mgr got a Toyota rep to agree to a %50 participation on $2400.00 worth of new wheels. I just bought out my lease, and can not afford the $1200.00
I personally have seen it on 3 other vans in my travels in the NE.
Hmmmmmmmmmm !
My 2006 Sienna XLE Limited AWD has the same problem with all 4 rims. They are bubbling and flaking similar to photos already posted here. I live in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada and have seen this symptom on the same type of van in various climates and locales (ie not just cold weather environs). It is clearly a defective component and a blemish on an otherwise very reliable van.
I am responding to Demiglaz’s request on the Toyotanation.com website to post my experience here. I have a 2005 Sienna XLE AWD in which the rims starting bubbling within 18 months of ownership. I received no resolution from Toyota – neither the dealership, zone rep, nor customer service in CA. Solution offered to me was to pay $900+ for two rims, and Toyota would give me two additional rims for free. Because my rims were so bad, I paid around $500 to have them refinished. They look much better, but in a close inspection the pitting is still evident. I am sending pictures to olivecg for posting as requested above.
I had the same problem with my Tundra’s wheels. I noticed the problem several months before, but by the time I brought the vehicle into my dealer for assistance, the applicable 36-month warranty period had expired. I missed the deadline by only a few months, and despite my assertion that I first noticed the problem months earlier (within the warranty period), still no help from Toyota. Can’t provide pictures because I had my wheels refinised ($780 from my wallet). I, too, believe this is a widespread issue which suggests a manufacturing problem (as opposed to isolated instances of customer abuse, etc.). In fact, if you look at the pictures above, most of the wheels are in very good shape (clean, etc.) except for the bubbling or blistering occurring under the finish.
The loyal Toyota owners among us are probably frustrated with this issue because we’re accustomed to Toyota going out of its way to keep customers happy. For a possible explanation of why things are different now, read this: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/business/global/03toyota.html?_r=1&8au&emc=au
Best of luck to all affected by this problem.
Ed Treffen (California)