Toyota Prius fender bender

[CoriBug]

Hi!

My mom had dinner with her friend on Sunday. Her friend, Linda, was talking about a fender bender she caused a couple months ago. My mom didn't get any details because Linda was too embarassed! Anyway, Linda has a Toyota Prius(05 I think). She took it to the dealer last week and all 4 tires are completely bald. The dealer said that the accident caused the alignment to get screwed up which caused the tires to lose all traction. I know that if the alignment is off even a little your tires can get messed up, but all 4?? And COMPLETELY bald? This was not a bad accident. Are Prius' really that 'dainty' or are all cars prone to this happening?

Cori

[gilligan]

well I suppose if you hit a railroad tie on the end and drove right over it and were doing 60-70 mph yea it could kink the rear axel. of course all things would have to hit perfectly to do this trick but I believe it could be done.

[CoriBug]

Originally Posted by gilligan

well I suppose if you hit a railroad tie on the end and drove right over it and were doing 60-70 mph yea it could kink the rear axel. of course all things would have to hit perfectly to do this trick but I believe it could be done.

Mmmm, sounds like fun!! I like that scenario you came up with!! Maybe I'll ask my Dub dealer when I take Daisy in next week. I'm curious - seems pretty extreme to me.

Cori

[wawalker]

I would guess that just maybe it is possible that the car got knocked totally out of alignment by the accident--but that should've been checked and addressed when the accident repairs were made!

It is entirely possible that a minor accident caused this too--I am going to guess that the "Pious" is built lightly and with no extra heft in order to maximize the MPGs since weight exacts a big penalty.

[PhoenixRising]

Originally Posted by wawalker

It is entirely possible that a minor accident caused this too--I am going to guess that the "Pious" is built lightly and with no extra heft in order to maximize the MPGs since weight exacts a big penalty.

Yes, the Prius is light, but not so much more so, then a Mini Cooper, I would think.

How many miles were on the Prius? I know my '05 Prius came with Good Year tires, of which I am personally not a fan of, but it's possible that the misalignment, with a lot of miles, might have prematurely aged the tires.

[Whitacre]

Yea and the prius is almost twice the size of a mini no?

Thats comparing apples to oranges...

I think its odd for tires to wear all the way to bald status in that short of time, especially all four. Something is definatly not right.

[VW2.0Driver]

Originally Posted by Whitacre

Yea and the prius is almost twice the size of a mini no?

Thats comparing apples to oranges...

I think its odd for tires to wear all the way to bald status in that short of time, especially all four. Something is definatly not right.

Heh, I was going to say the same exact thing...

Mileage would be a good thing to know, but I doubt it's a whole lot. Even still. For four tires to go completely bald means something was very wrong mechanically.

Seems odd the Rears would be bald, cause the rear wheels really can't be aligned as much as the front and it would take, practically a bent axle to knock that out of line. Plus the front is where all the steering control is, (tie rods, ball joints, struts, etc) and that is what they tweak to make sure the camber, caster and all that good stuff are in check.

All I can say is....WIERD

Maybe she should get a VW instead

[CoriBug]

Yup! I agree with all that! A couple years ago while driving to college classes 40 minutes away I had to go on a road that was being used to haul dirt. The road got really messed up by the trucks and the dirt hauler guys weren't cleaning their mess. They left something on the road that I didn't see because the dirt was covering it. Well, I hit that thing(something metal and big) going 55 mph! The impact knocked off a hubcap and I had it realigned the next day. The mechanic said the car was totally out of alignment on the front tires. No other damage but I was mad at the guys who left that there. Cost me $50. Anyway, that was a 95 Geo Prizm with 100k miles. Built solid and very reliable. I miss it - lots of sentimental value. As much as the Prius costs, that thing should be bullet proof.

Oh and I have no idea how many miles are on our friend's car. She commutes to Cheyenne - maybe 40k?

Cori