ReportingSafetyDefects/TireGrading for Your Toyota 4 Runner SUV Third Generation (1996-2002)

’01 4Runner_U (L/O 0008)  
SECTION  
9
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS FOR U.S.  
OWNERS AND UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY  
GRADING  
Reporting safety defects for U.S. owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278  
Uniform tire quality grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278  
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Reporting safety defects  
for U.S. owners  
Uniform tire quality grading  
This information has been prepared in ac-  
cordance with regulations issued by the  
National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-  
tration of the U.S. Department of Trans-  
portation. It provides the purchasers and/  
or prospective purchasers of Toyota  
vehicles with information on uniform tire  
quality grading.  
If you believe that your vehicle  
has a defect which could cause a  
crash or could cause injury or  
death, you should immediately in-  
form the National Highway Traffic  
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in  
addition to notifying Toyota Motor  
Sales, U.S.A., Inc.  
To contact NHTSA, you may ei-  
ther call the Auto Safety Hotline  
toll−free at 1−800−424−9393 (or  
366−0123 in Washington, D.C.  
area) or write to: NHTSA, U.S.  
Department of Transportation,  
Washington, D.C. 20590. You can  
also obtain other information about  
motor vehicle safety from the Hot-  
line.  
Your Toyota dealer will help answer any  
questions you may have as you read this  
information.  
(Toll−free: 1−800−331−4331).  
If NHTSA receives similar com-  
plaints, it may open an investiga-  
tion, and if it finds that a safety  
defect exists in a group of ve-  
hicles, it may order a recall and  
DOT quality grades—All passenger car  
tires must conform to Federal Safety  
Requirements in addition to these  
grades. Quality grades can be found  
where applicable on the tire sidewall  
between tread shoulder and maximum  
section width. For example: Treadwear  
200 Traction AA Temperature A  
remedy  
campaign.  
However,  
NHTSA cannot become involved  
in individual problems between  
you, your dealer, or Toyota Motor  
Sales, U.S.A., Inc.  
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Treadwear—The treadwear grade is  
a
Temperature A, B, C—The temperature  
grades are (the highest), B, and C,  
comparative rating based on the wear rate  
of the tire when tested under controlled  
conditions on a specified government test  
course. For example, a tire graded 150  
would wear one and a half (1−1/2) times  
as well on the government course as a  
tire graded 100. The relative performance  
of tires depends upon the actual condi-  
tions of their use, however, and may de-  
part significantly from the norm due to  
variations in driving habits, service prac-  
tices and differences in road characteris-  
tics and climate.  
A
representing the tire’s resistance to the  
generation of heat and its ability to dissi-  
pate heat when tested under controlled  
conditions on a specified indoor laboratory  
test wheel. Sustained high temperature  
can cause the material of the tire to de-  
generate and reduce tire life, and exces-  
sive temperature can lead to sudden tire  
failure. The grade C corresponds to a lev-  
el of performance which all passenger car  
tires must meet under the Federal Motor  
Vehicle Safety Standard No.109. Grades B  
and A represent higher levels of perfor-  
mance on the laboratory test wheel than  
the minimum required by law.  
Traction AA, A, B, C—The traction  
grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A,  
B, and C, and they represent the tire’s  
ability to stop on wet pavement as mea-  
sured under controlled conditions on spe-  
cified government test surfaces of asphalt  
and concrete. A tire marked C may have  
poor traction performance.  
Warning: The temperature grades for this  
tire are established for a tire that is prop-  
erly inflated and not overloaded. Exces-  
sive speed, underinflation, or excessive  
loading, either separately or in combina-  
tion, can cause heat buildup and possible  
tire failure.  
Warning: The traction grade assigned to  
this tire is based on braking (straight  
ahead) traction tests and does not include  
cornering (turning) traction.  
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