Toyota Financial Services Helps Customers Survive the Mean Streets of Potholes, Nails, Blowouts, and Other Dreaded Road Hazards

Toyota Financial Services Helps Customers Survive the Mean Streets of Potholes, Nails, Blowouts, and Other Dreaded Road Hazards

The Tire & Wheel protection plans backed by the Toyota name will launch Dec. 9

TORRANCE, Calif. (Dec. 09, 2013) – It’s that time of year again when rain, snow and freezing temperatures conspire to create more potholes. Combine that with hazards such as, nails, glass, and tree branches, and the nation’s roads and highways become true obstacle courses. It’s no wonder millions of flat tires occur every year in the U.S.

To help take the pain out of unexpected tire and wheel damage, Toyota Financial Services /Lexus Financial Services (TFS/LFS) is set to launch its newest vehicle protection product – Tire & Wheel Protection, a plan built and backed by the strength of Toyota and Lexus.

Benefits include*:

• Tire replacement (no plugs and patches, customers get a new tire for a qualifying claim – even for run flat tires and aftermarket tires)
• An option for cosmetic wheel repair to take care of minor wheel scuffs¹
• Wheel replacement (when damage to the wheel prevents a seal between the tire and wheel)
• No limit to the number of claims
• An option for paintless dent repair and windshield repair²
• Towing Reimbursement (up to $100)
• Related costs for Labor and fees
• One time transferability of benefits should the covered vehicle be sold to a private party

“We’ve all had that moment when we hit a pothole, scraped up against a curb, or even had an unexpected blowout. With our new Tire & Wheel protection plan, we hope we can make life a little easier for our customers by offering an option that will help protect them against the high costs of replacement,” said Jim Miller, National Manager of Product Development. “We are confident that customers will see our plan is priced competitively and provides what we believe is better coverage and service than non-Toyota repair or replace plans.”

To administer the TFS/LFS Tire & Wheel program, TFS has partnered with Safe-Guard Products International, the industry leaderin tire and wheel protection products.

By purchasing the TFS/LFS Tire & Wheel protection plans, customers don’t need to worry about delaying costly replacement or repair and risking further tire damage.

According to the trade publication Modern Tire Dealer, the average price of a passenger tire in the U.S. increased 57% from 2006 to 2012.  The publication’s research showed thatthe average cost for a new tire on a passenger vehicle in the U.S. is $126.16, and for a light truck, the cost is $179.15.