Spare tire defect?

I recently had to use my spare, only to learn that the way it was seated underneath the bed of the truck that the sidewall of the tire had been severely damaged. It looks like the frame rubs directly onto the sidewall in eight places. I would think there would be some type of rubber stoppers to keep the frame from rubbing through the sidewall. Needless to say, the spare did not have any air in it. The Toyota dealership insists that the tire is still good. Any recommended fixes so I don't ruin the next spare? Anyone else encounter this issue?

 

Lots of people. There's a thread on this topic from a few years ago.

 

And no it isn't a defective tire or defective design as far as Toyota is concerned.

 

It's only a 2013...not even 20k miles. Not even used off road. How can this not be a defect?

 

They go away after you install it.

I pulled my spare to replace a damaged tire so I didn't have to buy a new one and it had these marks. They go away.
If it was wearing away rubber the white lettering would be worn through.

 

I replaced my spare shortly after buying the truck to have a matching wheel and tire so that I could do a five-tire rotation. In the future, simply ensure that the spare isn't pushing too hard into the frame. What do you mean by no air though? It looks like you put it on the vehicle and it's holding up weight. How often do you check your spare tire pressure? Even if it's ever so slowly, air does slowly permeate and diffuse through the spare tire just like it does in the other tires.

 

In two places the rubs were more than rubs. Looks like it was down to the belt. The pictures didn't really show it very well. The air does not stay in the tire.

 

So just to double-check, it was at 0 PSIG when you pulled the spare down? The tire leaks air as soon as you pressurize it? Is it still supporting your truck? Have you done a soap bubble test to verify the leak location? While unlikely, the wheel could have failed also. I would not call it a design problem. The mechanism works fine, the tire simply needs to not be pushed into the frame too hard. If the wheel and tire assembly can't hold air, do a soap bubble test in front of them and make them replace the failed component.

 

When I upgraded my spare to an actual tire, it didn't have any of these marks. Wonder if it's model year(s) exclusive?

 

Not.

 

Wut?

 

It doesn't take tremendous crank pressure to hold it in place, and it's not pushing against the frame. It's seated in a designed X cross member with rounded edges. Put some rubber shims between the contact points and the tire if you're worried about it. For instance, cut 4 - 4"X6" pieces from an old bed mat and zip tie them in place. Check air pressure at least once a month, reset TPMS and you have it.