[Rfk]

We're a few years away, but would likely need to order a vehicle to get what we want. Still, I find it puzzling + oddly humorous that Toyota is so disinclined to be responsive to end-customer orders. After all, Toyota was the innovative spark behind JIT:

Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, also known as just-in-time production or the Toyota Production System (TPS), is a methodology aimed primarily at reducing times within the production system as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. TPS can efficiently and quickly produce vehicles of sound quality, one at a time, that fully satisfy customer requirements. We will use these initiatives and develop our human resources to make ever-better cars that will be cherished by customers.

 

[starlightmica]

The better question is why Toyota didn't just make a spare tire standard for all their cars. I suspect most customers prefer a spare even if its not a deal breaker for them. Just another bizarre choice that Toyota made for the 2021 MY. I wanted to buy a loaded 2021 Platinum but now I have to find one of the few with a freaking spare.

Most Prius trims no longer have a spare tire, either. Guessing that the additional 50+ lbs is enough to dent EPA fuel economy ratings.

 

[Siennabigfan]

It’s crazy to me the spare tire isn’t standard. I don’t want to go on a road trip without one.
I was quoted $1600 to add after the fact because of the trim panels and whatnot.

 

[memememe]

For those looking for a Sienna with the spare (as I have been), here are some thoughts for your search, albeit perhaps way overkill and more than you want to know.

First, while that $1600 may seem like alot (because it is), if there is a van you want on a lot, you might be able to get that kind of discount over going to get the rare one with it. It'll just depend on the circumstances.

Absent custom ordering, it seems like availability with spare is very region specific. I don't know why Toyota complicates it so much but that's how it is. If you go to the toyota.com site and change the zip code to different regions, you get slightly different options. I wanted a Platinum with the spare tire and Inverter, Entertainment, etc. In the region that includes Texas, you can only build a Platinum with either the spare or those items, not both. And there seem to be no Platinumns with spare. In the Southeast (AL, GA, SC, ..) but especially GA and SC, you can find a couple of those vans with spares. That may be because if you go to build one for the southeast zip codes, the spare is part of the big package.

So, if you are looking for some combination (spare or something else) that is hard to come by and are willing to travel, you might check into a different region.

This came from another website and might be accurate:

Good luck in your searches and Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Rfk]

Thanks for posting that map! My sense is that Toyota's JIT/TPS responsiveness stops at the Region. But if you can find a dealer willing to be bothered and deal with it, you can get the specs you want if you can wait for it.

 

[UTChE96]

So far not a single Platinum trim has been delivered to the greater Houston area with a spare. Does Toyota realize that no spare tire is a deal breaker for a large percentage of their customers? I'm starting to wonder if they even care. Such a tone deaf company.

 

[memememe]

I heard from one dealer that they werent going to have any in Texas with spares until January or so.

 

[Pramre]

I heard from one dealer that they werent going to have any in Texas with spares until January or so.

I did not find a single Platinum(Ruby flare pearl) AWD with spare, anywhere in the country. We’re thinking about just ordering one instead of waiting for it to show up on a dealers lot. The only question is whether we get $3K MSRP like dealers are offering for cars on their lot today.

 

[starlightmica]

I custom ordered both Toyotas way back as additional safety features weren't in stock - side airbags for the Camry, stability control for the Sienna. I'm currently looking at the Corolla LE with the BSM package, and what do you know, hard to find in stock. Custom orders took 10+ weeks previously.

 

[Indy-manda]

I did not find a single Platinum(Ruby flare pearl) AWD with spare, anywhere in the country. We’re thinking about just ordering one instead of waiting for it to show up on a dealers lot. The only question is whether we get $3K MSRP like dealers are offering for cars on their lot today.

We couldn’t find a platinum with a spare either. The dealer where I test drove had several in allocation and was still able to make changes to get us the exact van we wanted. They were also able to get a the entertainment/spare tire option in a color that the configurator said wasn’t possible. Our build date is in 2 weeks and we should have it shortly there after. We had planned on using the Costco program, but that dealer had no platinums on order to even work with. We were able to negotiate down ~$3500 for the one we ordered. Not quite as good as the Costco price I was quoted, but worth it to us to get it sooner and not have to drive an hour away to the other dealer.

 

[Pramre]

We couldn’t find a platinum with a spare either. The dealer where I test drove had several in allocation and was still able to make changes to get us the exact van we wanted. They were also able to get a the entertainment/spare tire option in a color that the configurator said wasn’t possible. Our build date is in 2 weeks and we should have it shortly there after. We had planned on using the Costco program, but that dealer had no platinums on order to even work with. We were able to negotiate down ~$3500 for the one we ordered. Not quite as good as the Costco price I was quoted, but worth it to us to get it sooner and not have to drive an hour away to the other dealer.

Thats great. What was the Costco price you were quoted?
Our challenge is to find a dealership that has orders coming in so they can modify with the spare tire option. The best build date I got was in mid January 2021 in NJ.

 

[Indy-manda]

Thats great. What was the Costco price you were quoted?
Our challenge is to find a dealership that has orders coming in so they can modify with the spare tire option. The best build date I got was in mid January 2021 in NJ.

It was $50k and change. Just shy of $4500 off the Msrp from the build sheet I sent them to price. The dealer where I test drove is a big one and he pulled up their incoming ones to see if one was coming .. they probably had two dozen between all of the trims. He did tell me that starting from scratch with an order would be late Feb or March at this point.

 

[ROJA]

Bumping this really helpful thread - any updates on this topic? And sorry if this is a dumb question but what does this option include and if it's just the tire itself, why can't this but purchased at a dealer as an accessory? Is there a real difference (like the storage infrastructure) that requires this to be a factory option?

 

[UTChE96]

Bumping this really helpful thread - any updates on this topic? And sorry if this is a dumb question but what does this option include and if it's just the tire itself, why can't this but purchased at a dealer as an accessory? Is there a real difference (like the storage infrastructure) that requires this to be a factory option?

No dedicated storage provided if the spare tire is not added. Others have spoken to the dealers about a retrofit and have been quoted $1.5k+ to make the change. Seems like the dealers are getting more cars with spare tires in so I would not settle. I had to work with the dealer to find the exact configuration that I wanted with a spare that would be delivered. I had to wait a few weeks but it was totally worth it.

 

[memememe]

I ordered my Sienna with the spare. Happy to answer any questions. Ordered in November, received early February.

 

[jbsjbs]

Bumping this really helpful thread - any updates on this topic? And sorry if this is a dumb question but what does this option include and if it's just the tire itself, why can't this but purchased at a dealer as an accessory? Is there a real difference (like the storage infrastructure) that requires this to be a factory option?

There are 2 structural changes that seem to go along with the spare. The compartment (and mounting surface) on the left side and the jack on the right bottom side of the 3rd row seat storage area. It does seem to be a fairly complicated/expensive retrofit.

We ended up finding a Limited Blizzard Pearl at a dealer in January and drove ~30 miles to get it there. The vehicle had the entertainment package which I probably wouldn't have picked if I'd been ordering but this appeared to be the only 2021 Sienna available in 150 miles with the spare so it was worth it to get it right then rather than order.

As to number of flats, we've had a few over the years and do long road trips. Even if we'd never had a flat I'd still be inclined to order with the spare and/or retrofit. I've been putting my seatbelt on every day for 40 years or so and (knock wood) have never needed that either but it still seems worth doing. If we were always around town I might consider going without the spare but if I'm 300 miles into a 600 mile road trip I really don't want to have to rely on whatever local gas station can come tow my vehicle and fix my tire. There's never a good time to get a flat (OK, maybe pulling into the Costco Tire Center about to buy new tires) but there are definitely some that are worst than others.

 

[Jim19939]

All dealers we talked to said 10+ weeks for a custom order. And they won’t guarantee/lock the price.

I guess I was lucky to find the right dealer. When they could not find the vehicle I wanted with a spare, they agreed to order one at the price we had agreed upon. It took 9 weeks from the day that I asked them to order it.
To me, the space lost to the spare is trivial since the repair kit would be stored there and I still have the full 48" width. Basically, all I lost was one cupholder at a seat that may never be used.

 

[Jim19939]

We haven't had as many flats as you, but our Sienna does seem to take a nail roughly every 4-5 years. Yeah, I really want a spare tire when it comes time to replace it.

FWIW, on the 2021 Pacifica you can only get a spare tire on the lower 2 trims in FWD thanks to GVWR and wheel size, for $495. The upper 2 trims, Limited and Pinnacle, are AWD only with self sealing tires. Pacifica Hybrid can't have a spare tire IIRC as the charging hardware is behind the driver's side rear wheel.

Maybe it’s me having zero flat tires in 25 years and 300k miles of driving, knock on wood but I rather have the space and the inflation kit. I wish you can get the spare a la carte so I can bring the spare on long road trips and keep the non spare interior.

I looked into a compact spare when I upsized my oem tire for my current vehicle (to match the diameter for Awd) and the tires were very expensive due to unique skinny sizing.

With respect to the cost of an OEM spare with rim, the 2021 Toyota Sienna Parts List has it at $75.

 

[Jim19939]

That (hitch) sounds like a very dangerous projectile in an accident IMO.

I’ll have to see it in person.

I was hoping to put a lithium iron battery in that spot similar to my PLB40 to run a dometic fridge when the van is off.

I bet getting the spare at the parts counter will be $500+ Add more for the trim pieces.

The OEM spare and rim lists at $75 in the 2021 Toyota Sienna Parts List.

 

[Sienna9816]

I am 50/50 on the Toyota (or any other) supplied donut. Primarily because they have very limited useful life. IIRC, they can do 50-60MPH for about 50-60miles. Just to be clear, I will gladly pay $75 to get the donut if that was the only difference. Also, looks like the vast majority of new units now come with spare tire. They must have had some sort of launch time supply chain hiccup to produce as many units as they did without spares earlier.

I knowingly, and still hesitantly, jumped the gun to get a unit that we really wanted but didn't have a spare. AWD Platinum in Silver are/were a hard find about a month ago. My reasoning for jumping the gun was that I would like to really have a full spare because we make 2-3 overnight/late night trips a year. If spare only gets me to next exit or gas station, we are still stuck overnight. With a full size spare, with this van being as big as it is, we will find a corner to carry a full size spare and tools on extended trips. Worst case scenario, I might just tie it up on the roof . I have a 2.5 ton scissor jack, 2Ton jack stand and tire wrench delivered already. I am just dragging my feet to get the actual spare rim and tire. I suppose calling a few junk yards near by should help.

For local area, we have AAA Gold which is good for 100 miles towing.

Btw, Toyota road side service seem to spell out that for flat tire, they are on hook to replace it with the spare. I suppose someone would call them and see what they say if the car didn't come with spare?