BRIDGESTONE DESERT DUELER TIRES Complaints

ORIGINAL TIRES ON VEHICLE WERE DUELER 684. REPLACED WITH SAME TIRE ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. UNDERSTOOD AT THAT TIME THE DUELER 684 WAS NO LONGER PRODUCED BUT LOCAL FIRESTONE STORE SPECIAL ORDERED LAST 3 TIRES FROM ANOTHER LOCATION'S STOCK SO I WOULD ONLY HAVE TO REPLACE 3 TIRES AND USE MY ORIGINAL UNUSED SPARE. ON 6/12/00 I NOTICED A BULGE ON BACK LEFT TIRE WITH SMALLTIRE SEPARATION. I IMMEDIATELY REPLACED WITH SPARE. DURING THE WEEK BEFORE I TOOK IT TO FIRESTONE FOR REPLACEMENT THE DEFECTIVE TIRE WAS ON MY SPARE RACK AND TOTALLY DECOMPRESSED WITH HALF OF THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. I WAS LUCKY! LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER (STORE #008842) PRO-RATED TIRE FOR $49.99. TIRE ONLY HAD ABOUT 30,000 MILES ON IT. FIRESTONE REPLACED WITH DUELER H/L P-MET P245/70R16. OTHER TROOPER AND SAME TIRE OWNERS SHOULD ALSO KNOW ABOUT THIS TIRE!! I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING ON THE DUELER 684'S AND HOPE THESE ARE ALSO RECALLED!( DOT NUMBER: Y7MT TIRE SIZE: P245/70R16 )

WHILE TRAVELING IN A CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1985 AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF 55 MPH LEFT FRONT TIRE EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. BUT, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED FRONT END DAMAGES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

R-REAR TIRE TREAD PEELED/SEPARATED ALMOST CAUSED SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *AK( DOT NUMBER: D689Q TIRE SIZE: LT26575R16 )

I HAVE GONE THRU 3 SETS OF TIRES FOR THE FRONT RH SIDE OF MY VEHICLE. I HAVE DONE 3 ALIGNMENTS ON MY TRUCK ALREADY. I TOOK THE TRUCK INTO A 2ND DEALER TO CHECK OUT THE FRONT END 2 WEEKS AGO AND THE CONCLUSION WAS THAT I NEEDED A 4TH ALIGNMENT FOR THIS TRUCK. THIS TRUCK HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT, MAINLY COMMUTING BACK AND FORTH TO WORK. I AM GOING TO BE TRAVELING 4,000 MILES NEXT MONTH AND AM VERY LEERY OF TAKING THIS VEHICLE. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE IN MY 15 YEARS OF DRIVING NEED 4 ALIGNMENTS IN 2 YEARS. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P21575S15 )

CHEVRON RECEIPT OF 4/20/00 READS: ALL FOUR BRIDGESTONE TIRES ARE UNSAFE DUE TO BEAD PROBLEMS - HAD TO PUT STUDDED TIRES BACK ON VEHICLE. (NOTE) - THESE PEOPLE DO NOT SELL TIRES. *AK( DOT NUMBER: EL YT TIRE SIZE: P205/70R15 )

DEALER REPORTED VEHICLE WAS NOT ALIGNED AT TIME OF MANUFACTURING, CAUSED PREMATURELY WEAR TIRES WHICH SUBARU OF AMERICA IS ONLY WILLING TO PAY A SMALL SHARE OF COST( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P20570R15 )

PREMATURE TIRE WEAR. NEED TWO NEW FRONT TIRES AFTER 28,000 MILES! CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED THAT IT WAS THE IMPROPER TIRE THAT WAS SELECTED FOR THE VEHICLE. I CONTACTED THE TIRE MANUFACTURER AND THEY ADVISED IT WAS POOR ENGINEERING OF THE FRONT END SUSPENSION ON NISSAN'S PART. NISSAN HAS ADMITTED THAT IT HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/70R15 )

THE VEHICLE HAS A CONSTANT VIBRATION THAT INCREASES WITH SPEED. IT FEELS SIMILAR TO A TIRE BEING OUT OF BALANCE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES. THEY SENT THE VEHICLE TO NTB AND I TOOK IT TO THE FIRESTONE/BRIDGESTONE DEALER. THREE SETS OF NEW TIRES HAVE BEEN ON THE VEHICLE AND TWO SETS OF WHEELS. SO FAR THAT HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE VIBRATION IS A DEFECT IN AN AXLE OR SOME OTHER AREA OF THE VEHICLE AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY SAFETY WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE.( DOT NUMBER: Y7MT TIRE SIZE: P245/70R16 )

OEM TIRE DESIGN AND SIZE CREATES DANGEROUS HANDLING PERFORMANCE ON SNOW COVERED/ICEY ROADS. VEHICLE PERFORMANCE SUFFERS DRAMACTICALLY DUE TO TIRE DESIGN AND SIZE GIVEN VEHICLE'S WEIGHT. LACK OF CONTACT TRACTION SEVERLY EFFECTS BRAKING AND STEERING CONTROL EVEN AT MUCH LESS THAN REASONABLY SAFE SPEED. QUESTION MANUFACTURER'S CHOICE OF TIRE DESIGN AND SIZE SELECTION AS A SAFETY CONCERN IN WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY WHEN VEHICLE IS PROMOTED AS A 4-WHEEL DRIVE SUV CAPABLE OF PERFORMING "BETTER THAN AVERAGE" IN ADVERSE WEATHER. THIS IS NOT ONLY MISLEADING; IT IS A DANGEROUS REAL-WORLD COMBINATION OF POORLY ENGINEERED PERFORMANCE.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/60-16 )

AT SPEEDS AROUND 50 MPH AND ABOVE, VEHICLE HAS A PERSISTENT SHIMMY (VIBRATION) IN THE STEERING WHEEL. HONDA DEALER SAYS IT IS THE TIRES, TIRE DEALER SAYS THE TIRES ARE OK. DEALER KEPT THE VEHICLE ALL DAY, AND THE PROBLEM WAS ABOUT 90 PERCENT BETTER. BUT THE SHIMMY CAME BACK WITHIN A MONTH. HAVE TALKED TO HONDA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE, THEY CLAIM NO KNOWELDGE OF IT. BUT THE INTERNET IS FULL OF REPORTS OF THE SHIMMY ON EARLY PRODUCTION VEHICLES (LIKE MINE). I SEEM TO HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL OTHER AVENUES, SO I AM NOW FILING THIS REPORT( DOT NUMBER: )