BRIDGESTONE DUELER TIRES Complaints

GMC INFORMED US THAT OUR SUBURBAN'S FIRESTONE TIRES HAVE HAD A TREAD SEPARATION. FIRESTONE CONFIRMED THIS AND IS OFFERING TO ADJUST FOR NEW TIRES BUT NOT REFUND. I DO NOT WISH TO HAVE BRIDGESTONE / FIRESTONE TIRES. DO THEY NOT NEED TO REFUND OR REPLACE THE TIRES? THE TIRES WE PURCHASED IN 2001 AND ARE BRIDGESTONE DUELER AT LT245/75 R 16 108/104S 693. *NLM

VEHICLE INVOLVED IS A 1999 SUBARU FORESTER L. WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY. 50 MPH ON A STATE HIGHWAY. ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND ROAD WAS SMOOTH (NO POTHOLES). HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION FROM THE RIGHT REAR OF MY VEHICLE. I IMMEDIATELY CAME TO A STOP AND PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I OBSERVED THAT MY TIRE HAD BLOWN OUT, HOWEVER THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE TIRE. IT WAS JUST FLAT. TIRE IS A BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T 684 P20570R15. THE TIRE IS APPROXIMATELY. 5 MONTHS OLD WITH APPROXIMATELY. 9K ON IT. *NLM

FAILURE OF DEULER TIRES. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED FIVE TIRE FAILURES AT DIFFERENT MILEAGES ( 4500, 12816, 15480, 20000, 29160). *TT *NLM

THE TIRES SHOWED SIGNS OF CRACKING AROUND THE WHEEL CONTACT AREA AFTER ONLY 17000 MILES OF USE. AS A PRECAUTION I REPLACED THESE TIRES WITH NEW MICHELIN TIRES. THE NHTSA INFO ADVISED BRIDGESTONE WOULD REIMBURSE THE COST OF REPLACEMENT. AS AN INITIAL ACTION, I HAD REQUESTIED A TOTAL REIMBURSEMENT OF THE COST INVOLVED IN THE AMOUNT OF $531.77. THE SUBJECT TIRES WERE INSPECTED BY THEIR AUTHORIZED DEALER ON 2/14/03 AND FOUND TO HAVE CRACKS AS STATED ABOVE. BRIDGESTONES (CASE FILE 534305) RESPONDED WITH AN OFFER OF $100 COUPON ONLY BECAUSE THEY CLAIM THAT THE TIRES WERE MANUFACTURED IN 1994, TIRES WERE NOT ROTATED AT A DEALERSHIP BUT THEY WILL NOT CERTIFY THAT THE TIRE ARE SAFE TO USE. BECAUSE THE TIRES ARE SHOWING CRACKS AT SIMILAR AREAS ON ALL THE TIRES, I FEEL THAT THE CRACKS ARE DUE TO MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND BRIDGESTONE SHOULD AT LEAST REIMBURSE THE COST OF REPLACEMENT. *JB

A BRIDGESTONE TIRE THAT WAS 14 MONTHS OLD AND HAD ONLY 14,000 MILES SEPARATED CAUSING A 2 FOOT SECTION TO PEEL OFF AND DAMAGE THE VEHICLE ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.

FRONT TIRE DEVELOPED CUPPING AND WOBBLE WITH IN 2845 MILES TIRE NOISE FROM CUPPING. DT

I SENT A DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT THE ODI NUMBER IS 769218. JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN'T GET IT I'LL GO OVER THE DETAILS AGAIN. ON MAY 21, 2002 MY TWO RIGHT TIRES BLEW OUT WHILE I WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. AS A RESULT OF THE BLOW OUT MY CAR COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AND WENT OUT OF CONTROL. LUCKILY THERE WERE NO FATALITIES. ALSO IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A BRAND NEW FRAME WAS NEEDED BECAUSE THE COLLISION WAS SO BAD. POLICE DID REPORT TO THE SCENE AND COULD FIND NO DEBRIS IN THE ROAD TO CAUSE THE BLOW OUT. MY CAR IS STILL IN THE SHOP. IT HAS BEEN THERE SINCE MAY 21, 2002. THANK YOU DT

ON MAY 21, 2002 WHILE DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES PER HOUR MY TWO RIGHT BRIDGESTONE BUELER H/T D689 TIRES BLEW OUT. AS A RESULT OF THAT THE VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED BUT IT WAS THEN DETERMINED THAT A BRAND NEW FRAME WAS NEEDED AS A RESULT OF THE COLLSION WITH THE GROUND. POLICE DID REPORT TO THE SCENE AND DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NO DEBRIS IN THE ROAD TO CAUSE THE BLOW OUT. I DO HAVE THAT POLICE REPORT. THE CAR IS STILL IN THE SHOP. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR ALMOST HALF A YEAR. DT

I WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND ON THE WESTERN KY PARKWAY ON 10/13/2002 AT ABOUT 2200. ROADS CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND TEMPERATURE APPROX 55F. I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN VIBRATION, FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF A FLAT TIRE. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY SLOW EASE MY VEHICLE OVER INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE (RIGHT SHOULDER). I DEFINITELY HAD A FLAT. UPON INSPECTION I WAS HORRIFIED. THE TIRE WAS SMOKING TO THE POINT I BARELY SEE IT. I COULD SMELL BURNING TIRE. I DID NOT SEE ANY FLAME AND THE SMOKE QUIT WITHIN ABOUT 20-30 SECONDS. THE SIDE WALL OF THIS TIRE WAS BLOWN OUT, NEARLY SEPARATED AND HANGING BY TIRE CORD. IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE ANOTHER I SAW AT THE FOLLOWING LINK: HTTP://WWW.FIRESTONE-TIRE-RECALL.COM/PAGES/ACCIDENT_REPORTS/9-20_TIRE-BLOW.HTML. MY TIRE FAILURE IS EXACTLY THE SAME CUT OUT SHAPE, THE SAME CUT OUT SIZE AND AND SAME CUT OUT LOCATION AS THE ONE PICTURED, EXCEPT MINE IS HANGING BY TIRE CORD. I'M AMAZED THIS HAPPENED. MORE AMAZED IT'S BEEN HAPPENING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING 32 YEARS, I NEVER SEEN A TIRE FAILURE LIKE THIS. I FEEL BLESSED TO HAVE ARRIVED HOME WITH 2 FIFTEEN YEAR OLD BOYS. MR

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING THE LEFT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT ,CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE.SIZE 26575R16.NOT ORGINIAL TIRE.DOT #7BW8UR038. NLM