BRIDGESTONE DUELER 684 TIRES Complaints

THE TIRE BLEW OUT, AND THE TREAD CAME OFF, WHICH LEFT THE CONSUMER TO DRIVE ON THE RIM. CONSUMER DID NOT HIT ANYTHING AND THE TIRES ONLY HAD 6000 MILES ON THEM. *TT PH *JB

MAY 19, 2003 AT 6:30PM - BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T TIRE BLEW OUT; TIRE SEPARATED FROM TREAD AND FLEW BACK AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. TOOK REMAINING PARTS OF TIRE INTO FIRESTONE AND WAS TOLD BY A REPRESENTATIVE "I CAN WARRANTY OUT THE DAMAGED TIRE AS A DEFECT, BUT CANNOT REPLACE OTHER THREE TIRES - THEY LOOK FINE". I EXPLAINED THE OTHER TIRE WAS "FINE" UNTIL IT BLEW OUT ON THE HIGHWAY, I WAS SHOCKED THAT HE WAS WILLING TO WARRANTY THE DAMAGED TIRE AS A DEFECT, BUT WOULD NOT REPLACE THE OTHER TIRES OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE DAMAGED TIRE AND COMPARED IT TO OTHER BLOW OUTS WHICH HAVE CAUSED FATAL ACCIDENTS AND FOUND MY TIRE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE OTHER BLOW OUTS. THE POLICE OFFICER WHO SHOWED UP TO THE ACCIDENT DID NOT TAKE A REPORT BUT DID SAY THAT EVEN AT HIGH SPEEDS OR LAYING A SPIKE STRIP DOWN WOULD NOT CAUSE A BLOW OUT LIKE THIS AND SUSPECTED A DEFECT.*JB

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