BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES Complaints

Tire warning system came on and found that front drivers side had no air in it, since it's a run flat tire I was able to drive slowly for just a few miles to home. After filling the tire with air I found that the sidewall was leaking excessively. No visible hole but a bulge in the outer layer causing air loss. No scuffs or any other other damage to tire or specifically sidewall. Mileage is 22,700.

I PURCHASED 4 REPLACEMENT RUN FLAT TIRES FOR MY WIFES BMW 335D WITH 40,000 MILE TREAD WEAR WARRANTY. AFTER 20,000 MILES THE FRONT TIRES WERE HALF WORN AND THE REARS WERE NEAR BALD. I CONTACTED TIRE RACK, WHERE I HAD PURCHASED REPLACEMENT TIRES, AND THEY SENT OUT 2 REAR REPLACEMENT TIRES TO THEIR LOCAL INSTALLER; WHICH I FULLY PAID FOR PENDING RETURN. UPON INSTALLATION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TIRES I HAD ORIGINALLY PURCHASED FROM TIRE RACK WERE NOT RUN FLATS BUT STANDARD TIRES. THE TIRES LOOK FROM THE OUTSIDE EXACTLY THE SAME, BRIDGESTONE RE960 VS RE970S. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE IN PRICE AND YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO MIX NON RUN FLATS AND RUN FLATS. I CONTACTED TIRE RACK AND THEY WOULD NOT HELP. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE WOULD NOT LISTEN BUT BLAMED THE PROBLEM ON ME OR THEIR INSTALLER. WITH SOME INVESTIGATION I LEARNED ABOUT DOT NUMBERS AND WAS SURPRISED THAT THE INSTALLER DOES NOT TRACK THE DOT NUMBER AND ONLY TIRE RACK HAS. TIRE RACK IS THE ONLY ONE WITH THE DOT NUMBER AND THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY TO VERIFYING THE DOT NUMBERS. THEY SAY IT IS NOT THEIR MISTAKE BUT COMMUNICATION WITH THEM HAS BEEN DIFFICULT AND THEY DONT SEEM TO HAVE A CUSTOMER ORIENTED OR TRUSTWORTHY CULTURE. I SPOKE WITH THE INSTALLER AND THEY REVIEWED THE LABELING AND SEGREGATION OF THE TIRES RECEIVED FROM TIRE RACK TO PREVENT SWITCHING. THEY ARE A SMALL INSTALLER AND THERE PROCESS SEEMS RELIABLE. WHO KNOWS HOW OFTEN THIS HAPPENS BUT I WANTED TO SHARE THIS STORY WITH OTHERS SO THEY BUY THEIR TIRES FROM THE INSTALLER TO ELIMINATE THIS PROBLEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 650I EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE TIRES, TIRE LINE: POTENZA RE050A, TIRE SIZE: 275/35/R19 AND DOT NUMBER: EJ9HDJH4311. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE OBSERVER A BLISTER IN THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE SIDEWALL. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THE TIRE WAS ALWAYS FLAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 92,132.

VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO PASS INSPECTION DUE TO TIRE (TREAD) SEPARATION ON ALL 4 BRIDGESTONE POTENZA 'S INSPECTOR POINTED OUT THAT ALL 4 TIRES WERE CRACKED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE ON ALL 4 TIRES AND DANGEROUS/HAZARDOUS TO DRIVE ON. HAD TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES IN ORDER TO PASS INSPECTION... HAVE TAKEN PHOTOS OF ALL THE TIRES... TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN OCT, 2010 AND REPLACED IN NOV, 2015 -- TIRE HAD A TOTAL OF 24,183 MILES ON IT... AND STILL HAS PLENTY OF TREAD LEFT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI GENESIS EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES, SIZE: 225/45/R18 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE AND VIBRATION ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIBRATION WAS DUE TO TREAD SEPARATION, WHICH CAUSED A BUBBLE IN THE INNER TREAD OF THE TIRE. THE TIRE WAS NOT REPLACED. THE TIRE WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE OF THE TIRE AND VEHICLE WAS 21,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HYUNDAI ELANTRA EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE PONTEZA TIRES, SIZE 225/40/19 (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 75 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE STRUCK A DEEP POTHOLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTERIOR TIRE BELT SEPARATED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000. THE DOT NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI GENESIS EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES, SIZE: 255/45R18 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THERE WAS A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE CONTROL. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND SLOW DOWN, HE CRASHED INTO A MEDIAN. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE WAS LOW. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEEL BELTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TWO FRONT TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE ORIGINAL TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S CABRIOLET EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA POLE POSITION TIRES, SIZE 295/30R19 (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TIRE REPAIR SHOP WHO REPLACED THE TIRE WITH A NEW ONE, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND DOT NUMBER WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000.

THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES THAT ARE STANDARD ON MY BMW 328I ARE STRESSED WITH BUBBLES FORMING ON THE SIDEWALLS. MY 2007 BMW HAS HAD ALL THE TIRES REPLACED AS A RESULT OF BUBBLES OR BLOWOUTS. THE MOST RECENT WAS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH. I TIRE WAS LEAKING AIR AND FOUND TO BE DAMAGED. I BARELY MADE IT BACK TO BMW DEALER 3.2 MILES AWAY FROM WHERE IT HAPPENED. WHEN THEY INSPECTED THE CAR THEY FOUND ANOTHER TIRE THAT HAD A BUBBLE FORMED ON IT CAUSING A FAILED VA INSPECTION. MARCH 2014, THE TIRE BLEW OUT ON I-95 IN GA. THE CAR WAS FLAT BED TOWED TO SAVANNAH WHERE THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. AGAIN CAUSED BY BUBBLES FORMED ON THE SIDEWALL. OVER THE EIGHT YEARS I HAVE HAD THE CAR, I HAVE REPLACED THE 8 TIRES DUE TO BUBBLES. THE CAR HAS 31,115 MILES ON IT. I TAKE EXTRA CARE OF THE CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY BRIDGESTONE AND BMW. I HAVE REPEATEDLY TRIED TO DISCUSS THIS WITH THE COMPANIES BUT THEY GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND AND BLAME EACH OTHER. BRIDGESTONE SAID THAT BMW BUILT THE CAR TO LOW TO THE GROUND. BMW SAYS THEY DON'T MAKE TIRES. THIS IS SERIOUS.

I STOPPED TO HAVE MY TIRE PRESSURE CHECKED AND THE MECHANICS WERE VERY CONCERNED WITH THE PASSENGER TIRE'S SIDEWALL SEPARATING FROM THE BODY OF THE TIRE. THEY HIGHLY SUGGESTED THEY REPLACE THE TIRE WITH THE DOUGHNUT SPARE EVEN THOUGH I WAS ONLYB10 MILES FROM HOME. AFTER INSPECTION OF THE OTHER TIRES THE BACK PASSENGER TIRE WAS ALSO BEGINNING TO SEPARATE. THESE TIRES ONLY HAVE 20,000 MILES. *TR