BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES Complaints

PURCHASED 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY XLE ON 4/16/02. THE CAR WAS EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA P215/60R16 94V RE92 TIRES. EXPERIENCED VERY POOR PERFORMANCE THIS PAST WINTER. TRACTION VERY BAD IN WINTER CONDITIONS AND ALSO WET ROADS W/O SNOW. BROUGHT CAR TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE ON 4/14/04 WITH 19.020 MILES ON IT AND WAS TOLD I HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES DUE TO EXCESSIVE TREAD WEAR. I REFUSED TO PAY FOR FOUR NEW TIRES AND REPLACE THE FRONT TWO FOR MY OWN SAFETY. I HAVE SENT A LETTER TO BRIDGESTONE & I AM AWAITING A REPLY. OTHER NUMBERS ON THE TIRES WERE 34350 EXBM 25816-2 E 92 MZ TREAD WEAR 160. *JB

2003 NISSAN 350Z BROUGHT IN TO SHOWCASE NISSAN IN BOURNE, MA WITH OIL LIGHT ON AND NO OIL PRESSURE. TECHNICIAN PUT CAR ON LIFT AND DRAINED "LESS THAN A PINT OF OIL" FROM VEHICAL. INSIDE OF TAIL PIPES WERE OILY AND BLACK. MILAGE AT THE TIME WAS 14,100. NISSAN'S SOLUTION WAS TO DO CONSUMPTION TESTS AT 500 MILE INTERVALS WHICH RESULTED IN OIL USAGE OF 1/4 TO 1/2 QUART PER 500 MILES WHICH NISSAN CLAIMS IS "NORMAL".*AK

2002 NEW TOYOTA PRIUS DELIVERED WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES. THESE TIRES HAVE FAILED AFTER 12,000 MILES. THEN CHANGED TIRES (ALL 4) WHICH FAILED AT 10,000 MILES. TOYOTA CORPORATE SAYS ITS NOT THEIR CONCERN. DEALER TOLD ME THEY ARE NOT SAFE TIRES. I HAVE REPLACED TIRES EVERY 10,000 MILES. TOYOTA CORPORATE RECOMMENDS THESE TIRES AND TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM.*AK

BRIDGESTONE TIRES P205/65R15 92T/ A BOLT CAUSED A PUNCTURE IN THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE. (NAR) *MR THE TECHNICIAN MENTIONED THAT BOTH THE DAMAGED TIRE AND THE THREE REMAINING TIRES ON THE VEHICLE SHOWED EXCESSIVE WEAR AT THE OUTSIDE. *NM *CB

BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE-92 P215-60R16 M&S. THIS TIRE HAS BEEN MISTAKENLY CLASSIFIED AS A MUD & SNOW TIRE. IN MY 35 YEARS OF DRIVING, I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN ON SUCH A DANGEROUS TIRE THAT WAS CLASSIFIED M&S. ANY SNOW WHATSOEVER MAKES THE VEHICLE(2004 TOYOTA SOLARA SE) EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL SAFELY. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE TIRE BEING USED SOLELY AS A NON-WINTER TIRE, BUT FOR NHTSA TO ALLOW THE M&S DESIGNATION ON THIS TIRE IS TANTAMOUNT TO GROSS NEGLIGENCE. IF YOU THINK THAT I AM ALONE IN MY OBSERVATION ON THIS TIRE, THEN PLEASE SEE WEBSITE 1010TIRES.COM AND READ THE NUMEROUS CUSTOMER REVIEWS ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS THESE TIRES ARE IN SNOW. I RESPECTFULLY ASK YOU TO PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS TIRE CLASSIFICATION.*AK

TWO ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES ON OUR SUBARU 2003 OUTBACK FAILED AT 9,800 AND 11,700 MILES OF USE, WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF EACH OTHER. BOTH STARTED AS SLOW LEAKS FOR ABOUT A WEEK,WHICH WE MONITORED AND FILLED. THEN SUDDENLY A BIG WHITE CIRCULAR SPLIT APPEARED IN THE SIDEWALL ABOUT AN INCH AWAY FROM THE TREAD, AND TIRES WERE DEAD FLAT AND RUINED. FIRST TIRE WAS DRIVER-SIDE REAR; SECOND WAS PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT. WHEN BROUGHT TO FIRESTONE DEALER FOR WARRANTY FULFILLMENT FOR FIRST TIRE, WE WERE TOLD IT WAS OUR FAULT (?!) AND WE HAD TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT. CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR EXPLANATION FOR SECOND INCIDENT...BUT NOT SURE I WANT ANOTHER OF THESE ON MY CAR. LOCAL SUBARU DEALER SAYS THIS IS FIRST HE'S HEARD ABOUT THESE TIRES, BUT I SEE THREE OTHER COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA WEBSITE SPECIFIC TO SUBARUS AMONG THE 92 "GENERAL" AND 37 "SIDEWALL" POTENZA COMPLAINTS. TIRE IS P225/60 R1697H. NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY 30 YEARS OF DRIVING.*AK

FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES BECAUSE OF CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALL. CONSUMER FELT THAT THE TIRE DEALERSHIP DIDN'T WANT TO CLAIM LIABILITY, SO THEY WERE BLAMING THE CRACKS ON ROAD HAZARDS. *AK

I INSTALLED BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES ON MY WIFE'S SUBARU. AFTER LESS THAN 500 MILES THE SIDEWALL DELAMINATED, ALMOST COMPLETELY. PRESSURE WAS 32 LB AND THERE HAD BEEN NO PREVIOUS SIGNS OF PROBLEMS. WHEN I CALLED TIRERACK, THE VENDOR, THEY AT FIRST CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS NO WARRRANTY FROM THE MANUFACTURER AND THEN CLAIMED THAT THE TIRE MUST HAVE BEEN DAMAGED IN AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE RETURNED ALL FOUR TIRES AND CONSIDER THAT THIS TIRE PRESENTS A HAZARD TO SAFETY.*AK

FRONT TIRES (BRIDGESTONE) ARE EXTREMELY FEATHERED ON THE INSIDE OF TIRE CAUSING ROAD NOISE, DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT AND A DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION. THIS STARTED AROUND 8,000 MILES.*AK

VEHICLE IS A SUBARU IMPREZA 2002 EQUIPT WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE92 16"TIRES. HIS WEEK AT APPROXIMATELY 10,500 MILES 2 OF THESE TIRES DEVELOPED A PINHOLE LEAK IN THE CENTER OF THE SIDEWALL APPROXIMATELY A WEEK APART. THE LEAK WAS SO TINY THAT IT WAS HARD TO FIND. A CALL TO A MAJOR BRIDGESTONE DISTRIBUTOR ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT PRODUCTIVE. THEY SAID THEY HAVE NO RECORD OF SUCH A PROBLEM. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IN ANY PREVIOUS TIRES THAT I HAVE USED. CAN YOU SHED ANY LIGHT ON THIS SUBJECT?? THOUGHT IT STRANGE THAT 2 DIFFERENT TIRES OF THE SAME BRAND WOULD HAVE THE SAME DEFECT ABOUT A WEEK APART. THANK YOU.*AK