BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL400 TIRES Complaints

THE SPARE TIRE WELL FILLS UP WITH WATER. FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM WHEN I HAD A FLAT TIRE AND NEEDED TO USE THE SPARE. TAKEN TO DEALER FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION. DEALER SEALED THE TIRE WELL. THAT DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. AGAIN TAKEN TO DEALER AND TRUNK DOOR SEAL WAS REPLACED. THIS HAS NOT RESOLVED THE ISSUE. RECENTLY HAD A FLAT TIRE, AND AGAIN DISCOVERED THE TIRE WELL FILLED WITH WATER. THE TRUNK NOW HAS MOLDY, MILDEW ODOR. HAVE MADE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH DEALER. *TR

ON, MARCH 7, 2010 AROUND 6:30PM, GOING ON THE HIGHWAY, WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA MODEL LE, WENT TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL. I WAS ON THE FAR RIGHT LANE, HEADING FROM TOA BAJA TO MAYAGUEZ ON PR-22. REACHING ARECIBO, BY HIGHWAY MARK (KM 74.2) THE CAR STEERING WENT TOTALLY TO THE LEFT AND IN FRACTIONS OF SECONDS MY CAR INVADED THE LEFT LANE DOING A 180 DEGREE TURN, HAD CARS COMING MY WAY AND JUST WHEN I TOUGH THE OTHER CAR WAS GOING TO HIT ME. THE STEERING ON THE CAR WENT COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND THE CAR ROLLED AGAIN AND I WAS GOING OVER THE GREEN AREA CRAZY FAST. NO CONTROL, SPINNING AGAIN OVER THE GRASS AREA ON THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, HEADING RIGHT INTO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, CARS COMING AT 65 MPH OR MORE. THEN THE CAR HIT A STREET SIGN THAT CHANGED THE CAR TRAJECTORY AND THEN CAME TO A STOP ON THE GREEN AREA ON THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR ENDED ALL COVERED ON GRASS, MUD AND IMPACTED BY THE STREET SIGN THAT POSSIBLY PREVENTED MY CAR FROM INVADING THE LANES ON THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON THE HIGHWAY AFTER THE TOYOTA COROLLA STEERED VIOLENTLY AND UNCONTROLLABLE SECONDS BEFORE. I HAVE TO SAY, THIS WAS AN EXTREME SITUATION THAT FOR WHO KNOWS REASON, ALL HAPPENED IN A SPLIT SECOND WITHOUT WARNING AND ALL THE VIOLENT EXTREME MOVEMENTS HAPPENED WITHOUT MY CAR IMPACTING OTHER CARS ON THE HIGHWAY, BUT CLEARLY I WAS VERY LUCKY. AT THE MOMENT OF THE INCIDENT, A PASSENGER WAS WITH ME IN THE CAR AND THEN CAN CONFIRM HAS WITNESS OF THE EXTREME CAR EXPERIENCE WE ENDURED. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY LE WHICH WAS PURCHASED IN OCT 2007. THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS 22241 MILES. IT HAS HAD MAINLY HIGHWAY MILES (ABOUT 20MILES) A DAY AND ALREADY IN TWO YEARS, THE TIRES (BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL400-02) SIZE 215/60/16 HAVE ALMOST NO TIRE TREAD LEFT. THE USUAL WARRANTY ON THESE TIRES SHOULD BE 50K MILES. CONTACTED BOTH TOYOTA AND BRIDGESTONE AND NOBODY IS WILLING TO HELP OUT. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON ALL FORUMS REGARDING THIS TIRE CAN BE FOUND ONLINE, BUT STILL BOTH COMPANIES ARE PLAYING THE BLAME GAME, BRIDGESTONE AND TOYOTA KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN USING THESE SUB-STANDARD PARTS. I WILL HAVE TO NOW REPLACE THE TIRES AND PAY OUT OF MY POCKET FOR SOMETHING WHICH A NEW CAR OWNER SHOULD NOT (SO EARLY IN THE CARS LIFE), ELSE IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD ON THE ROAD. I HOPE THIS COMPLAINT IS LOOKED INTO (SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS ON FORUMS) AND NOT IGNORED. BOTH TOYOTA AND BRIDGESTONE NEED TO STOP CHEATING AND PUTTING CUSTOMERS IN DANGER. *TR

2008 CIVIC COUPE LX WITH BRIDGESTONE EL 400 TIRES BEGAN SHAKING AND VIBRATING AT 13,000 MILES. REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND TIRE ROTATIONS ARE ON RECORD, YET ZIMMERMAN HONDA IN ROCK ISLAND, IL CLAIMS THAT THE UNEVEN TIRE WEAR AND SUBSEQUENT SECOND SET OF TIRES TO BE REPLACED ARE MY FAULT AND WILL BE AT MY EXPENSE. I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED THAT THE '06 AND '07 CIVICS HAVE A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE "C" ARM LEADING TO UNEVEN TIRE WEAR. OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER FIXED DURING THE ASSEMBLY FOR THE NEWER MODELS OF HONDA CIVICS. CAR IS NOW AT 27,000 MILES, NEEDING NEW TIRE AGAIN!!!!! COST SO FAR IS $600 AND I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH HONDA AND ITS DEALERS. I FEEL AS IF I AM GETTING THE RUNAROUND AND AM MADE TO FEEL AS IF THEIR MANUFACTURERS DEFECTS ARE MY FAULT. IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED I WILL TAKE MY BUSINESS (8 CARS MY FAMILY HAS PURCHASED FROM HONDA SINCE 2000 AND 27 RECOMMENDATIONS SINCE 2002) SOMEWHERE ELSE. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH HONDA! I GUESS SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THEY ADMIT ANY GUILT IN THIS. *TR

THE TIRE SENSOR LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND I WOULD HAVE TO PUT AIR IN THE TIRES EVERY OTHER DAY. WITH ONLY 40,000 MILES AND THEY ARE RATED FOR 80,000, I HAD THEM CHECKED BY A TIRE STORE. THEY FOUND A BUBBLE ON THE INSIDE & OUTSIDE WALL. THEY ALSO FOUND WHAT APPEARED TO BE SLASH MARKS ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE. WOULD NOT LET ME DRIVE AWAY WITHOUT SIGNING A RELEASE STATING THAT I WAS AWARE OF THE CONDITION. NISSAN DEALER IS NO HELP, THEY JUST DIRECT ME TO BRIDGESTONE. TIRES WERE ROTATED ON SCHEDULE BY THE DEALER. *TR

VEHICLE HAS 29000 MILES. ALL TIRES ARE WORN OUT AND HAD TO BE REPLACED PER TOYOTA DEALER INSPECTION. BOUGHT 4 TIRES AT BRIDGESTONE (ORIGINAL TIRE MANUFACTURER). BRIDGESTONE SAID ALL 4 STRUTS ARE LEAKING AND MIGHT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PREMATURE TIRE WORN OUT. TOYOTA'S RESPONSE IS: WARRANTY IS 3 YRS OR 36000 MILES WHICH EVER COMES FIRST, AND VEHICLE TURNED 3 YRS IN JULY 09. THEREFORE IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. IT IS QUITE A COINCIDENCE THAT ALL STRUTS STARTED LEAKING RIGHT AFTER VEHICLE TURNED 3 YRS AND THEREFORE NOT UNDER WARRANT ANY MORE EVEN THOUGH VEHICLE STILL HAS 6000 MILES TO REACH 36000 MILES. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 HONDA CIVIC COUPE. AFTER 15,000 MILES THE REAR TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A LOUD RUMBLING NOISE THAT THE MECHANIC SAID WAS SEPARATED BELTS. I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE AND THE OUTCOME WAS HONDA POINTING FINGERS AT BRIDGESTONE AND VICE-VERSA. DO I HAVE ANY RECOURSE WITH THE CAR COMPANY OR TIRE MANUFACTURER? *TR

LEASED A 2007 SLE CONVERTIBLE. AT 23K MILES I HAD TO REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES. THEY WERE PROPERLY ROTATED AS SPECIFIED AND TWO OF THE TIRES WERE SHOWING THE WIRES/INSIDE LININGS! TOYOTA TOLD ME TO SEEK HELP FROM BRIDGESTONE - BRIDGESTONE TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO TOYOTA, IT'S A LEASE UNDER IT'S MILEAGE. TOYOTA DID NOT HONOR AND BLAMED THE TIRES FOR BEING TOO SOFT! UNACCEPTABLE AND I WON'T BE GETTING ANOTHER TOYOTA SINCE I HAD TO SPEND OVER $600 IN TIRES. *TR

MY COMPLAINT IS THAT HONDA HAS (1) KNOWINGLY PUT IN FAULTY (SUSPENSION PARTS) UPPER CONTROL ARMS IN THE FRONT & BACK OF THE HONDA CIVIC, (2) FAILED TO INFORM CUSTOMERS OF THE PROBLEM (A RECALL IS NEEDED), (3) FAILED TO PROPERLY REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS FOR THE TIRE DAMAGE DUE TO THE FAULTY CONTROL ARMS INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLES. I BOUGHT MY HONDA CIVIC USED AT AROUND 13K MILES. SINCE THEN, I'VE NEEDED AN ALIGNMENT EVERY MONTH. DESPITE THIS MY TIRES BECAME EXCESSIVELY WORN AT 27K. I WENT TO TWO HONDA SERVICE STORES (MISSION VALLEY & PACIFIC HONDA IN SAN DIEGO) TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE EXCESSIVE NEED FOR ALIGNMENTS, ROAD NOISE, & TIRE WEAR. THEY KNOWINGLY WITHHELD INFORMATION & FAILED TO INFORM ME OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN 08-001 SINCE THEY WOULD BE REQUIRED TO REPLACE THE UPPER CONTROL ARMS (A WARRANTY ITEM) THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO REPLACE. IN THE SERVICE BULLETIN, HONDA INFORMS THE DEALERS OF COMMON COMPLAINTS RELATED TO TIRE WEAR & SUSPENSION & ADVISES THEM TO REPLACE THE REAR CONTROL ARMS ON THE HONDA CIVIC. HONDA ALSO WILL REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS PRO-RATA FOR TIRE REPLACEMENT IF THEY HAVE LESS THAN 25K IN MILEAGE. IF HADN'T HAVE DONE MY OWN RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS SERVICE BULLETIN. I TOOK MY CAR IN AROUND 26K SO THAT THEY COULD REPLACE MY REAR CONTROL ARMS. THEY DID THIS FOR FREE BUT SAID I DIDN'T QUALIFY TO GET MY TIRES REPLACED SINCE I WAS OVER THE 25K THRESHOLD. IF I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THE BULLETIN, I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET MY TIRES REPLACEMENT BY HONDA EARLIER. IT WAS THEIR FAULTY PARTS THAT LED MY TIRES TO WEAR EXCESSIVELY IN THE FIRST PLACE. I HAD TO SHELL OUT $650 TO REPLACE MY TIRES AT AROUND 26K MILES. I'VE PROBABLY SPENT $500 DOLLARS IN ALIGNMENTS BECAUSE OF THE CONTROL ARMS TOO. HONDA SHOULD OWN UP TO THE FAULTY PARTS ENTIRELY AND STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT. SEE HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN 08-001. *TR

WAS WASHING MY CAR AND NOTICE THAT ALL 4 TIRES HAVE CRACKS ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TIRE. I HAVE A 2007 NISSAN SENTRA WITH ONLY 12,000 MILES, I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN DEC. 2006. I WENT TO NISSAN DEALER, THEY SAID IT IS JUST DRY ROT, BUT IT NOTHING THEY CAN DO EVENTUALLY I'LL NEED NEW TIRES. WENT TO FIRESTONE/BRIDGESTONE AND THEY SEEM UNCONCERN, JUST THAT IT IS THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE LIVE WITH THE COLD THEN HEAT WHICH DRY THE TIRES OUT. MY CONCERN IS I ONLY HAD THESE TIRES JUST A LITTLE OVER 2 YEARS AND NOT 4 OR 5 THE LIFE TIME OF THESE TIRES, THEY SHOULD NO BE CRACKING LIKE THIS. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER, I FEEL THAT HAVE BEEN SOLD A CAR WITH BAD TIRES. *TR