BRIDGESTONE TIRES Complaints

DRIVING ON A MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 50 MPH. TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS AROUND 10 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT (360 DEGREE RIP IN SIDEWALL). THERE WAS ABOUT 25,000 MILES ON THE TIRE AND THE TREAD WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. I MEASURED THE REMAINING TIRE PRESSURES AT ABOUT 36 PSI. FORTUNATELY, THE ROAD AT THAT POINT WAS STRAIGHT AND THERE WAS NO SNOW ON THE ROAD. WE WERE ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER. THE ONLY CORRECTION THAT HAS BEEN DONE, IS THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES WERE ALL REPLACED WITH GOODYEAR TIRES (EVEN THOUGH ALL THE TREADS WERE STILL IN GOOD CONDITION). NOTE: THE ENTRY FORM DIDN'T ALLOW ME TO SPECIFY EXACTLY WHAT SIZE MY TIRES WERE. THEY WERE 215/65R16! *NM

I HAVE A 2003 SUBARU BAJA WITH 17,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS CAR CAME FACTORY EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE92 HIGH PERFORMANCE ALL SEASON TIRES, SIZE 225/60/R16. THESE TIRES ARE POSITIVELY HAZARDOUS ON SNOW AND ICE: I HAVE TWICE IN THE PAST SIX WEEKS LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE ON SNOWY, FLAT, STRAIGHT ROADS, CAUSING A TOTAL OF $5,000 OF DAMAGE TO MY CAR. THE LOSS OF CONTROL IS UNPREDICTABLE AND SUDDEN, AS IF A GIANT HAND PICK THE CAR UP AND TOSSED IT OFF THE ROAD. WHILE RESEARCHING SNOW TIRES YESTERDAY, I FOUND NUMEROUS WARNINGS ON WEB SITES FROM CONSUMERS (TIRERACK.COM, 1010TIRES.COM, NHTSA.DOT.GOV) ABOUT THE DANGERS OF DRIVING ON WET/SNOWY/ICY PAVEMENT WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES. THESE TIRES ARE EXPOSING UNWARY CONSUMERS TO ACCIDENTS, INJURY AND WORSE. I FEEL RESENTFUL TO BRIDGESTONE FOR MAKING SUCH AWFUL TIRES, ALSO TO SUBARU CORPORATION FOR INSTALLING THEM ON A CAR WHICH IS ADVERTISED AS A VERY SAFE VEHICLE TO DRIVE IN WINTER WEATHER AND TO MY LOCAL DEALER WHO SOLD ME A VEHICLE WITH SUCH DANGEROUS TIRES. *JB

WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER THE VEHICLE REAR TRACTION MALFUNCTIONED WHICH RESULTED IN FREQUENT SPINOUTS AND A SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. *NM (2004 LEXUS IS300) THE CONSUMER STATED THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE PERFORMED POORLY AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE VEHICLE. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED THAT EVEN USING THE SNOW FEATURE TRACTION AND THIRD GEAR HE HAD NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 25 MPH. *TC

BOTH FRONT TIRES CUPPING AND FEATHERING WITH SEVERE RUMBLING NOISE IN FRONT END. DEALER REPLACED BOTH FRONT TIRES 3/31/04 AND PERFORMED FRONT-END ALIGNMENT. RETURNED 1/12/05 WITH SAME PROBLEM AND DEALER INDICATED THAT THEY HAD SEVERAL IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER CONSUMERS ON THE 350Z. DEALER HAS NOTIFIED NISSAN AND ARE GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH THEM ON RESOLUTION. DEALER STATED THAT NISSAN IS TRYING TO CLAIM THAT THE TIRES ARE ONLY 15,000 MILE TIRES AND THAT THEY ARE THE PROBLEM. DEALER WILL CONTACT ME AGAIN WITHIN ONE WEEK WITH NISSAN'S RESOLUTION. DEALER DID NOT EVEN EXAMINE MY VECHICLE 1/12/05.*AK

TIRES ARE FEATHERING BADLY. DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER TRIED FIXING IT. NISSAN TRIED AVOIDING RECALL ON IT, BUT TOLD SERVICE CENTERS TO CHANGE TIRES AT NO COST. RIDICULOUS AND UNSAFE. WAS TOLD TO BE AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. EVERYONE EXCEPT THE COMPANY SEEMS TO NOTICE. 2003 350Z. NISSAN MADE ITS WARRANTY ON THE TIRES TO 24,000 AND OUR SERVICE IS TILL ABOUT 36000 MILES. THEY ARE JUST WAITING IT OUT UNTIL IT BECOMES THE PEOPLES PROBLEM. IS ANYBODY LISTENING?*AK

THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN THE RAIN WHEN IT HYDROPLANED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS LOSING TRACTION EASILY. *SC AS A RESULT WHEN THE VEHICLE HYDROPLANED, THE CONSUMER STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE. *JB

CONSUMER HAS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW BUT NOW HAS 16000 MILES ON IT. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE TIRES. ALREADY THE FRONT TIRES THREADS ARE LITERALLY COMING APART. THERE WAS NO RESULTING INJURY. *NM *JB

I OWN A 2002 LEXUS SC430 WHICH HAS BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RUNFLAT TIRES ON IT. I PUT ON A NEW SET OF TIRES 1 YEAR AGO AND 17,000 MILES LATE, THE VEHICLE IS ALL OVER THE ROAD, TIRES WEAR EXCESSIVELY ON THE INSIDES, AND I'VE HAD IT ALIGNED ABOUT 3 TIMES IN THAT 1 YEAR. A FRIEND OF MINE HAD THE SAME VEHICLE AND HE HAD TO GET RID OF IT FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE TIRES BECOME VERY NOISY AND IT SOUNDS LIKE ALL THE WHEEL BEARINGS ARE BAD. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS TRYING TO TELL ME THAT THIS HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRE ONLY LASTS 10,000 MILES, BUT WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR TO AN ALIGNMENT EXPERT AT ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP, HE STATED THAT IS IS DEFINITELY AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM WITH THE CAR AND THAT THERE WAS PLENTY OF TREAD LIFE LEFT ON THE REST OF THE TIRES. UPON FURTHER RESEARCHING THIS ON THE HTTP://LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM, I FOUND OUT THAT MANY OF THE SC430 OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME TIRE WEAR/STEERING PROBLEM AND THAT THE CAR WAS BUILT WITH A NEGATIVE CAMBER AND THAT PUTS MORE WEAR ON THE TIRES. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AS IT DOES GREATLY AFFECT THE STEERING AND SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. WE ARE UNABLE TO DRIVE IT ON THE OPEN HIGHWAY FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THE LEXUS COMPANY IS BLAMING THE PROBLEM ON THE POTENZA TIRES. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIMELY ASSISTANCE ON THIS. *JB

ON HIGHWAY WITH 65 MPH, FRONT TIRE (BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE92 P205/55R) BLEWOUT WITH NO REASON. THERE WAS A QUARTER SIZED HOLE ON THE SIDEWALL. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO RIM AS WELL. BRIDGESTONE AUTHORIZED DEALER DID NOT ACCEPT THIS AS A DEFECTIVE TIRE EVEN THOUGH TIRES SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. I HAD TO BUY A NEW TIRE AND RIM AND PAID TOW. *NM

VEHICLE: 05 SUBARU GT LIMITED SEDAN (PURCHASED) 11/30/04) TIRE: BRIDGESTONE, POTENZA RE92 (215/45 ZR17. MY WIFE AND I SKIDDED AS WE APPROACHED A STOP SIGN ON A LEVEL, SNOW COVERED ROAD. I BROKE GRADUALLY AND MY SPEED WAS LOW, ABOUT 10 MPH AS I STARTED BRAKING). INSTEAD OF STOPPING, THE CAR JUST KEPT GOING EVEN THOUGH I APPLIED MORE BRAKE PRESSURE. IF THERE HAD BEEN A CAR AHEAD OF US, I WOULD HAVE REARENDED IT. I DISCOVERED VERY NEGATIVE REVIEWS OF THIS TIRE ON THE FOLLLOWING 2 CUSTOMER SURVEY BASES: TIRERACK.COM AND 1010TIRES.COM. THE MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS RATED THIS TIRE AS POOR FOR WET TRACTION AND VERY POOR (DANGEROUS WAS USED IN SOME REVIEWS) FOR SNOW TRACTION. I HAVE CASE #S W/SOA & BRIDGESTONE. THEY AND THE DEALER HAVE REFUSED MY REQUEST TO CREDIT MY OE TIRES FOR NEW ONES. MANY CUSTOMERS (AVE OF 2.6 OUT OF 10) ANSWERED NO WHEN ASKED WOULD YOU BUY THIS TIRE AGAIN. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE RE92 FOR WET TRACTION, ESPECIALLY SNOW TRACTION. CONSIDERING THAT SUBARU AWD VEHICLES BUILT A REPUTATION AS A CAR THAT WILL BE SURE-FOOTED IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, WHY WOULD SOA EQUIP THIS CAR W/TIRES HAVING A 160 TREAD RATING? TIRE DEALERS I'VE SPOKEN TO ABOUT THIS ISSUE SAY THAT THIS TIRE IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A SUMMER TIRE. SOA SHOULD REPHRASE THEIR SLOGAN FOR CARS W/RE92S TO: FROM THE WHEEL THAT SLIPS TO THE TIRE THAT SLIPS.*AK