BRIDGESTONE TIRES Complaints

MODEL: TOYOTA PRIUS 2002 PURCHASE FROM : PUTNAM TOYOTA, CERTIFIED UNIT, JUNE 2004 FAILURE TYPE : TIRE BURST ON SIDE WALL OF THE TIRE, TWICE IN 5 MONTHS. FAILURE ROOT CAUSE : DRIVE OVER PARKING CURB, AT LESS THAN 2 MPH. FAILURE LOGIC : WHY THE TIRE BURST IN SUCH A MANNER, ESPECIALLY TOYOTA CLAIM, THIS IS A SPECIAL DESIGN OVERLOAD PRESSURE TIRE. PART REPLACE/SERVICE: BOTH TIRES WERE REPLACE AT CAPITOL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. COST PER INCIDENT: TIRE =$79.00, LABOR = $60.81, TIRE ONLY AVAILABLE AT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. CONCERN: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I DRIVE 60 MPH ON FREEWAY, AND HIT A BUMPER UNEVEN PATH ON THE HIGHWAY, WOULD IT BURST AS WELL ! *JB

FRONT TIRE BLOWOUT AT 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY. 21000 MILES ON 2004 HONDA CRV. BRIDGESTONE, DUELLER, 205/70R15 TIRES . *AK

BY LOOKING AT THE FRONT/REAR TIRES CONSUMER CAN SEE THAT THEY ARE WEARING OUT PREMATURELY. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH TREAD SEPARATED ON REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND CHANGED THE TIRE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. BRIDGESTONE, 185/65R15. *AK

TWO FRONT TIRES NEED REPLACEMENT BECAUSE THEIR INSIDES WERE WORN. 20,000 MILES LATER THE TWO FRONT AND ONE RIGHT REAR TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE SAME REASON. *AK

OVER 20 MILES PER HOUR, CAR PAUSES FOR MORE THAN A NORMAL MINIVAN PERIOD OF TIME, PRIOR TO ACCELARATING. ALSO NOISE IS HEARD COMING FROM BELOW MINIVAN, WHEN ACCLING., THAT WAS NOT PRESENT UP TILL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. DEALER SERVICE STATION CLAIMS THAT MINIVAN WAS TESTED AND PAUSE IN ACCL. IS NORMAL. NOISE STILL BE CHECKED OUT. IF SLOW GAPS IN ACCL. ARE NORMAL, THAN WHY DID THIS NOT HAPPEN FOR FIRST YEAR WE OWNED THE MINIVAN? WE'VE HAD RECALLED POWER STEERING HOSE CHANGED AS PER RECALL INSTRUCTIONS, POWER STEERING HAD, PRIOR TO RECALL, MADE EXTREME NOISES AT TIMES THAT WERE NOT NORMAL, HOSE REPLACEMENT SEEMS TO HAVE SOLVED THAT PARTICULAR PROBLEM. ALSO, IN PAST YEAR AND A HALF, HAD PROBLEM WAS A/C, AND ALSO DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP. FINALLY, WHEN PURCHASING THE 2003 LIMITED OWN & COUNTRY, WAS TOLD BY REF. MATERIAL, THE WRITE-UP SALES LIT., & THE DEALER, THAT THE MEMORY UNIT COULD HAVE THE POWER ADJUSTABLE PEDALS PROGRAMMED INTO IT FOR MY WIFE & I'S DIFFERENT SETTINGS, AFTER 3 ATTEMPTS AND A MODULE REPLACEMENT BY SERVICE SHOP, TO LINK ADJ. PEDALS WITH MEMORY SWITCH, NOW THEY STATE THAT OUR 2003 MODEL WAS NOT EQUIPPED TO CONTROL THE PEDALS WITH MEM. SETTINGS?? WE REALLY THOUGHT WHEN PURCHASING THE TOWN & COUNTRY LIMITED, THAT WE WERE GETTING A TOP-NOTCH, QUALITY MINIVAN FOR THE NEAR $40,000 WE SAVED UP TO BUY IT!*AK

DRIVER SEAT RECLINER BOLT, THE SEAT BACK/RECLINE/FORWARD BROKE, REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. *BF THE OIL FILTER HAD COME WITH A HOLE TOO LARGE, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HANDLE BROKE, THE TIRES BLEWOUT AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT THAT TOTALED THE VEHICLE. *SC

WHILE APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE PEDAL STUCK, AND VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL NEEDED TO BE OILED. *AK. THIS WAS THE SAME EXCUSE GIVEN BY NULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS AND CONSUMER'S EXTENDED WARRANTY COMPANY. CONSUMER CLAIMED HAD MANY CARS AND NEVER WAS THERE A NEED TO OIL THE ACCELERATOR. *AK

1. VEHICLE FISHTAILED ON WET SURFACE, LOST CONTROL, BEGAN TO ROLL. VEHICLE LEFT ROADWAY, HIT IRON FENCE, SPUN 180 DEGREES, REAR END HIT TREE. 2. THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT HAVE LOST CONTROL, NOR SHOULD IT HAVE BEGUN TO ROLL IN THAT SITUATION. NOT A SINGLE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WHEN FRONT HIT IRON FENCE AT APPROX. 40 MILES PER HOUR. PASSENGERS WERE LEFT WITH MINOR, NON-INCAPCITATING INJURIES (WHIPLASH, MUSCLE PAINS, BRUISED ORGANS). 3. CAR WAS TOTAL LOSS. AWAITING COMPENSATION FROM INSURANCE COMPANY.*AK

I HAVE HAD TWO BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE930 P19570R14 TIRES FAIL. BOTH HAD SIDEWALL BLOWOUTS AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD OF HIGHWAY TRAVEL. THE TIRES ARE ON A WELL-MAINTAINED COLLECTOR VEHICLE THAT IS RARELY DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. SOMETHING SEEMS TO HAPPEN TO THESE TIRES WHEN THEY ARE HEATED UP BY HIGHWAY TRAVEL & THEN COOLED DOWN. THE NHTSA DATABASE SHOWS NUMEROUS SIDEWALL BLOWOUTS WITH THESE TIRES. THERE MUST BE A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM WITH THEM. *JB