BRIDGESTONE TIRES Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED REAR PASSENGER DUAL TIRE SEPARATED. THE TIRE SHREDDED AND DAMAGED THE WHEEL WELD AND TAIL PIPE. *AK

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH BRIDGESTONE TIRES WHICH WERE ON THE CAR WHEN WE PURCHASED IT IN FALL OF 2002. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR INTO DEALERSHIP, HIGH COUNTRY TOYOTA IN SCOTTSBORO, AL, 3 TIMES AND PHONED OUR SALES REPRESENTATIVE APPROXIMATELY 6 TIMES FOR 3 PROBLEMS. #1 - RATTLING - WHICH WE WERE TOLD ON THE FIRST VISIT TO DEALER IT WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HEAT SHIELD COVER AND THEY HAD FIXED IT BY BENDING IT OUT. IT'S RATTLING AGAIN, NOW. #2 - SMELL OF SULFER/ROTTEN EGGS - WHICH WE WERE TOLD THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM, SO THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT COULD BE. IT STILL SMELLS! #3 - MY HUSBAND TOOK THE CAR TO WAL-MART TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED AND THE TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED BECAUSE WE NOTICED ALOT OF WEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRES AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VIBRATING WHEN DRIVING. MY HUSBAND WAS PAGED BACK TO THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTION BY AN EMPLOYEE TO SEE THE TIRES HIMSELF BEFORE THEY TOOK THEM ALL OFF THE CAR AND TO WARN MY HUSBAND ABOUT DRIVING ON THE TIRES IF WE DIDN'T REPLACE THEM IMMEDIATELY. MY HUSBAND SAID THE INSIDE OF THE TIRES WERE SHOWING THE WIRES FROM SEVERE WEARING. MY HUSBAND TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED IT TO HAVE THEM INSPECT THE FRONT END FOR DAMAGE THAT COULD CAUSE THE TIRES TO WEAR IN SUCH A WAY SO QUICKLY. OUR VEHICLE IS 1 YR. OLD WITH 30,000 MILES ON IT. HE WAS TOLD IT WAS OK, BUT THE TIRES ON THE CAR AT TIME OF PURCHASE WEREN'T MEANT TO LAST VERY LONG, ANYWAY. HE TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL - TRUSTED - TIRE COMPANY AND HAD THE TIRES REPLACED. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT OUR DEALER ISN'T AWARE OF ANY RECALLS AND/OR COMPLAINTS ON ANY OF THESE ISSUES, BUT AFTER RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, I HAVE COME ACROSS MORE THAN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO MAKE ME WONDER IF I'VE MADE A HUGE/COSTLY MISTAKE IN TRUSTING THE TOYOTA NAME AND PAST REPUTATION, ESPECIALLY WITH 3 CHILDREN WHO WERE PUT AT RISK AND A MONTHLY CAR PAYMENT!*AK

TREAD ON THE CENTER RIB OF TIRES STARTED TO BREAK OFF.*MR CONSUMER NOTICED SPLITTING ON THE OUTSIDE OF BOTH FRONT TIRES. CONDITION GOTTEN WORSE, TRACTION ON THE TIRES HAD BE AFFECTED AND TIRES TENDED TO SLIP. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO CONCLUDED THE TIRE WERE DEFECTIVE. ONLY THE CENTER RIB AND OUTER SHOULDER BLOCK SHOWED SIGNIFICANT WEAR. CONSUMER WAS ADVISED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A AUTHORIZED BRIDGESTONE DEALER FOR WARRANTY REPLACEMENT. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FIRESTONE MASTER CAR CARE CENTER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS BEING OWNER'S NEGLECT. A SECOND OPINION WAS OBTAINED BY GOODYEAR GEMINI AUTO SERVICE WHO CONCLUDED IMPROPER ALIGNMENT OR DEFECTIVE TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MECHANIC WHERE THEY DETERMINED IT WASN'T THE ALIGNMENT BUT DEFECTIVE TIRES. AT THIS TIME, THE REMAINING RIBS STARTED TO SHOW WEAR. *PH

THIS IS A NOTICE I SENT FIRESTONE CONSUMER AFFAIRS ON 9 OCT 2003 "IN APRIL 2002, I PURCHASED 4 BRIDGESTONE INSIGNIA TIRES FOR MY DAUGHTER'S CAR FROM THE RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE (AFB) SERVICE STATION IN UNIVERSAL CITY, TEXAS. DURING THE PAST 18 MONTHS, I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE 3 TIRES DUE TO DEFECTS. ONE TIRE FAILED WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. THE SECOND TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IS WAS "OUT OF ROUND". THE TIRE I JUST REPLACED HAD A BULGE ON THE OUTER SIDEWALL. IF MY DAUGHTER FAILED TO NOTICE THIS WHILE SHE WAS CHECKING THE TIRES, SHE COULD HAVE HAD ANOTHER BLOW OUT! I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED YOUR TIRES BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WAS BUYING A QUALITY PRODUCT. BASED UPON MY EXPERIENCE, THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE. IN ADDITION TO THE SAFETY CONCERN, I HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR NEW TIRES (PRO-RATED COST), MOUNTING, BALANCING AND ROAD HAZARD. I WOULD THINK THAT AFTER THE DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRESTONE TIRE FAILURES, YOUR COMPANY WOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO MANUFACTURING A SAFE AND QUALITY PRODUCT THAT CUSTOMERS CAN RELY ON. I GUESS THIS IS OF NO CONCERN TO YOU. BE ASSURED, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE OF YOU PRODUCTS, AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE MY FRIENDS AND THE ARMY, AIR FORCE EXCHANGE SERVICE (AAFES), WHO SOLD AND INSTALLED THE TIRES, ARE AWARE OF MY EXPERIENCE. I CAN TELL YOU THAT AAFES SELLS ALLOT OF TIRES. I WILL ALSO NOTIFY THE NTSB SO THEY HAVE A RECORD OF THIS COMPLAINT...."" *LA

TIRES ARE CUPPING/FEATHERING AND WILL NOT BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY NISSAN NORTH AMERICA. I BELIEVE THIS WILL PROVIDE FOR A SITUATION THAT COULD BE HAZARDOUS. THE SOLUTION PROVIDED BY NISSAN IS TO HAVE THE TIRES TAKEN OFF THE RIM AND ROTATED, AS WELL AS PERFORMING AN ALIGNMENT. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TO PERSIST EVEN AFTER THIS ACTION WAS TAKEN. THE TIRES ARE BRIGESTONE RE04'S - FEATHERED AT 5,000 MILES. *LA

WHILE DRIVING EAST AT 75 MPH, THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT, WHICH CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER MADE A 190' TURN ON THE HIGHWAY AND STOPPED AFTER HITTING A GUARDRAIL. THERE WERE NO SERIOUS INJURIES, AND A AMBULANCE CAME TO THE SCENE AS WELL AS THE POLICE. CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE.*AK *TS

TIRE FEATHERING ISSUE. TIRES WEARING UNEVENLY. PULLING TO THE RIGHT. TIRE ROAR. *LA

I HAVE A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM THAT I BOUGHT FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN AUGUST 2002 IN LESS THAN A YEAR MY TURN SIGNALS STOPPED WORKING NIETHER POWER WINDOW WILL WORK , THE TIRES HAVE HAD TO BEEN REPLACED, AND THE SPEAKERS HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS CARE HAS ONLY 52,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. NOW, THE FRONT WHEELS OF THE CAR ARE MAKING A HORRENDOUS NOISE THAT MY MECHANIC CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT IT AND I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER PONTIAC!!! WHAT CAN I DO? *LA

FRIDAY EVENING WHILE DRIVING IN 5:00 PM TRAFFIC I HAD A BLOWOUT ON THE INTERSTATE IN MY 2002 HONDA CRV. IT WAS THE DRIVER'S SIDE BACK TIRE WHICH HAD THE BLOWOUT. THE CAR IS ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS OLD WITH 26,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS NOT HURT NOR WAS THE CAR DAMAGED. THE TIRE IS A BRIDGESTONE, I APOLOGIZE THAT I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT MODEL, AND IS THE STANDARD TIRE PUT ON THE CAR WHEN IT WAS SOLD TO ME NEW OFF THE HONDA LOT. ON SATURDAY MORNING I WENT TO A TIRE SHOP TO GET A NEW TIRE AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD SEVERE TREAD SEPARATION ON THE OTHER 3 TIRES. THE SPARE HAD AS YOU CAN IMAGINE NO SEPARATION. THE DRIVER'S FRONT TIRE SHOWED SIGNS OF SEVERE SEPARATION, THAT EVEN A NOVICE LIKE MYSELF COULD NOTICE. THE GENTLEMEN AT THE TIRE SHOP SAID THAT ALL FOUR TIRES HAVING TREAD SEPARATION COULD POSSIBLY BE A DEFECT FROM THE FACTORY. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, IN AUGUST 2003 I HAD A 20,000 MILE CHECK UP AT A LOCAL HONDA DEALER, WHICH INCLUDED TIRE ROTATION AND INSPECTION OF THE CONDITION OF THE TIRE. IN SEPTEMBER 2003 I RETURNED TO THE SAME HONDA DEALER TO GET THE TIRES BALANCED. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THE TIRE HAD A BLOWOUT BUT EVEN MORE CONCERNED THAT THE MECHANICS DID NOT NOTICE THE TREAD SEPARATION. I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD PASS ALONG THIS BIT OF INFORMATION. *LA

TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH. BRIDGESTONE MODEL. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED BODY DAMAGE (BRIDGESTONE P205/70R15). *PH *PH *NLM