BRIDGESTONE TIRES Complaints

CONSUMER STATES WHILE TRAVELING 60-65 MPH REAR OUTSIDE PASSENGER TIRE BLEWOUT. *AK

THE TIRES ON OUR 2001 PRIUS CONTINUALLY FAIL AFTER ABOUT 15,000 MILES. WE HAVE HAD STATE INSPECTIONS FAIL BECAUSE OF TREAD WEAR, REFUSED SERVICE AT BRIDGESTONE DEALERS BECAUSE OF TREAD WEAR. WITH LESS THAN 50K MILES WE ARE WORKING ON THE THIRD SET OF TIRES. WE CHECK PRESSURE AND ROTATE OUR TIRES REGULARLY. SINCE TOYOTA CLAIMS THERE ARE NO REPLACEMENTS AND NO TREAD WEAR WARRANTIES, WE THINK THE CAR SHOULD NO LONGER BE ALLOWED ON THE US MARKET. *NLM

I OWN A 2002 CAMRY SE, AND IT CAME ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED WITH BRIDGESTONE TURANZAS ON IT. THESE TIRES ARE WORTHLESS IN THE SNOW AND RAIN. I TOOK MY COMPLAINT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, AND THEY SAID THAT THE TIRES WERE "PERFORMANCE" TIRES AND ALL THEY COULD DO WAS HELP ME GET A DISCOUNT ON ANOTHER SET OF TIRES. THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, AS THIS TYPE OF (FAMILY) CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE COME EQUIPPED WITH A DANGEROUS TIRE. I COMPLAINED TO THE BRIDGESTONE DEALER AS WELL, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THESE WERE VERY HARD TIRES, AND ARE THE TYPE THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE PUT ON A CORVETTE, OR SIMILAR SPORTS CAR. I WAS FORCED TO REPLACE THE TIRES AT MY EXPENSE, WITH ONLY 21,000 MILES ON THEM. THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP IN THE SNOW, AND WOULD SLIP AT TAKEOFF IN THE RAIN AS WELL. THESE TIRES SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN PUT ON THIS CAR. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT TOYOTA WOULD PUT THIS TYPE OF TIRE ON A CAMRY. *NLM

THE SIDE WALL BLEW OUT AT 75 MPH ON THE FIRST 100 + DEGREE DAY. BRIDGESTONES REP CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS MAYBE AN INDICATION OF NAIL DAMAGE; HOWEVER THE TIRE WAS TOO BADLY DAMAGED TO BE SURE. NEXT, IT HAD BEEN RUN FLAT, HOWEVER THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUICKLY APPARENT IN THE ENGINE NOISE WITH THE CV TRANS. THEY FAILED TO HONOR THEIR WARRANTY, ADMITTING THAT DOING SO WOULD RAISE A RED FLAG AT THE NHTSA. *AK

MY HONDA S2000, WHICH WAS PURCHASED NEW IN JUNE OF 2002 CAME WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA SO-2 TIRES FRONT AND REAR. THIS VEHICLE IS USED AS A THIRD VEHICLE IN A TWO DRIVER HOUSEHOLD, AND IS USED ONLY AS A DAILY COMMUTER CAR TO TRAVEL 15 MILES TO WORK (ROUND TRIP). I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR MY STATE INSPECTION, AND AT 6100 MILES, THE REAR TIRES WERE DOWN BELOW 2/32 OF TREAD DEPTH AND THE FRONT TIRES WERE FEATHERED BADLY ON THE INSIDE EDGES (BOTH) AND TREAD WAS BELOW 5/32 OF DEPTH. I HAVE SEEN MANY POSTS OF PEOPLE WITH THESE TIRES WHO HAVE HAD TREAD LIFE WELL BELOW 10K MILES UNDER LITE DRIVING CONDITIONS, WHILE OTHERS CLAIM UP TO 20K, EVEN UNDER HEAVY CONDITIONS. THE TIRES WERE UNACCEPTABLE IN THE RAIN AFTER ABOUT 4000 MILES ON IT AS THE REAR WOULD FISHTAIL EVEN UNDER THE LIGHTEST OF CORNERING. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF HONDA AND BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTON, AND NO ONE SEEMS TO WANT TO FESS UP TO A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH CERTAIN BATCHES OF THE TIRE HAVING TOO SOFT A COMPUND, OR DESIGN SPEC ISSUES. THIS IS A SERIOUS POTENTIAL PROBLEM. IF I HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE MORE OFTEN, I WOULD HAVE RUN THE RISK OF HAVING A TIRE PROBLEM (BLOWOUT OR LOSS OF CONTROL) DUE TO UNACCEPTABLE TIRE WEAR ON THE DRIVE WHEELS. *AK

BRIDGESTONE TIRE EQUIPMENT UNRAVELED ON VEHICLE WHILE IN MOTION. *MR WHILE DRIVING DOWN EXPRESSWAY, THE CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD BANG, AND FOUND THAT THE INSIDE OF TIRE HAD GONE BALD AND PART OF THREAD HAD COME LOOSE. *SCC *JB

THE TIRES THAT COME ON HONDA S 2000 AUTOMOBILES ARE OFTEN EXHIBITING A TREAD WEAR LIFE OF ONLY 6,000 MILES OR SO, BEFORE THE TREAD BECOMES UNSAFE IN WET WEATHER. AT 10,000 MILES, WEAR IS OFTEN SO THE STEEL BELTS SHOW THROUGH. NEITHER HONDA OR BRIDGESTONE (THE TIRE MAKER) IS TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. ALL OF THESE CARS ARE EFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM, SO THE CAUSE SEEMS TO BE FROM ONE OR MORE BATCHES OF DEFECTIVE TIRES. IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW MANY INJURIES, DAMAGE, OR FATALITIES HAVE RESULTED. HOWEVER, IT IS BEYOND DISPUTE THAT "BALD" TIRES, AND THOSE WITH THE STEEL BELTS IN CONTACT WITH THE ROAD, CONSTITUTE A PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARD THAT YOUR AGENCY SHOULD INVESTIGATE. *NLM

MAY 19, 2003 AT 6:30PM - BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T TIRE BLEW OUT; TIRE SEPARATED FROM TREAD AND FLEW BACK AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. TOOK REMAINING PARTS OF TIRE INTO FIRESTONE AND WAS TOLD BY A REPRESENTATIVE "I CAN WARRANTY OUT THE DAMAGED TIRE AS A DEFECT, BUT CANNOT REPLACE OTHER THREE TIRES - THEY LOOK FINE". I EXPLAINED THE OTHER TIRE WAS "FINE" UNTIL IT BLEW OUT ON THE HIGHWAY, I WAS SHOCKED THAT HE WAS WILLING TO WARRANTY THE DAMAGED TIRE AS A DEFECT, BUT WOULD NOT REPLACE THE OTHER TIRES OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE DAMAGED TIRE AND COMPARED IT TO OTHER BLOW OUTS WHICH HAVE CAUSED FATAL ACCIDENTS AND FOUND MY TIRE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE OTHER BLOW OUTS. THE POLICE OFFICER WHO SHOWED UP TO THE ACCIDENT DID NOT TAKE A REPORT BUT DID SAY THAT EVEN AT HIGH SPEEDS OR LAYING A SPIKE STRIP DOWN WOULD NOT CAUSE A BLOW OUT LIKE THIS AND SUSPECTED A DEFECT.*JB

DRIVING DOWN THE I-10 IN TEXAS AND THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE BLEW UP AND CAUSED A ROLL-OVER. *NLM

WHILE DRIVING THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE EXPERIENCED SIDEWALL SEPARATION (SIZE#P22560R16 PLEASE PROVIDE THE DOT#). *NLM