BRIDGESTONE TIRES Complaints

TRAVELING ON A WELL-MAINTAINED INTERSTATE IN THE RAIN AT A SPEED BETWEEN 50-55 MY REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. DAMAGE IS LIMITED TO THE OUTER WALL OF THE TIRE. TIRE HAD ONLY 27,800 MILES ON IT AND WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HONDA CR-V. THE VEHICLE HAS BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T 684 II TIRES, SIZE P245/70R16. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. HE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DISCOVERED THAT THE TOP LAYER OF THE TIRE WAS SPLIT AROUND THE ENTIRE TIRE. THE VIN AND DOT NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 45,000.

I PURCHASED (4) TIRES ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO FROM A BRIDGESTONE TIRE DEALERSHIP. THE TIRES ARE: 062065 DUELER H/L D683 OWL P225/70R15 100S. LATE APRIL '08, AS I WAS WASHING THE TIRES I NOTICED "CRACKS" ON THE SIDES, AROUND AND IN BETWEEN THE TREADS OF ALL FOUR TIRES. ON MAY 3, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE BRIDGESTONE DEALER AND FILED THE COMPLAINT THAT I BELIEVE THE TIRES ARE NOW UNSAFE AND REQUESTED REPLACEMENT. THE SERVICE MANAGER (DAN HILBORN) PROMISED TO INVESTIGATE WITH FIRESTONE AND GET BACK WITH ME. ON MAY 23, 2008, DAN CALLED ME AND SAID THAT THE REPLACEMENT TIRES ARE IN AND I CAN BRING IN MY CAR TO REPLACE THE TIRES. SAME DAY, I TOOK MY CAR IN AND THEN DAN TELLS ME THAT THE SAME TIRES ARE NO LONGER INSTOCK AND THAT I NEED TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $288.54 FOR UPGRADED TIRES TO REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE TIRES. DAN ALSO STATED THAT THE DEFECTIVE TIRES WERE FROM AN "OLD STOCK" THAT WERE ACTUALLY SOLD AS NEW TO MOVE THEM. DAN REFERRED ME TO "BILL" FROM BRIDGESTONE FIRESTONE TECHNICAL SERVICE DEPT IN WOODBRIDGE, ILL. BILL ALSO REFUSED TO REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE TIRES AT NO COST TO ME. HE STATED THAT THESE TIRES ARE SAFE TO DRIVE ON THEM WITH CRACKS BETWEEN AND AROUND THE TIRE TREADS. BILL STATED THAT THERE MAY BE SAFETY CONCERN IF YOU "CAN DRIVE A HEAD OF A BALL POINT PEN IN THE CRACKS"!!! I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED, AS I BELIEVE THAT AN AVERAGE CONSUMER WOULD NOT NOTICE THESE CRACKS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE ON THEM WHICH IS A SAFETY RISK TO THE LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE. I HAPPENED TO NOTICE THE CRACKS IN TIRES BECAUSE OF MY BACKGROUND IN QUALITY CONTROL IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY. YOUR PROMPT ATTENTION TO THIS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY SITUATION IS MOST APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. *TR

TIRES ARE OF VERY POOR QUALITY. WERE BALD AFTER LITTLE USE. ENDED UP UNABLE TO CONTROL MY VEHICLE AND INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT. THROUGH SERVICE CHECKS IT WAS NEVER NOTED TO ME OF THE TIRE CONDITION AND THE TIRES SHOULD NOT OF BEEN IN THE CONDITION THEY WERE IN. I FEEL AS THOUGH IT IS A DEFECT OR POOR QUALITY PRODUCT TOYOTA IS SELLING ON THEIR VEHICLES. *TR

I HEARD A LOUD HUMMING NOISE COMING FROM THE TIRES ON THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR HUB AND THE NOISE STOPPED FOR ABOUT 8-10 THOUSAND MILES. I LATER FOUND THAT THEY HAD ISSUED A RECALL. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK AND THIS TIME THEY HAD TO REPLACED THE UPPER CONTROL ARMS. HONDA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM AND I AM READING MANY COMPLAINTS ON EDMUND'S INTERNET SIGHT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE ON THE 2006-2007 CIVICS. THE PROBLEM WITH THE SUSPENSION RUINED THE TIRES ON THE CAR AND CAUSED AN UNSAFE CONDITION. THE DEALER DID CHANGE THE UPPER CONTROL ARMS BUT THE CAR CONTINUES TO MAKE NOISE IN THE REAR. THE DEALER TELLS ME ITS THE TIRES AND THE CUPPING IN THE TIRES IS THE FAULT OF THE TIRE, NOT THE CAR WHICH IT NOT TRUE. I CALLED HONDA AND THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE THE TIRES BUT ADMITTED THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE UPPER CONTROL ARMS ON THEIR CARS. ARE THEY WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO GET KILLED WHEN A TIRE BLOWS OUT TO NOTIFY PEOPLE OF THE PROBLEM? *TR

1. HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP ISSUE ON MAY 21ST LED TO THE CAR STALLING WHILE DRIVING AND TURNING. ALSO PUT THE CAR IN "LIMP MODE" (REDUCED POWER). ALSO, RUN-FLAT TIRES ON THE CAR HAVE ALL BUBBLED/POPPED- HAVE HAD CAR ONLY FOR 5 MONTHS WITH 6800 MILES. 2. CAR STALLED NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD STALL ALMOST EVERY TIME WHEN CAR WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT. BEFORE BRINGING THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE THREE DAYS LATER THE CAR STALLED AT LEAST 5 TIMES- BMW REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP YESTERDAY. *TR

I REPLACED THE TIRES ON MY 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH A NEW SET OF BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL-42 TIRES IN JULY OF 2007. WITHIN 3 MONTHS THE VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SO BAD THE TIRES HAD TO BE ROTATED AND BALANCED EVERY 45-50 DAYS. I GOT THE RUN AROUND FROM THE DEALER IE: EXCUSES AS TO WHY I HAD TO ROTATE SO OFTEN WHICH NONE APPLIED TO MY DRIVING SITUATIONS AND THE CAR WAS NOT OUT OF ALIGNMENT AT ALL. FINALLY TOOK A CREDIT FROM DEALER AND REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES WITH NEW MICHELIN ENERGY SERIES IN MAY 2008 CAR DRIVES JUST LIKE IT DID OFF THE SHOW ROOM FLOOR!!!!! FIRESTONE NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES WITH THESE TIRES. THEY HAVE FLAT SPOTS, CUPPING PROBLEMS THEY ARE OUT OF ROUND. I FINALLY TOOK IT TO ANOTHER DEALER(NOT FIRESTONE)WHO CONFIRMED THAT THEY COULD NOT GET THEM TO BALANCE OUT PROPERLY BECAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES AND THE VIBRATION WAS STILL THERE. *TR

THE ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY TIRE TREAD SEPARATION ON THE BACK PASSENGER END. I WAS GOING 75 MPH (THE SPEED LIMIT) ON INTERSTATE 10 WHEN THE TREAD SEPARATED. I LOST CONTROL OF MY SUV (2001 ISUZU RODEO) AND NEARLY ROLLED IT A FEW TIMES, ENDED UP SPINNING AROUND AND GOING BACKWARDS THROUGH THE DIRT MEDIAN HEADING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HIT A TREE, WHICH SAVED MY LIFE. THIS EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY CATASTROPHIC. THE TIRE WAS A BRIDGESTONE DUELER 684. IT WAS PURCHASED 1/4/05, BUT IT WAS TECHNICALLY 4 YEARS OLD WHEN I BOUGHT IT NEW. THE TIRE WAS ACTUALLY MANUFACTURED IN 2001. THE REAR END DAMAGE WAS REPAIRED BY A COLLISION CENTER AND FOR FEAR OF TIRE SAFETY, I REPLACED ALL OTHER BRIDGESTONE TIRES WITH MICHELIN. *TR

I BOUGHT NEW TIRES FOR MY DAUGHTER LAST FALL AND SHE HAS BEEN AWAY AT COLLEGE AND HER CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN MUCH AT ALL. WHEN SHE CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL WE NOTICED 2 HUGE BULDGES AND ANOTHER BULDGE IN BOTH HER FRONT TIRES. THEY ARE NOT WORN AT ALL BUT WE WERE TOLD NOT TO DRIVE ON THEM CAUSE THEY COULD BLOW AT ANYTIME. THEY ARE BRIDGESTONE 250/R17. *TR

TIRE PRESSURE RECOMMENDED TOO HIGH. I BOUGHT A NEW 2007 GMC SIERRA 2500HD DIESEL CREW CAB LONG BED. AND THE REQUIRED TIRE PRESSURE FRONT IS 60PSI. THE REQUIRED REAR IS 80 PSI. COLD. THE DIAGNOSTICS ON DASH WARN YOU WHEN THE PRESSURE IS HIGH OR LOW BY 2LBS. THE PART THAT BOTHERS ME IS I PRIMARILY DRIVE THE TRUCK EMPTY AND IT IS VERY SQUIRRELLY AND HARD RIDING WHEN EMPTY AND TIRES AT 80 PSI. ESPECIALLY IN WET WEATHER. THE OTHER THING THAT BOTHERS ME IS THE TIRES ARE SIZE 245 75 R 16 E DESIGNED FOR NO MORE THAN 80 PSI COLD. THERE IS NO ROOM TO ALLOW LOWERING TIRE TO A SAFE PRESSURE WHEN TRUCK IS EMPTY. THE ONLY OTHER SOLUTION IS TO ADD WEIGHT TO THE BED OF THE TRUCK TO PUT TRACTION TO REAR TIRES AND I DON'T THINK THAT IS REALISTIC. BEFORE SOMEONE HAS AN ACCIDENT TRYING TO OBEY THE LABEL MAYBE THIS LABEL AND DIAGNOSTICS SHOULD BE CHANGED. *TR