BRIDGESTONE TIRES Complaints

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 60-65 MPH WHEN TIRE SEPARATED . WHEEL WAS RUINED AND AS TIRE PARTS CAME OFF THE WHEEL PAINT ON THE FENDER WAS DAMAGED. TIRE IS A BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE 92 P215/60 R16 WITH APPROXIMATELY 15,000 MILES. ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON 2006 TOYOTA CAMRY. RIM WAS AMERICAN CUSTOM MADE DESIGNED TO WORK WITH CAMRY. *TR

I OWN A 2007 BMW 335I COUPE. AT 9,000 MILES I STARTED NOTICING A STRANGE SOUND COMING FORM THE TIRE AREA. IT GRADUALLY GOT WORSE. AT 10,000 MILES I NOTICED PHYSICAL SIGNS OF "SCALLOPING" AND ACTUAL UNEVEN (QUITE DRAMATICALLY UNEVEN) WEAR. IT LOOKED AS THOUGH THE LEADING EDGES OF SOME, JUST SOME, TREADS WERE ACTUALLY AS MUCH OF A QUARTER IN LOWER THAN THE BACK SIDE OF THE SAME TREAD AND OF COURSE THE BACK SIDE OF THE TREAD IT WAS ADJACENT TO. IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE RUBBER HAS LITERALLY BEEN THROWN OFF THE TIRE. THAT'S HOW BIG THE DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHTS IS OF THE RANDOM TREADS. THIS WAS TRUE ON BOTH THE INNER AND OUTER EDGES OF THE TIRES AND EVEN THE MIDDLE. THIS WOULD EXPLAIN THE THRUMMING NOISE. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET IT INTO THE DEALER AND WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE TIRES THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID, "BRIDGESTONE WILL REPLACE THE TIRES UP TO 20,000 MILES AND PAY HALF THE COST". I SAID THAT THESE TIRES WEREN'T WORN OUT, THEY WERE WEARING EXTREMELY UNEVENLY. CUPPING AND SCALLOPING LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN. HE SAID IT WAS THE DESIGN OF THE CARS, THAT BMW MAKES THEM VERY AGGRESSIVELY TO HANDLE THE WAY THEY DO AND ANY TIRE WOULD DO THAT. I ASKED IF I COULD GET THEM REPLACED WITH CONTINENTALS SINCE I HAVE HEARD THEY HAD LESS PROBLEMS WITH THOSE. HE SAID NO, ONLY WHAT WAS ON THERE AS BMW WASN'T WARRANTING THE TIRES, BRIDGESTONE WAS. THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO ROTATE THEM, LOOK AT THE ALIGNMENT, NOTHING, JUST REPLACE AT HALF COST. SO 9 MONTHS AND NOW 11,000 MILES INTO A $50K CAR I AM FORCED TO PAY ABOUT $5-600 DOLLARS JUST SO I CAN TALK TO MY PASSENGERS AND BE HEARD OVER THE TIRE NOISE. I REALLY FEEL THAT THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AS ONLY PART OF THE TIRE IS IN CONTACT WITH ROAD AT ANY TIME. *TR

I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2007 TOYOTA TUNDRA TWO MONTHS AGO. WITH LESS THAN 9,000 MILES ON BRIDGESTONE DUELER TIRES, THE LEFT REAR TIRE PRETTY MUCH DISINTEGRATED WHILE TRAVELING ON I10 AT 75 MILES PER HOUR. THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN PART OF THE TIRE. THERE WAS NO BANG AND THE TIRES WERE PROPERLY INFLATED. IT APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OR A DESIGN FLOW. I KEPT THE REMAINS OF THE TIRE AS WELL AS THE OTHER THREE TIRES AND PURCHASED A SET OF 4 NEW TIRES OF A DIFFERENT BRAND. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1992 CHEVROLET K1500. THE VEHICLE HAS BRIDGESTONE DUELER APT III, SIZE LT225/75R16 TIRES. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED TWICE AND WITHIN 45 DAYS OF EACH OTHER. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND NOTICED THAT THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE AND THE RUBBER WAS CRACKED. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 167,138 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 166,000. UPDATED 02/01/08 *TR

TL*THE CONTACTS DAUGHTER OWNS A 2007 SATURN VUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER DAUGHTER EXPERIENCED A BLOW OUT ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO TREES, AND ROLLOVER. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER SUSTAINED INJURIES. THE DOT NUMBER AND ENGINE SIZE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VIN APPEARED TO BE INVALID. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 13,000 MILES.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA CR-V. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR BRIDGESTONE DESSERT DUELER TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND PULL SAFELY OFF THE ROAD. HE NOTICED THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 24,581.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT TOOK HIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND LEARNED THAT HIS FRONT BRIDGESTONE POTENZA, SIZE P225/50R1793V TIRES HAD CRACKS ON THE SIDEWALLS. HE STATED THAT TWO PRIOR SET OF TIRES HAD THE SAME FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 117,379. UPDATED 11/06/07 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SATURN VUE. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR BRIDGESTONE TIRE FAILED AND THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE WENT AIRBORNE ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND THE DRIVER WAS BRUISED. THE ON-STAR SYSTEM FAILED TO WORK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A STATE TROOPER ARRIVED AT THE SCENE, BUT DID NOT FILE A REPORT. THE INSURANCE COMPANY CURRENTLY HAS THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAS PICTURES OF THE VEHICLE. THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE, PURCHASE DATE, AND POWERTRAIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE TIRES WERE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND HAD LESS THAN 13,000 MILES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 13,000 MILES. UPDATED 08/14/07. *JB

TRAVELING SOUTH ON CALIFORNIA INTERSTATE 5, AFTER TEJON PASS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE RIGHT REAR TIRE OF OUR 2005 CHEVY ASTRO LS MINIVAN JUST BLEW OUT. THE TIRE WAS BRIDGESTONE DUELER (SIZE P215 70 R16 99S). I WAS DRIVING WITHIN THE SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MPH. THE FREEWAY ROAD SURFACE WAS CLEAN AND THE WEATHER WAS SUNNY AND CLEAR. THERE'S NO DEBRIS OR ROAD HAZARD ON THE FREEWAY. I CALLED EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO REPLACE THE BLOWN OUT TIRE WITH THE SPARE. I ENDED UP BUYING A NEW REPLACEMENT TIRE. I WAS ABLE TO SAVE ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE BLOWN OUT TIRE. FORTUNATELY, THERE'S NO INJURY. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED JULY 20, 2007 ABOUT 1:30 P. M. THE WHOLE FRONT PART OF THE TIRE WERE SHREDDED TO PIECES. *TR

TOYOTA SIENNA (2004) RUN FLAT TIRES. REPLACED IN APRIL 2006 UNDER THE CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. WORN AGAIN PREMATURELY. LAST TIRE ROTATION THE FRONT TIRES WERE WORN BAD, THE BACK ONES WERE FINE. NOW, ONE MONTH LATER, THE FRONT TIRES (WHICH USED TO BE ON THE BACK LAST MONTH) ARE NOW WORN. WHEN THE TIRES WERE REPLACED, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE RE-ENGINEERED AND THERE IS TO BE NO WORRY. I HAVE CHECKED THE AIR PRESSURE MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF EVERY OTHER GAS FILL UP AND THEY HAVE HELD THE AIR. IS IT THE TIRES OR THE CAR? TOYOTA SAYS THEY WILL NOT REPLACE AGAIN. IT WAS ONLY 15,500 MILES NOW ALL 4 WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM IF THEY ARE HOLDING THE PRESSURE AND THAT IS WHAT THE DEALER AND TOYOTA TELL ME IS THAT I MUST KEEP THE PRESSURE AT 35, IT IS! *TR