BRIDGESTONE TIRES Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT STATED ALL FOUR TIRES WORE OUT IN LESS THAN A YEAR. SHE NOTICED THE TIRES WERE NOT HOLDING AIR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TIRE REPAIR SHOP AND THEY PLUGGED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THE TIRE SHOP STATED THERE WERE MULTIPLE SMALL HOLES IN THE TIRES. SINCE SHE HAS NOT RUN OVER ANYTHING THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION FOR THE HOLES. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO A DEALERSHIP, WHO DETERMINED, THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 ACURA TL IN AUGUST 2005. MY CAR IS A NON-NAVIGATION 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION MODEL DELIVERED WITH BRIDGESTONE EL42 TIRES. THE FIRST TIME I DROVE THE VEHICLE IN THE RAIN, I NOTICED THAT EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS ON WET ROADS, THE TIRES DO NOT HAVE ANY TRACTION AT ALL. ON RAMPS AT 20 MPH THE FRONT TIRES LOOSE GRIP. AS OF TODAY, THE WEATHER IS GETTING COLDER AND THE TIRES ARE FLAT SPOTTING ON TOP OF THAT. THESE TIRES ARE ALL SEASON RATED AND DELIVERED ON A $35,000 VEHICLE. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY UNSAFE IN ANYTHING BUT DRY WEATHER, BUT ARE RATES ALL SEASON. I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY ON THE HIGHWAY AT FREEWAY SPEEDS AND EVEN MORE FEAR THE FIRST DAY OF SNOW. ACURA HAS SO FAR REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING AND REFERRED ME TO THE TIRE MANUFACTURER. THEY DO DELIVER OTHER TL MODELS WITH MICHELIN TIRES THAT ARE RATED BY CUSTOMER MUCH MUCH HIGHER. WHILE THE EL42 TIRES PRESENT A BIG PROBLEM FROM WET WEATHER TRACTION, OVER FLAT SPOTTING TO PREMATURE WEAR, ACURA HAS CHOSEN NOT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT YET. HOW SHAMEFUL FOR OTHERWISE SUCH A GREAT CAR, PUTTING ON TIRES THAT WILL LAND THEM A LAWSUIT IF ANYTHING HAPPENS AT ALL! IT IT THEIR CHOICE TO PUT THESE TIRES ON SOME OF THEIR CARS, SO THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THE PROBLEM!! *JB

RT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT ON MY 2005 SILVERADO WHILE DRIVING. TIRE ONLY HAD 2500 MILES ON IT. IT WAS A BRIDGESTONE DUELLER A/T TIRE. I AM GOING TO CONTACT THE DEALER ON OCT 31 TO FIND OUT IF MY TIRE WILL BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE RIM. CAUSED LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND COULD HAVE CAUSED MAJOR DAMAGE OR DEATH IF FAILURE HAPPENED AT SPEED OR ON CROWDED ROAD. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS AT 1,000 MILES WITH THE TIRES. THE TIRES STARTED FEATHERING ON THE OUTSIDE EDGES. AT 2,700 MILES THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT TIRES ON 10-6-05. THE REAR TIRES ALSO STARTED TO FEATHER. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPLACE THE REAR TIRES UNDER WARRANTY. THE FRONT END ALIGNMENT WAS PERFORMED AT THAT TIME. IN REGARD TO THE ALIGNMENT, THE CAMBER, CASTER, TOE IN, AND TOE OUT WERE ALL DETERMINED OUT OF ADJUSTMENT ON ALL FOUR SIDES FROM THE FACTORY. THIS WAS DETERMINED BY THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER THE NEW TIRES AND THE FRONT END ALIGNMENT WAS DONE THE VEHICLE STILL PULLED TO THE LEFT EXTREMELY HARD. *AK

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE HAD TWO SEPARATE BLOW OUTS ON NEW ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES. THE RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPLODED WITHOUT ANY ROAD HAZARD OR PRIOR PROBLEMS. THE SPARE TIRE WAS LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS SOME DIFFICULTY IN RETRIEVING THE SPARE DUE TO ITS LOCATION, ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN AN INJURY TO THE CONTACT'S ARM BY THE EXHAUST. SHE DROVE THE VEHICLE ON A SPARE TO A TRUCK REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT DETERMINE WHY THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED. ABOUT A WEEK LATER A SECOND BLOWOUT OCCURRED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE LEFT REAR TIRE. SHE NOTED THERE WAS A DUSTY POWDERY RESIDUE IN EACH OF THE TIRES AFTER THE BLOWOUT. THE SPARE WAS AGAIN USED UNTIL SHE WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE ANOTHER TIRE. THE TIRE IS A BRIDGESTONE TRANSMISSION WITH A TIRE LINE SIZE P215/65/R16. *AK UPDATED 1129/05. *JB

IT SEEMS THAT THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES SIZE 225/45R-17 ON MY NEW BMW FORM FLAT SPOTS ON THE TIRES WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED OVER NIGHT. IT TAKES ABOUT 5 MILES OR MORE DEPENDING ON HOW COLD IT IS [75 DEGREES OR LESS] OUTSIDE TO FINELY BEGIN TO PERFORM PROPERLY. THE CAR SHIMMIES AND VIBRATES TO THE POINT THAT IT IS HARD TO CONTROL UNTIL THE TIRES WARM UP. I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS SINCE THE 2ND DAY AFTER PURCHASE. [JUNE '05] BMW TRIED TO MAKE REPAIRS AFTER MANY PHONE CALLS AND CERTIFIED LETTERS BUT IT HASN'T BEEN FIXED. NOW THEY TELL ME THAT THEY DO NOT WARRANTY TIRE PROBLEMS TAKE YOUR COMPLAINT TO BRIDGESTONE. THE BRIDGESTONE TIRE DEALERS HAVE ALL TOLD ME THAT THEY DO NOT WARRANTY THE PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS A BMW PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN PUT IN THE POSITION OF EACH COMPANY BLAMING THE OTHER AND NO ONE WANTING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. I CANNOT BE THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM. AN UNSAFE CONDITION EXISTS AS YOU DRIVE AND THE CAR WOBBLES, BUMPS AND SHIMMIES FOR THE FIRST FEW MILES OR MORE, BECAUSE OF THE FLAT SPOTS THAT FORM AFTER PARKING FOR A TIME. *NM

HAVE HAD THREE FLAT TIRES THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED ON MY 2002 SIENNA AWD VAN WITH 11000 MILES ON IT. THE TIRES ARE THE OEM BRIGESTONE RUN-FLAT TYPE. *NM

DT: TIRE WORE WITH ONLY ONLY 26,000 MILES ON THEM. PURCHASED THESE FROM SEARS. CONTACTED BRIDESTONE THEY HAD THE CONSUMER CONTACT SEARS WHO WOULD ONLY GIVE A DISCOUNT ON NEW TIRES. THE CONSUEMR HAD TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES ELSEWHERE. *AK

BRIDGESTONE TIRE P215/70R15 MS SEPARATED AND TREAD CAUSED DAMAGE TO VEHICLE INCLUDING : FUEL TANK DAMAGE , TORE THE FUEL FILLER PIPE AWAY FROM VEHICLE AND TORE OFF GAS CAP. COSMETIC DAMAGE AS WELL INCLUDING REAR BUMPER AND SIDE RUNNING BOARD ON 2000 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE THIS IS THE SECOND SUCH INCIDENT. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS IN JULY OF 2005 AND THE FRONT TIRE SEPARATED DESTROYING FRONT HEADLIGHT ,BUMPER FRONT QUARTER PANEL . APPROX $1700.00 DAMAGE. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TWO FLAT TIRES. THE FIRST WAS ON APRIL 2005 WHILE TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE VEHICLE BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER, THE RIDE WAS DANGEROUSLY ROUGH, AND THE TIRE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. THE FLAT WAS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE. THE CONSUMER THEN REALIZED THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE A SPARE TIRE. THREE WEEKS LATER SECOND TIRE HAD A FLAT. THIS OCCURRED AGAIN WHILE TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, TIRE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON BEFORE HAVING TROUBLE MANEUVERING THE VEHICLE. THIS TIME IT WAS THE PASSENGER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE. THE CONSUMER THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP WHICH DID NOT CARRY THE SIZE OF TIRES FOR HER VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT PROVIDED HER WITH A DUNLOP REGULAR TIRE THAT WAS THE RIGHT SIZE. THE CONSUMER HAD TO TAKE THE TIRE TO THE REPAIR SHOP FOR THEM TO REPLACE THE TIRE BECAUSE TOYOTA WOULD NOT BE LIABLE FOR THE CONTACT DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH A REGULAR TIRE. THE CONSUMER WENT TO A TOYOTA REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SHOWED HER THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY HAD WORE OUT UNEVENLY. THE TIRES WORE OUT SO BADLY THAT THEY WENT BALD. THE CONSUMER FELT UNSAFE WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER HAD BEEN SPEAKING WITH TOYOTA AND BRIDGESTONE AND HAS YET TO RECEIVE ANY HELP. ON AUGUST 2005, THE CONSUMER PUT ALL REGULAR TIRES ON THE VEHICLE AND FELT SAFER AND BELIEVED THE ODDS WERE LOWER FOR A HAVING A BLOW OUT ON THE FREEWAY. *AK UPDATED 11/29/2005. *NM