CONTINENTAL PROCONTACT GX SSR MOE TIRES Complaints

Tire Size 245-40-19 - Car 2015 BMW 535 x-drive During a trip from [XXX] to [XXX] the the Continental ProContact SSR MOE tires on both the drivers and passinger side front developed sidewall bubbles. The tires had less than 3500 miles on them. The tires were purchase through the local BMW Dealer, A&L Motors, in Pennsylvania. I had a bubble develop on another Continental Pro Contact MOE a year ago but I wasn't worried about that due to the tire having over 35,000 miles. In XX years of car ownership I have never had an issue with a tire bubbling other than this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

RE: Continental Pro Contact GX SSR MOE 245/40 R19 98 H M+S Original factory installed Mercedes E450 tires. I had 3 blowouts from hitting small potholes on 3 different tires in 1.5 years. These are complete immediate blowout going completely flat on impact. It could have very dangerous if I were driving a little faster and fortunately there was no other damage to the car or other persons. In each case, I hit a small pothole, and the tire blew out, flat to the ground. Because these are run flat tires, on the first 2 incidents I was able to drive home and to the dealer for tire repair/replacement. The third one was so bad that I could not drive all the way home and had to get towed. But all 3 incidents were scary and dangerous because of the sudden blowouts. The tires were not repairable and had to be replaced. I believe that the Mercedes Tire inflation instructions is unsafe and they should put more air in the tires to protect from the rim cutting into the tire when hitting a pothole. The driver's door "B" pilar placard says the "cold tire pressure: Front 41 psi Rear 47 psi". Mercedes repair shop inflates the tires according to the Fuel Filler Door decal that says " Front 36 psi, Rear 36 psi." That is a big difference in pressure -- as much as possible 11 psi under pressure. I believe these run flat tires failed because of too low of tire pressure when hitting the pothole. If the tires were inflated with the higher pressures as on the door pilar, the wheel rim would not have been able to cut into and through the tire wall because the higher tire pressure would prevent the impact of the rim cutting through the tire sidewall. I believe this a serious safety issue and Mercedes should be inflating this type run flat MOE tires to a much higher pressure and should not use the low-pressure instructions that are on the fuel door label. There should be a recall and repair instructions to increase run flat tire pressure on Mercedes E class vehicles.

BOTH the front tires in my 2020 Mercedes C300 developed sudden belt separation while driving at highway speed this past weekend. These tires were installed by Mercedes of Delray Beach Florida as part of my CPO vehicle purchase in September of 2022 and have less-than 20K miles on them. Tires are Continental ProContact size 225/45 R18 and marked M+S as well as MOE. The vehicle received a routine four-wheel alignment as part of my annual servicing in July 2025 by Mercedes of Fort Pierce, and no indication of any tire issue was mentioned. Tire pressures have been consistently checked monthly and always set cold to 37-PSI specifications. The first indication of a tire issue was a sudden vibration in the steering wheel and I thought I may have lost a wheel weight after driving thru our local car wash the day prior.

In the last 8 months, I have experienced 3 blowouts on the same side of the car. The tires were Continental Procontact SSR 245/40R19. In each instance, the sidewall failed and blew out. This has occurred on the highway as well as at low city speeds.

size 19. I have had two tires fail in 3 months. Less than 3k miles on both. There was no road hazard but both tires blew out on the side.

OEM tires that the Mercedes Benz dealership diagnosed as having shifted belts. 245/40 R18

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 BMW 330I EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL TIRES, TIRE LINE: PROCONTACT GX SSR, TIRE SIZE: 225/45/R18. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE AND THE FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRES FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S TIRE HAD A BUBBLE ON SIDEWALL AND THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE WAS CRACKED ON SIDE WALL WHILE THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO RALLYE BMW (1 BRUSH HOLLOW RD, WESTBURY, NY 11590, (516) 393-0000) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING 3 TIRES TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

CONTINENTAL TIRES HAVE UNUSUALLY WEAK AND RISKY SIDEWALLS THAT ARE DANGEROUS TO THE OWNERS OF THESE CARS THAT HAVE THEM ON THERE.

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 1, AT ABOUT 45 MPH, ON MY WAY TO WORK IN A LIGHT RAIN. I MAY HAVE JUST TRANSITIONED INTO THE #1 LANE OF TRAFFIC AS I WAS ABOUT 500 FEET FROM THE RED LEFT TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WHERE I MAKE MY NORMAL TURN. I JUST REMEMBER MY CAR SUDDENLY HYDROPLANED ACROSS THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINE INTO THE ONCOMING LANES OF TRAFFIC AND HITTING THE OPPOSITE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. MY CAR ENDED UP IN A DITCH. LUCKILY IT HAPPENED AT ABOUT 0630 IN THE MORNING AND NO ONE WAS INJURED AS THIS IS A BUSY ROADWAY. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER NOTICED THAT THE CENTER TREAD AREA OF MY TIRES WAS BALD, BUT THE OUTER TREAD STILL HAD TREAD ON IT. I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW 14 MONTHS AGO FROM MERCEDES. ONLY MY WIFE AND I HAVE DRIVEN IT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 16,000 MILES AND THE TIRES SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS CONDITION. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO MERCEDES AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THEY SEE THIS A LOT WITH THESE TIRES, WHICH SHOULD ONLY LAST 12,000 MILES! THIS IS ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. AND IT DOES NOT MATCH THE TIRE MANUFACTURERS CLAIM ON THEIR WEBSITE. IN THE MERCEDES SERVICE AREA IS A 3D DISPLAY SHOWING HOW LOW TREAD CAUSES HYDROPLANING! I CONTINUE TO DRIVE THIS SAME STRETCH OF ROAD TO WORK. I NOW NOTICED IT IS ACTUALLY ON A SLIGHT INCLINE, AND THERE IS NO AREA WHERE WATER WOULD POOL, CAUSING ME TO HYDROPLANE. I BELIEVE THERE IS A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THESE TIRES. HAD CIRCUMSTANCES BEEN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT (CLOSER TO BIG TREES, HAD I BEEN GOING FASTER, HAD THERE BEEN PEDESTRIANS, HAD THERE BEEN OTHER CARS ON THE ROADWAY) THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL OR VERY SERIOUS INJURY COLLISION. CHP & FIRE ARRIVED ON SCENE, BUT I DID NOT REQUEST A POLICE REPORT. THERE IS A RECORD IN THEIR DISPATCH CALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 GENESIS G80 EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL PROCONTACT TX TIRES, SIZE: 245/40R19 (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH FRONT TIRES SHOWED BUBBLES ON THE SURFACE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE ORIGINAL FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TETON HYUNDAI (LOCATED AT 1350 YELLOWSTONE AVE, POCATELLO, ID 83201, (208) 417-0844) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT BOTH FRONT TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN.