GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TIRES Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TIRES, SIZE: P205/65R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD RUMBLING NOISE AND THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRE HAD SEVERAL RIPS IN THE TREAD. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 150,000.

SEE NHTSA COMPLAINT NUMBER 10949504 FEB 3, 2017 THAT REFLECTS A SECOND TIRE IN THE SAME DRIVER FRONT POSITION WHEN IT LOST PRESSURE DUE TO A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALL WHILE SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY THE MORNING OF FEB 3, 2017. THE PRESSURE HAD DROPPED FROM ABOUT 38 PSI TO 26 PSI OVER ABOUT 2 DAYS IT HAD BEEN PARKED. I GOT IT TO A CORNER GAS STATION ABOUT 1 MILE AWAY WHO WHERE - LOSING ANOTHER 2 PSI WHILE TRAVELING AND THE MECHANIC DETECTED THE SIDEWALL PROBLEM INDICATING IT WAS A TIRE DEFECT AND IT WOULD BE BEST TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER/SERVICE DEPT. IT WAS RE-PRESSURIZED TO 38PSI AND OTHER TIRE PRESSURES WERE CHECKED (NO PROBLEMS). GOING THE FEW MILES TO THE DEALER, THE TIRE LOST 4-5 PSI PRESSURE. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER/SERVICE MANAGER THAT THE TIRE NEEDED REPLACEMENT AND THAT IT WAS SOMETHING I MIGHT HAVE DONE AND NOT A TIRE PROBLEM. THE SIDEWALL DEFECT SEEMS A SAFER DUPLICATE OF THE FIRST TIRE FAILURE (THAT HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE DURING SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC AND WITH FOUR ADULTS IN THE CAR - NHTSA COMPLAINT 10706538, 4/19/15). NOTE THAT BOTH TIRE FAILURES THE TWO ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. TIRE ROTATIONS ARE DONE FRONT/BACK ON THE SAME SIDE, ONSTAR AND I BOTH MONITOR TIRE PRESSURES, TIRES HAVE NOT BEEN DRIVEN UNDER OR OVER-INFLATED, FAILURES HAVE BOTH BEEN IN THE DRIVER FRONT POSITION (HEAVIEST LOAD).

THIS NOTE IS SUPPLEMENTAL TO NHTSA #10940031 OF 1/1/17. THE TIRE THAT HAD JUST REPLACED THE SECOND FAILED TIRE ALSO SUSTAINED DAMAGE DEEMED TO BE UNACCEPTABLE TO REPAIR ONLY ABOUT 200 MILES AFTER IT WAS INSTALLED. GIVEN 3 OF THESE TIRES FAILED VERY PREMATURELY OVER 7.5K MILES, NEVER MIND 2 IN 200 MILES, THIS SUGGESTED TO ME A POSSIBLE ATYPICAL WEAKNESS IN THE DESIGN OF THESE TIRES SO I SCRAPPED ALL 4 FUEL MAX TIRES AND REPLACED THEM WITH THE FAR SUPERIOR GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TRIPLETRED TIRES. HAVING PUT 70K+/- MILES ON A SET OF PREVIOUSLY OWNED TRIPLETRED TIRES WITHOUT A SINGLE FAILURE UNDER VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL CONDITIONS TO THOSE I USED THE FUEL MAX TIRES UNDER I CAN STATE WITH CONFIDENCE THAT THEY ARE MUCH MORE DAMAGE RESISTANT TIRES THAN THE FUEL MAX VERSION OF THE ASSURANCE LINE IN ADDITION TO HAVING NOTICEABLY GREATER/SAFER TRACTION IN RAIN AND SNOW. *TR

THESE TIRES ARE SHOWN AS BEING THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES GM PUT ON THEIR VOLTS. IN MY EXPERIENCE THEY ARE SEVERELY BELOW NORMAL DURABILITY. MY VOLT'S FL TIRE WAS REPLACED AT 17K MILES (SLOW SIDEWALL LEAK) FOLLOWED BY THE RR FAILING AT 24K MILES (CATASTROPHIC). DESPITE THE USUAL POTHOLE AND ROAD DEBRIS ENCOUNTERS MY PREVIOUS SET OF PIRELLI P4 TIRES RAN 115K+ MILES FAILURE FREE AND THE MICHELINS I HAD BEFORE THEM LASTED 64K MILES WITHOUT A FAILURE. ADDITIONALLY, I SEE MY TWO REMAINING FACTORY TIRES ARE DOWN TO 6/32 TO 7/32 OF AN INCH TREAD AFTER ONLY 24K MILES WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN THEIR DISTRESSINGLY POOR GRIP IN RAIN AND SNOW. TO PUT THAT WEAR IN PERSPECTIVE, THE PIRELLI TIRES STILL HAD FROM 5/32 TO 7/32 OF AN INCH TREAD LEFT WHEN AT 115K MILES. THAT THESE TIRES SEEMINGLY NEED REPLACING AT THE RATE OF ONE TIRE ROUGHLY EVERY 6K TO 12K MILES SUGGESTS THEY SUFFER FROM A FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN DEFICIENCY. I GATHER MY EXPERIENCE IS NOT A FLUKE. A VISIT TO A VOLT OWNERS' SITE FOUND COMPLAINTS OF 5 FLATS IN 36K MILES, 2 FLATS IN UNDER A YEAR, 3 FLATS IN 3 MONTHS, 2 FLATS IN ONE YEAR, 4 FLATS IN A YEAR AND A HALF, 2 FLATS IN 10 MONTHS AND 2 FLATS IN 22K MILES. SUCH DISMAL RELIABILITY AND APPARENT DANGEROUS FRAGILITY SUGGESTS A RECALL, OR AT LEAST AN INVESTIGATION, MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED FOR SAFETY. REFERENCED SITE: HTTP://WWW.MYCHEVROLETVOLT.COM/CHEVY-VOLT-FLAT-TIRE-NO-SPARE-TIRE-WOES#COMMENT-873011

NYLON PLY COMING OUT OF SIDEWALL OF A GOODYEAR TIRE ON A 2016 CHEVY TAHOE. DOT PJXP JK1R SIZE P265/65R18 AND 2016 CHEVY TAHOE'S OWNERS MANUAL NOT EXPLAINING HOW TO OPEN THE SPARE TIRE HOIST SHAFT ACCESS DOOR ON PAGE 380 OR 386 OF THE OWNERS MANUAL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1988 FORD THUNDERBIRD EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR ASSURANCE FUEL MAX TIRES, SIZE: P225/60R16. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TIRES MADE AN ABNORMAL RUMBLING NOISE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE AND BOTH PASSENGER SIDE TIRES WERE GETTING FLAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE VALVE STEMS WERE THE REASON FOR THE TIRE FAILURE. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE REPLACEMENT TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 290,000 AND THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. *TR

DOT# PLX05JHR4007, M6X05JHR2008/0708 GOODYEAR ASSURANCE COMFORTRED 225/60R16 TIRES. SEPARATED BY SPLITTING ON FIRST SEMI RIM/TREAD GROOVE. IMPROPER DESIGN TO HAVE GROOVE THERE. TREAD GROOVES TODAY ARE NOW CLOSER TO CENTER OF TIRE BECAUSE OF THE LESS FLEXING COMPARED TO THE ASSURANCES RIM GROOVE TOO CLOSE TO THE RIM. IT SPLITS AND SEPARATES. BAD DESIGN FLAW. TIRES IN QUESTION HAVE 8 AND 9/32 OF TREAD REMAINING.

GOODYEAR ASSURANCE FUEL MAX TIRES WITH 41,000 MILES ON A 2014 HONDA ACCORD HAVE PIECES OF RUBBER COMING OUT OF THEM. THE BALANCING AND ALIGNMENT ARE FINE AND AIR PRESSURE IS AT 33 PSI. TIRES ARE ROTATED AT EVERY SERVICE, APPROXIMATELY 5,000 MILES. I HAVE TRIED TO SEND PICTURES TO GOODYEAR HEADQUARTERS AND THEY REFUSE TO ALLOW ME TO DO SO. THEY ONLY ACCEPT THE WORD OF THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED IT IS A RESULT OF DRIVING ON GRAVEL ROADS, WHICH HAS NEVER TAKEN PLACE. THEY WERE WILLING TO DO A PARTIAL WEAR ADJUSTMENT, BUT THEY WILL NOT GO THE 50% AS STATED IN THE WRITTEN WARRANTY.

TIRE FAILURE ON SIDEWALL, WITH THE OTHER THEE TIRES SHOWING THE SAME DAMAGE PATTERN

PURCHASED AND HAD MOUNTED (4) GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TRIPLETRED TIRES ON OR ABOUT 15APR2015 BY FORD DEALER. 90,000 MILE MAINTENANCE, INCLUDING ROUTINE TIRE ROTATION WAS COMPLETED BY SAME DEALER ON 24JUN2016. NO DAMAGE OR DEFECTS WERE NOTED BY THE DEALER AT THAT TIME. ON 02JUL2016, WHILE DRIVING ON THE THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 65MPH, I NOTICED THE LOW AIR PRESSURE LIGHT COME ON AND SLOWED MY SPEED TO 60 MPH. WITHIN A FEW MILES, I HEARD A THUMPING NOISE OF A FLAT TIRE AND PULLED OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER AND AWAITED ROAD ASSISTANCE FROM AAA. AAA INSPECTED THE TIRE AND SAW NO DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE SIDEWALLS HAD BLOWN, AND SUSPECTED A DEFECTIVE TIRE. I TOOK THE DEFECTIVE TIRE TO THE FORD DEALER ON 05JUL2016 WHO ALSO INSPECTED AND FOUND NO DAMAGE. THE DEALER KEPT THE DEFECTIVE TIRE AND I AM AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTION FROM THE DEALER WHO HAS FILED A REPORT WITH GOODYEAR. THESE TIRES HAD APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE AND FEAR CONTINUING TO DRIVE ON THE THREE REMAINING GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TRIPLETRED TIRES.