PEP BOYS FUTURA TIRES Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE VEHICLE HAS PEP BOYS FUTURA SCRAMBLER A/P TIRES, SIZE 215/75/R15. THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE IS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06T023000 (TIRES:TREAD/BELT). PEP BOYS WILL NOT REPLACE THE TIRE AS STATED IN THE RECALL. THEY STATED THAT ALL DEFECTIVE TIRES HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,024.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 CHEVROLET CAPRICE. THE VEHICLE HAS PEP BOYS FUTURA, SIZE P235/70R15 TIRES. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED. THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND INSPECTED THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE. HE DISCOVERED A BULGE ON THE TREAD OF THE TIRE AT 14,000 MILES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TIRE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE TIRE. APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS LATER, THE CONTACT FELT A VIBRATION AND DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE HAD A BULGE AT 16,000 MILES. THE REAR TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 165,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 163,000. UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

I PURCHASED A USED CERTIFIED 2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA IN JANUARY 2004, AFTER ONLY ONE WEEK OF PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THE ACCELERATOR WAS MAKING A VIBRATING SOUND AND STALLING CONTINUOUSLY. OKAY, THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE - I PURCHASED A USED TRANSMISSION AND THEN THE ENGINE THROTTLE FAILED AND THE CAR WOULDN'T EVEN START ONE DAY - HAD THAT REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE $1700. NO THE OLD PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. OKAY, THERE'S MORE, THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED A TOTAL OF FOUR TIMES WITHIN THREE YEARS, THE ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON, AIR BAG LIGHT ON, BRAKE LIGHT ON, LIGHTS AND FOG INTERIOR FUSES AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES, I HAVE PUT SO MUCH MONEY INTO THIS VEHICLE - AND IT STILL IS RUNNING BADLY. AS OF TODAY, THE CAR WON'T MOVE WITHOUT WARMING IT UP FIRST FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES FULLY - WHEN YOU PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR WITHOUT WARMING IT UP FIRST - IT WILL STALL AND MAKE A LOUD EMBARRASSING NOISE AS IF THE ENGINE IS GOING TO EXPLODE - AND YOU HAVE TO LITERALLY MAKE IT MOVE BY PRESSING VERY HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR AND PRAYING THAT IT WON'T JUST SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND NEVER START AGAIN. MY VEHICLE HAS 117,000 MILES ON IT HAD 43,500 WHEN I BOUGHT IT (I KNOW STUPID WASN'T I) IT WAS MY FIRST VEHICLE. I KNOW A CAR IS NOT SUPPOSE TO LAST FOREVER, BUT DAM DOES IT HAVE TO COST SO MUCH TO TRY AND KEEP IT RUNNING UNTIL IT DIES. PLEASE HELP ME WITH ANY INFORMATION YOU MAY HAVE TO ASSIST ME IN THIS MATTER. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1988 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH PEP BOYS FUTURA 185/14 RADIAL 775 TIRES. WHILE DRIVING (MPH UNKNOWN) HE HEARD A THUMPING NOISE. HE PULLED OVER AND NOTICED BUBBLES FORMED ON THE TREAD. HE STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON ALL FOUR TIRES ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE TREAD SEPARATED ON THE FIFTH OCCASION. THE MANUFACTURER HAS DISCONTINUED THE TIRE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000. THE TIRE SIZE AND THE MODEL NUMBER WERE NOT AVAILABLE ON THE DROP DOWN MENU.

FIRST PURCHASED FOUR PEPBOY TIRES (SE P205/65R15) ON 05-17-2002, WITH A 80,000 MILE WARRANTY. ON 03-29-2004, WITH ONLY 34,000 MILES ON THE TIRES, THE TOP LAYER OF RUBBER LIFTED FROM THE TIRE AND PEELED OFF, ALMOST CREATING AN ACCIDENT. 6,000 MILES LATER, THE OTHER TIRES BEGAN TO BUBBLE LIKE THE FIRST AND HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW TIRES. TODAY, 02-27-2006 WITH REPLACED TIRES 30,000 MILES ON THEM, THE FIRST TIRE IS STARTING TO BUBBLE AND SEPARATE. I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE INTENTIONALLY MADE TO ONLY WITHSTAND ABOUT THIRTY-THOUSAND MILES OF WEAR AND THEY BEGIN TO SEPARATE, WHICH CAN CREATE A FATAL ACCIDENT. THESE TIRES PEPBOYS "FUTURA PLUS TOUR SE," WITH THE 80,000 MILE WARRANTY NEED TO BE RECALLED AND PEPBOYS BE FINED FOR FALSE ADVERTISING AND CREATING A DANGEROUS TIRE. THIS IS THE SECOND SET OF FOUR TIRES THAT HAVE LIFTED WITH ONLY THIRTY-THOUSAND MILES ON THEM WITH AN 80,000 MILE WARRANTY.....*NM

TIRE FAILURE, DE-TREADING. TIRES HAD 20,000 MILES ON THEM. VEHICLE ROLLOVER CAUSING DEATH. *JB

NO PREVIOUS EVENT BEFORE FAILURE. TIRE BECAME DEFORMED, PROBABLE CAUSE BELT SEPARATION. CAUSED SEVERE HANDLING PROBLEMS AT LOW SPEEDS. PLAN TO RETURN TIRE FOR REPLACEMENT.

MY FORD RANGER IS A VERY DANGEROUS VEHICLE. IT IS BUILT UNSTABLE/BALANCED, IT VIBRATES AND ALSO SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY. IT HAS ALMOST TAKEN MY LIFE TWICE! YES I DRIVE AT THE SPEED LIMIT, AND TUNE MY CAR UP ON A REGULAR BASES. THE 2003-4 MODEL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS, BUT IRONICALLY THE TOYOTA TACOMA HAS NO PROBLEMS AT ALL THAT ARE RELATED TO THESE OF THE FORD RANGER. I HAVE ALREADY CONTACTED FORD BUT NO REPLY, I AM ALSO GOING TO CONTACT MY CONGRESS PERSON TO PRESENT THESE ISSUES AND MORE WITH GOVERNED BODIES TO SEE IF THE FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION CAN BE IMPROVED, ANOTHER ASPECT TO THIS HAZARDOUS CAUSE OF THE FORD MIGHT BE THAT THE U.S DOESN'T USE EUROPEAN STANDARDS IN AUTOMOTIVE. YOU DON'T REALLY SEE BMW, OR OTHER CARS OF A EUROPEAN DECENT WITH THOSE PROBLEMS. *JB

SEVERE PREMATURE WEAR ON PEPBOYS FUTURA LITE P215-65R15 TIRES, AFTER 20,000 MILES. PEPBOYS REFUSING TO REPLACE OR REFUND, DESPITE 70,000 MILE WARRANTY. *LA

THIS IS THE COMPLAINT LETTER I SENT TO PEP BOYS REGARDING THEIR FUTURA LTE P215/70R15 TIRES. I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THE STORE MANAGER BUT IN BOTH CASES WE SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. WE PURCHASED TIRES IN FEBRUARY 2002 AT THE SOUTH 6TH AVENUE STORE IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. WE BOUGHT 4 TIRES AND ALL THE WARRANTIES POSSIBLE. ALL FOUR TIRES HAVE PROVEN TO BE DEFECTIVE. WE BLEW ONE OUT IN JUNE 2003 CAUSING PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE AND STILL HAD TO PAY ALMOST $60 TO REPLACE TWO TIRES AS WELL AS MY INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE. THEY WERE REPLACED AT STORE #769. THEN WE WENT TO SAN DIEGO IN AUGUST 2003 AND ONE OF THE TWO REMAINING TIRES SEPARATED ALMOST CAUSING DAMAGE AND/OR PHYSICAL HARM AGAIN. WE HAD THEM REPLACED AT STORE #735 AND AGAIN HAD TO PAY $63. I AM CONCERNED FIRST THAT THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND COULD CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE AND BODILY INJURY. I PLAN TO WRITE A SIMILAR LETTER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REPORTING THESE TIRES. FURTHERMORE, I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY ANY MONEY OUT OF MY POCKET DUE TO DEFECTIVE TIRES. WE WERE FORTUNATE TO NOT BE INJURED IN EITHER CASE AS I TRAVELED ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY FAMILY AND HAVING TO CHANGE TIRES ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. THE TIRES IN QUESTION ARE FUTURA LTE P215/70R15 (DOTHYHLNCD489) WITH A 70,000 MILE TREAD WEAR GUARANTEE. WE HAD 20,000 MILES ON THEM WHEN THE PROBLEMS BEGAN TO OCCUR. BETWEEN THE COST OF REPLACING THESE DEFECTIVE TIRES AND MY INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE THESE TIRES HAVE COST ME AN ADDITIONAL $400. IN RETURNING THE TIRES, NEITHER STORE WANTED TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE ONLY TO CHARGE ME FOR THE PRORATED TIRES. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT IN AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT AS WELL. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING A RESPONSE FROM YOU OR YOUR REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. MONICA PERRIN. *NLM