YOKOHAMA AVID TIRES Complaints

While driving on freeway the tire pressure warning light came on. I started to slow down and pull over and I felt the car wobble. I pulled to the side of the road and the tire had completely failed. The sidewalls, inside and out, had square chunks completely gone along the complete sidewall.

On August 28, 2023, I purchased two Yokohama Avid Ascend LX BW tires, size 205/55R16. I was charged $209.19 for each tire, plus another $129.95 for a 4-wheel alignment. The total for the two tires and alignment was $549.16. I had these tires for a little over one month before this incident. On October 4, 2023, after driving about eight miles on the freeway at around 60 to 65 mph, I pulled off the freeway to buy gas. When I started to leave the gas station, I noticed my tire warning light was on. I got out of the car and noticed the left rear tire was low and going flat. I drove home (less than one mile) and called a towing service. The towing service did not arrive. So I sprayed canned air in the tire and drove to the tire shop. The tire shop person said the tire was not repairable and showed me a large hole in the tire tread with what looked like fraying around the hole. The person said he could not tell what caused the flat but suggested it may have been aggravated by heat. It was about 95 degrees outside. They put the spare on my car. I called the dealership where I bought the tire, and they said to take it to an affiliated dealership, which I did the following day. That dealership person took pictures of the tire but did not know what caused the flat. They said they would have to order a replacement tire, which did not arrive until October 6, 2023. They charged me another $36.16 to install the replacement. For the large price charged, these tires should have been durable, reliable, and trouble free. My efforts to contact Yokohama were returned “undeliverable.” I am concerned about the safety and reliability of these expensive tires. If these tires are affected by heat, they should not be sold in the western United States where the climate is often hot in the summer and fall months. Anyone selling such tires should issue a warning if they are affected by heat.

It was time to replace my original equipment tires after approximately 30,000 miles (41,622 car miles, remainder 11,622 on separate snow tires). The car rode smoothly. I purchased four YOKOHAMA AVID Ascend LX SIZE 195/65R15 tires. The tires were balanced professionally at VIP Tires in Watertown, MA. Since the original tires had a little bit of uneven wear, I also had the car aligned at the same time. I immediately noticed intense vibration in the car seat and floorboard (not in stearing) when driving over 47 mph. I brought the car back and they rebalanced the tires. The vibration remained. I took a video of both back tires (both same DOT code) using my GoPro (and wife driving) and found left rear seemed ok, but right rear had abnormal tread movements. I also noticed much more seat vibration at right rear compared to left rear seat. I brought car back to installer and they (Marco & Julio) confirmed the right rear tire is defective.

Tiers are Yokohama P225/40R18 88V This vehicle now has slightly more than 8,000 miles and has only been driven over local roads under normal operating conditions and speeds. A couple of weeks ago, while getting gas, I noticed a knot/bulge developing on front driver's side sidewall. The integrity of the tire was compromised so I contacted the dealership and arranged to have the tire replaced. I can produce the dealership repair bill upon request. Yesterday while taking my wife to an appointment, I noticed a knot/bulge developing on rear driver's side sidewall requiring another trip to the dealership and another tire replacement. I can take a photo of bulge in rear tire or have dealership preserve the tire if you would like it for your investigation of my complaint. Fortunately I have the resources to have the tires repaired. In my case the bulges appeared in the sidewall visible to me. I knew that integrity of the tire was compromised and immediate action was necessary. I am more than 60 years old. I have owned several new cars and this is the first time I have experienced this. It is possible that other motorists encountering the same problem may not have the resources to purchase multiple replacement tires. It is also possible that the bulge might appear on the backside of the sidewall where it would not be noticed. It is possible that another motorist might not recognize the integrity of the tire was compromised and that their life and the lives of others were potentially at risk.

NEW YOKOHAMA AVID TIRE (WITH LESS THAN 5,250 MILES) BLEW UP ON THE ROAD. ONLY THE RIM REMAINED. SIZE: 205/55R16 91H. DOT 408K6HC1019.

EXTREME DRY ROT TO A 3.5 YEAR OLD TIRE. TIRE LEAKS AIR. YOKOHAMA ALSO REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HONDA ODYSSEY EQUIPPED WITH YOKOHAMA AVID TOURING S TIRES, SIZE: 215/65R16 98TS. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE FRONT AND REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRES EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION. IN ADDITION, BOTH TIRES BECAME COMPLETELY FLAT TEN DAYS LATER. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY A TIRE SHOP. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 254,000. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 DODGE CARAVAN EQUIPPED WITH YOKOHAMA AVID TIRES, SIZE: 225/65/R17 (NA). WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT NOTICED A VIBRATION IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE TIRES WERE NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN, DOT NUMBER, AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

JUST NOTICED THAT THE YOKOHAMA 225/40 R18 AVID S34 TIRES ON MY 2015 DODGE DART HAVE SPLIT SIDE WALLS. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW. IT HAS APPROXIMATELY 18,000 MILES. I HAD THE CAR IN THREE TIMES FOR THE TIRES LOOSING AIR. I'VE READ THAT YOKOHAMA HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS ON THIS MODEL TIRE FOR YEARS WITH MANY DIFFERENT SIZES BUT HAVE ONLY RECALLED ONE SIZE. I'M TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER 05-02.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 DODGE CARAVAN EQUIPPED WITH YOKOHAMA AVID S33 TIRES, SIZE: 225/65R17. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT OBSERVED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE TIRE THREADS BEGAN TO SEPARATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT TIRE SHOP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE TIRES WERE MADE TO LAST BETWEEN 2,500-30,000 MILES. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 28,100.