1999 Honda CR-V

I HAVE HAD TWO INSTANCES WHERE THERE WAS TREAD SEPARATION ON BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T 684 205 70R 15 95S. THE FIRST INSTANCE 2 YEARS AGO WAS CATASTROPHIC AND CAUSED $2300 IN DAMAGE TO THE LEFT REAR OF THE CAR. LAST WEEK THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED VIBRATING. INSPECTION OF THE TIRES SHOWED A LARGE BUBBLE UNDER THE TREAD OF THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. ONE OF THE DEFECTIVE TIRES WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND THE OTHER TIRE WAS PURCHASED AS ONE OF 4 REPLACEMENT TIRES. THE TIRES HAD 40-50,000 MILES ON THEM BUT STILL HAD PLENTY OF TREAD REMAINING. THERE WAS NO UNEVEN WEAR ON THE TREAD. ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION MOLDED ONTO THE TIRES, THE TIRES WERE MADE A COUPLE OF YEARS APART. THIS WOULD LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT EITHER THEIR IS A DESIGN DEFECT IN THE TIRE OR THERE IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR OVER 45 YEARS AND THIS IS THE ONLY TIRE I HAVE EVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH. IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, A BRIDGESTONE TIRE DEALER TOLD ME I HAD TO REPORT IT TO THE MANUFACTURER AND PROVIDED A PHONE NUMBER. AFTER TWO WEEKS OF CALLING THE GIVEN PHONE NUMBER THAT WAS NEVER ANSWERED, I GAVE UP. THUS, I AM NOTIFYING YOU. *NM

REPORT OF BRIDGESTONE TIRE FAILURE (TREAD SEPARATION) ON 1999 HONDA CRV. WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY NOTICED VEHICLE VIBRATION, AND UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF CAUSED BY ROAD SURFACE OR VEHICLE. AFTER ABOUT 200 MILES VIBRATION BECAME BAD ENOUGH TO DETERMINE VEHICLE WAS AT FAULT. DRIVER CONDUCTED VISUAL (ON VEHICLE) INSPECTION OF TIRES WITH NO DEFECT NOTED. AFTER ANOTHER 50 MILES, VIBRATION WORSENED TO THE POINT THAT IT WAS EVIDENT BELOW 50 MPH. REMOVED RIGHT REAR TIRE AND DISCOVERED NEAR FAILURE TREAD SEPARATION. TIRE IS SEVERAL YEARS OLD AND MAY HAVE 40,000 MILES WEAR. THIS IS THE SECOND FAILURE OF THIS TYPE TIRE ON THIS VEHICLE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. FIRST FAILURE RESULTED IN VERY LOW SPEED BLOW-OUT. LATEST TIRE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *JB

ON MARCH 3, 2006, I WAS TRAVELING THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT ON I-95 IN MARTIN COUNTY, FLORIDA IN OUR 1999 HONDA CRV. APPROXIMATELY 1-2 MILES BEFORE THE ST. LUCIE BLVD. EXIT, I NOTICED A VERY SLIGHT TREMOR OR VIBRATION? IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE TREMOR VERY GRADUALLY INCREASED. ABOUT 1-2 MILES PAST THE ST. LUCIE WEST BLVD. ENTRANCE RAMP, THERE WAS A LOUD BANG AND I SAW LARGE PIECES OF TIRE DEBRIS IN THE AIR NEAR THE REAR OF OUR VEHICLE. SEVERAL VEHICLES SWERVED SHARPLY TO AVOID OUR VEHICLE AND THE TIRE DEBRIS. I PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER AND UPON EXAMINATION FOUND THE RIGHT REAR TIRE (FACING FORWARD) HAD COMPLETELY LOST ALL OF ITS TREAD. THE TIRE WAS STILL INFLATED SO I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO A TIRE DEALERSHIP ON ST. LUCIE BLVD. AND PURCHASE A NEW TIRE, HOWEVER THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY $1,200 IN DAMAGE TO THE CRV. THE TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES OF USE ON IT. THE TIRES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MAINTAINED AT THE TIRE PRESSURE RECOMMENDED IN THE CRV OWNER'S MANUAL AND I CHECKED THE PRESSURE IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. OUR LOCAL HONDA TECHNICAL SERVICE MANAGER, THE TIRE TECHNICIAN IN PORT ST. LUCIE AND A LOCAL FIRESTONE/BRIDGESTONE TIRE TECHNICIAN ALL AGREED UPON EXAMINATION OF THE TIRE AND THE DAMAGE TO OUR VEHICLE THAT THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATION WAS IN ALL PROBABILITY DUE TO THE SUBJECT TIRE BEING DEFECTIVE. AT BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE'S REQUEST, I RETURNED THE DAMAGED TIRE TO THEM FOR TESTING AND REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FOR DAMAGE TO MY CRV. THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT I WAS AT FAULT FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE TIRE AND THAT THE TIRE HAD BEEN "OVER OR UNDER DEFLATED" FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS, THEY HAVE FAILED TO RETURN THE SUBJECT TIRE TO ME. *JB

VEHICLE SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE. BRIDGESTONE, HT DULLER, P205/70R16, #DOT YTJM51169. *AK 80% OF THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE STEEL BELTS AND TORE A PORTION OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE TIRE WAS ORIGINALLY A SPARE TIRE AND WAS PUT INTO USE FOR THE FIRST TIME *TC