2006 Honda Odyssey

THIS COMPLAINT IS NOT ABOUT AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY. THE RUN FLAT TIRES WITH THE HONDA ODYSSEY TOURING - THEY WEAR OUT SOON - VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE (ABOUT 3 TIMES THE COST OF REGULAR TIRES) - HONDA SAYS WE CAN'T JUST REMOVE ALL THE RUN FLAT TIRES AND REPLACE THEM WITH REGULAR TIRES. - ONLY SELECT FACILITIES CAN REPLACE/FIX THEM. *TR

PURCHASED A 2006 ODYSSEY TOURING MODEL AND THE DEALER MISREPRESENTED THE VEHICLE'S "TOP OF THE LINE TIRES" BY CLAIMING SUPERIOR WEAR OF TIRES, THEIR VALUE, BENEFITS, OVERALL COST AND ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS... WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS A SUPERIOR TIRE THAT WOULD LAST JUST AS LONG AS STANDARD TIRES IF NOT LONGER AND THEY WERE MUCH SAFER - TOLD 50,000 MILES BEFORE HAVING TO CONSIDER REPLACING THEM; WOULD PROVIDE SUPERIOR ROAD HANDLING; QUIETER RIDES; BETTER GAS MILEAGE; AND BECAUSE OF THE EXPECTED LIFE OF THE TIRE AND IMPROVED GAS MILEAGE, IT WOULD BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT (LESS WASTE CREATED). WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THEY ARE JUST A BIT MORE TO REPLACE THAN CONVENTIONAL TIRES BECAUSE OF THE GEL INSIDE BUT WELL WORTH THE ADDITIONAL 10% IT WOULD COST OVER TRADITIONAL TIRES BECAUSE OF THEIR SAFETY. ALSO INFORMED THAT I SHOULD NOT WORRY THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT COME WITH A SPARE OR JACK BECAUSE THE TIRES CAN RUN FLAT FOR 150 MILES AND THAT THE MAJORITY OF MICHELIN AND HONDA DEALERS IN THE US ARE ABLE TO REPAIR / REPLACE THE TIRE AND THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. TOLD THAT THEY CAME WITH A GREAT WARRANTY AND THAT MICHELIN WOULD REPLACE THE TIRE IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO THEM DURING THEIR WARRANTY PERIOD BECAUSE THE VEHICLE DID NOT COME WITH A SPARE. DEALER MISREPRESENTED THE ACTUAL REPLACEMENT AND MAINTENANCE COST OF THE TIRES THAT NOW APPEARS TO BE ON AN 18 MONTH 20-25,000 MILE BASIS. BASED ON MY PAST EXPERIENCE, A GOOD SET OF TIRES AVERAGE 5 YEARS 45-50,000 MILES AND HAVE A COST OF 50% LESS TO MAINTAIN / REPLACE. BASES ON THEIR ACTUAL COST AND THE RATE OF WARE, THE TIRES WILL COST ME 4 TIMES AS MUCH AS A COMPARABLE STANDARD SET OF TIRE. THERE IS ONLY A HANDFUL OF DEALERS IN MY LOCAL AREA THAT ARE EQUIP TO DEAL WITH THIS TIRE AND I AM CONCERNED THAT BECAUSE OF THE TYPE OF TIRE AND SPECIAL TRAINING NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TIRES, NATIONWIDE, THERE IS LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF DEALERS THAT COULD HANDLE A BLOWOUT PROMOTING FOR POTENTIAL PRICE GOUGING. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 HONDA ODYSSEY VAN AROUND ~10:00 PM ON I-5 ABOUT 55 MILES PER HOUSE. ALL OF A SUDDEN REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW UP. IT IS A MICHELIN TIRE WITH 9,600 MILES ON IT. THE TIRE CAME BRAND NEW WITH THE VAN WHICH HAD ~9,600 MILES. DISCOUNT TIRE PROFESSIONAL EXAMINED THE TIRE AND DID NOT FIND ANY DAMAGE TO TIRE SUCH AS A NAIL OR CUT THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN BLOW UP. *TR

FAILURE OF MICHELIN PAX SYSTEM TIRES AT 25K MILES. THESE TIRES OFFER UNREALISTIC/UNACCEPTABLE WEAR WHICH WOULD REQUIRE YEARLY REPLACEMENT AT $1200+ PER YEAR. MANUFACTURE AND/OR DEALER DID NOT MENTION OR ADVISE ANYTHING OF THE SORT DURING PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. SEVERELY RESTRICTIVE OPTIONS WITH RESPECT TO REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT OF TIRES. EXCESSIVELY HIGH COST OF TIRES, LACK OF LONGEVITY AND DURABILITY OF TIRES, ALONG INABILITY TO REPLACE WITH SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE TIRES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RUN FLATS ONLY WORK WITHIN A 50 MILE RADIUS. SHE STATED THAT IF SHE WERE TO GO BEYOND 50 MILES. UNLESS SHE CONTACTS A DEALER. IN ORDER TO CHANGE THE RUN FLATS, CERTAIN TECHNOLOGY IS NEEDED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WOULD BE STRANDED WITHOUT ANY OPTIONS. THE MANUFACTURER AGREED THAT IT IS A SAFETY DEFECT. THE DEALER STATED THAT NO REPAIR WAS AVAILABLE AND SUGGESTED SHE NOTIFY HER ATTORNEY'S GENERAL OFFICE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 30,000. UPDATED 02-01-08. *KB

IN NOVEMBER 2005, WE PURCHASED THE 2006 HONDA ODYSSEY TOURING MINI-VAN. UPON QUESTIONING THE PAX TIRE SYSTEM (A SELLING POINT FOR THE TOURING EDITION), WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT REPLACEMENT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY 10-15% ABOVE SIMILAR TIRES. AT APPROXIMATELY 27,500 MILES (JUST 16 MONTHS AFTER OUR PURCHASE AND REGULAR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE), WE WERE TOLD BY THE HONDA SERVICE TECHNICIANS THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE ALL 4 OF OUR TIRES REPLACED DUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR (3/32 TREAD). UPON CALLING AROUND TO SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS IN OUR AREA WE DISCOVERED THE COST TO REPLACE ALL 4 OF THE TIRES WAS $1200. MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN 10-15% ABOVE A REGULAR SET OF SIMILAR TIRES. WHILE WE WERE MADE AWARE THE ADDITIONAL COST IN TIRE REPLACEMENT, WE WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE HIGHER FREQUENCY THIS WOULD OCCUR. IN FACT WE WERE ASSURED BY A CERTIFIED HONDA TECHNICIAN THAT THE TREAD WEAR OF THE MICHELIN PAX TIRES WAS SUPERIOR TO THAT OF SIMILAR MINI-VAN TIRES. IF WE HAD KNOWN THAT THERE WOULD BE A $1200 MAINTENANCE COST IN THE TIRES ALONE EVERY 1-1.5 YEARS, WE WOULD NEVER HAVE PURCHASED THE TOURING EDITION OF THIS VEHICLE. WE CONTACTED MICHELIN WHO TOLD US TO HAVE THE TREAD CHECKED/VERIFIED BY A CERTIFIED PAX DEALER, AND THEY WOULD HAVE A CASE OPEN. UPON VERIFICATION OF EXCESSIVE WEAR BY DISCOUNT TIRE, MICHELIN OFFERED A 35% DISCOUNT ON THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PAX TIRES. UNSATISFIED, WE PROCEEDED TO CONTACT HONDA'S CORPORATE OFFICE IN AN EFFORT TO HAVE THE EX MODEL WHEELS PUT ON THE VEHICLE (AT HONDA'S EXPENSE). THE CORPORATE OFFICE REFERRED US BACK TO OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP, WHO CLAIMS THE LIGHTER EX MODEL WHEELS CANNOT BE PUT ON THE HEAVIER SUSPENSION SYSTEM OF THE TOURING EDITION. OUR CURRENT OPTIONS ARE TO REPLACE WITH ANOTHER SET OF PAX TIRES AND HOPE WE DON''T FACE THIS EXCESSIVE EXPENSE AGAIN IN ANOTHER 12-15 MONTHS OR REPLACE WITH AFTER MARKET WHEELS AND TIRES.

PURCHASED 05 HONDA ODDYSSEY WITH PAX TIRES BRAND NEW IN MAY OF 05. HAVE COMPLAINED SEVERAL TIMES TO HONDA AND MICHELIN RE: UNEVEN WEAR OF TIRE TREAD. KEEP BEING TOLD THAT THIS IS HOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO WEAR. NOW HAVING PROBLEMS DRIVING IN ANY SNOW OR ICE NARROWLY AVOIDED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS JUST DRIVING THROUGH TOWN TO GET HOME. PRICE TO RE-PLACE WITH PAX SNOW TIRES IS OUTRAGEOUS PLUS COST TO HAVE TIRES SWAPPED OUT EACH WINTER AND SPRING. HONDA AND MICHELIN HAVE BOTH ADVISED THAT REGULAR TIRES CANNOT BE PUT ON VEHICLE AS THIS WILL VOID WARRANTY AND POSSIBLY CAUSE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS