2020 Mazda CX-5

VEHICLE WAS ON A CITY STREET TRAVELING AT 35-40 MPH WHEN THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL (YOKOHAMA GEOLANDAR G91) SPONTANEOUSLY BLEW OUT DESPITE NOT COLLIDING WITH ANY OBJECTS OR ROAD HAZARDS. AS A RESULT, DRIVER SIDE CURTAIN AND SEAT AIRBAGS ERRONEOUSLY DEPLOYED AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SHUTOFF, CAUSING DISORIENTATION AND TEMPORARY LOSS OF HEARING IN ONE EAR.

AFTER PICKING-UP A BRAND NEW CAR FROM MAZDA DEALERSHIP, I WAS RETURNING HOME USING A 3-LANE I-75 HIGHWAY, AS ALWAYS EXTREMELY BUSY. TO STAY IN THIS TRAFFIC I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE AT 70 MPH, WHICH IS THE LOCAL SPEED LIMIT. IT TURNS OUT THAT FROM THE SPEED OF 60 MPH UP, THE CAR DIDN'T WANT TO DRIVE IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON ITS OWN AND REQUIRED CONTINUOUS STEERING WHEEL CORRECTIONS. THIS CREATED A HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITION CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT THE ADJACENT LANES WERE PACKED-UP WITH THE OTHER VEHICLES. UPON ARRIVAL I EXAMINED THE TIRES INSTALLED ON THE CAR AND FOUND THEM TO BE M+S TOYO A36 - THE TYPE USED FOR MUD AND SNOW CONDITIONS, TYPICALLY IN COLD CLIMATES. THE IRONY IS I LIVE IN SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA, THE DEALERSHIP IS ALSO IN SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA, AND THE NEW MAZDA CARS WERE SHIPPED FROM THE PRODUCER TO JACKSONVILLE PORT IN FLORIDA FOR THE LOCAL MARKETS. THUS, WHILE PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE IN MONTANA OR MICHIGAN, THIS TYPE OF M+S TIRE IS JUST DANGEROUS WHEN USED ON HOT, SOUTH-CENTRAL FL INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS. I CONTACTED THE MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS (MNAO) ASKING FOR REPLACING THE TYPE OF TIRES ON MY CAR AND POINTING TO THE FACT THAT MAZDA JAPAN SPECIFIES DIFFERENT, SAFER TYPE (THREAD AND COMPOUND) OF TIRES FOR THEIR OWN MARKETS. THE MNAO ANSWER WAS IN ESSENCE: "ONE SIZE FITS ALL'. ATTACHED BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF MY CHAT WITH MNAO, MAZDA-JAPAN SPECIFICATION OF TOYO PROXES TIRES, AS WELL AS A SAMPLE OF CUSTOMER REVIEWS OF THE TIRES MNAO INSTALLS ON MAZDA CX-5 TODAY ACROSS THE USA.