2017 Mazda MAZDA3

I HAD MY 3RD FLAT TIRE IN A PARKING LOT, MY HUSBAND CAME TO CHANGE MY TIRE, HE USED THE BREAKER BAR HE USED BEFORE (ONLY WAY TO GET TIRE OFF) AND 4 BEARINGS BROKE, THIS LED TO ME NEEDING A WHOLE NEW HUB ASSEMBLY AND TIRE, I DON'T FEEL THAT A 2 YEAR OLD CAR SHOULD NEED A NEW HUB ASSEMBLY ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE TIRE REPLACEMENT TOOLS THAT COME WITH THE CAR DO NOT WORK WHEN TRYING TO TAKE THE TIRE OFF MY BILL WAS OVER $600 AND THE CAR IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD

I WROTE THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HAPPENED TO MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICES: ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 4, 2018, I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. I WAS DRIVING 75 MPH, THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT FOR THAT STRETCH OF TEXAS HIGHWAY. THE SURFACE OF THE ROAD IS BRAND NEW AND DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE IDEAL. AT APPROXIMATELY 6:10 PM, ABOUT 10 MILES FROM HOME, THERE WAS A LOUD THUD AND MY CAR DROPPED AND LURCHED TOWARD THE CENTER LINE. I THOUGHT I HAD HIT SOMETHING HUGE, AND EXPECTED TO FIND SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND A SHREDDED TIRE. I MANAGED TO KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL AND AVOID BEING HIT, AND WITH A SOUND OF GRATING METAL, MOVED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. TO MY SURPRISE, THERE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE ANY DAMAGE TO THE CAR. NO OTHER VEHICLES HAD TO SWERVE AROUND ANYTHING IN THE ROAD. THERE WAS NO DEBRIS IN THE ROAD. I CALLED A WRECKER SERVICE TO CHANGE THE TIRE. HE DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL WAS SPLIT IN HALF, AND SAID THE WHEEL NEEDED TO GO BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE FOLKS SOUNDED SYMPATHETIC BUT TOOK OVER A WEEK AND SEVERAL CALLS TO TOW THE CAR TO A MAZDA DEALER. THEY INSPECTED THE CAR AND DETERMINED THAT I HAD HIT SOMETHING, THUS THEY WOULD NOT COVER ANY OF THE COST. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ROCK, WOOD, OR ANIMAL IN THE TREAD - I REMAIN CONVINCED THAT THE RIM SIMPLY BROKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING. NO METALLURGIST LOOKED AT THE SPLIT RIM, AND THE OTHER THREE RIMS WERE ONLY VISUALLY INSPECTED. I PAID $601 FOR A NEW WHEEL AND TIRE BUT AM CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY METAL WHEEL RIMS BREAKING. I HAVE PHOTOS AND THE BROKEN WHEEL RIM AND TIRE.

AS I DROVE ALONG A MAJOR ROUTE, I CAME TO A STOP LIGHT. WHEN ITTURNEDGREEN, I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE FORWARD AND FELT CAR PULLING TO RIGHT SIDE. AS MY SPEED INCREASED TO 25, THE PULL BECAME STRONGER BUT, I PROCEEDED SLOWLY AND REMAINED UNDER 30MPH. AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE, I HEARD THREE TONE ALERTS FOLLOWED BY LOW PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT. PULLED OVER, CALLED AAA WHO REPLACED FLAT TIRE. THE SIDEWALL WAS SPIDERED PATTERN AND BLOWN. THIS MORNING, I NOTICED THAT ANOTHER TIRE HAS THAT SAME SPIDER PATTERN BUT IS NOT BLOWN OUT. I CONTACTED DUNLOP TO INQUIRE IF THERE ANY RECALL AND WAS INFORMED THERE WAS NOT. I WAS TOLD THESE TIRES DUNLOP SP SPORT 5000 215/45R/18 89W HAVE REINFORCED SIDEWALLS THAT PREVENT BLOWOUTS AND FLATS; I INQUIRED IF THE GRADE OF RUBBER COULD WITHSTAND THE SALT COVERED ROADS OF NEW ENGLAND BECAUSE I HAD WITNESSED DAMAGE TO RUBBER SOLES OF BARETRAP BOOTS WITH A SIMILIAR SPIDER PATTERN A FEW WINTERS AGO CAUSED FROM ROCK SALT. I WAS TOLD THEY ARE UNAWARE THAT ROCK SALT COULD BE A CAUSE OF DEGRADE IN RUBBER . IN ADDITION, IT HAD BEEN RAINING HEAVILY AT TIMES AND ACCORDING TO MAZDA, CERTAIN CONDITIONS WILL PUSH/SHIFT LOAD TO FRONT OF VEHICLE. WHETHER THIS ADDED LOAD CAUSED THE TIRE TO BLOW AND ADD SPIDER PATTERN TO TIRE STILL ON VEHILCE BUT NOT FLAT (PUCTURED BELIW) OR THE MANUFACTURER SELECTED TIRES THAT CAN'T CARRY THE LOAD, OR THE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE