2004 Saab 9-5

KUMHO ECSTA LX PLATINUM 225/45ZR17 TIRE ON LEFT FRONT OF SAAB 9-5 WITH APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES USE BLEW OUT SUDDENLY (RAPID LOSS OF AIR) AND WITHOUT WARNING AT 35 MPH. APPEARS TO HAVE SEVERAL CRACKS IN SIDEWALL NEAR TREAD. PRIOR TO BLOWOUT, SLIGHT LEFT PULL IN CAR STEERING WAS NOTED DURING INTERSTATE DRIVING, BUT ASSUMED TO BE ALIGNMENT ISSUE SINCE ALL TIRES MAINTAINED NORMAL PRESSURE. TIRE WAS REPLACED; DEALER DETERMINED TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE (POSSIBLE INTERNAL BELT SLIP). FAILED TIRE IS AVAILABLE FROM OWNER. *TR

AFTER SIGNIFICANT VIBRATION UNDER FRONT END AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS APPEARING AT LESS THAN 10,000 MILES, CAR UNDERWENT ALIGNMENT AND 3 HIGH SPEED BALANCES. ACCORDING TO DEALERSHIP, "ALL 4 TIRES WERE WORN ON INSIDES AND COULD ONLY BE CAUSED BY DEFECT." DEALER STATED THAT "ROAD FORCING WILL NOT ALLOW TIRES TO BE WITHIN THE LIMIT. TIRES NEED TO BE REPLACED. SENT TIRES TO MANUFACTURER FOR WARRANTY." SERVICE COMPLETED ON 10.29.04, WITH PIRELLIS REPLACED BY SAME SIZE MICHELINS. WORK ORDER WAS COMPLETED ON 1.7.05, WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW DETAILS AND CHARGES, DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS SINCE 10.29.04. MY UNDERSTANDING, AND AUTHORIZATION AT THE TIME, WAS FOR THE PIRELLIS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTS, BUT WITH MICHELINS, TO AVOID POSSIBILITY OF DEFECTS WITH THE REPLACEMENT PIRELLIS, AT A COST OF UP TO $50 PER TIRE BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE. DEALER MAINTAINS I OWE $915. 82 FOR THE MICHELINS, LESS THE $212.80 CREDIT PIRELLI ISSUED ON 1.7.05. IRONICALLY, THE VIBRATION IN THE CAR CONTINUES WITH THE NEW MICHELINS. I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS THE INTENT OF THE DEALER TO MISLEAD ME, BUT THAT WAS THE RESULT. A WORK ORDER PROVIDED AT THE TIMES REQUESTED INSTEAD OF OVER TWO MONTHS LATER WOULD HAVE DEFINED THE AGREEMENT AND RESULTED IN A DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION. *NM