1999 Honda Odyssey

THIS IS A 50,000 MILE TIRE THAT HAS SEPERATING BELTS AFTER ONLY 26,000 MILES. I FIRST STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THESE TIRES AROUND 12,000 MILES, BUT WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS A "BALANCING" PROBLEM. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER ODYSSEY OWNERS WHO ALSO ARE REPLACING THESE TIRES DUE TO BELT PROBLEMS. (TIRESIZE: P215/65R16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P215/65R16 )

ON SEPT. 6, 2000 WHILE DRIVING ON I-10 IN MISSISSIPPI MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT IN THE FAST LANE WITH MY SELF AND TWO VERY YOUNG CHILDREN ON BOARD. THE CAUSE OF THE BLOW OUT IS UNKNOW. I HAVE MY TIRES ROTATED ON A REGULAR BASIS. THE TIRE STORE HAS COMMENT THAT THE TIRE IS WEARING IN AN UNUSAUL PATTERN FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, INSTEAD OF HOW THEY NORMALLY WEAR THE INSIDE OUT. THE VAN IS IN ALLIGNMENT. HONDA HAS BEEN WORDERFUL IN HELPING ME GET THE TIRE REPLACED. SIX DAYS AFTER THE BLOW OUT I GOT ALL NEW TIRES NOW KELLY SPRINGFIELD DUE TO ANOTHER BLOW OUT SCARE WITH MY REMAING TIRES AND DUE TO THE FACT THEY HAVE WORN SO BADLY DOWN ON THE OUTSIDE OF ALL FOUR TIRES.( DOT NUMBER: P215 TIRE SIZE: 65R16 )

MY CAR CAME EQUIPPED WITH FIRESTONE TIRES. ON JUNE 14,2000, MY RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS OVER 100 DEGREES, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 65 MPH. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. THE ENTIRE OUTSIDE WALL OF THE TIRE WAS BLOWN OUT, AND THE FIRESTONE DEALER I TOOK THE TIRE TO COULD FIND NO PUNCTURE IN THE TIRE. THE DEALER (FIRESTONE TIRE & SERVICE IN REDWOOD CITY, 650-364-1900) TOLD ME THEY WOULD SEND THE TIRE TO A LAB FOR ANALYSIS. AS OF LAST WEEK, THEY STILL HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY WORD BACK FROM THE LAB. ON JULY 28, THE NEWLY INSTALLED TIRE (WITH LESS THAN 1,000 MILES ON IT) BLEW OUT UNDER SIMILAR HIGH HEAT-65 MPH CONDITIONS. AGAIN, THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO NEGOTIATE OFF THE ROAD SAFELY. I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE COINCIDENCE OF TWO FIRESTONE TIRES BLOWING OUT UNDER THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED. HAS THE NTSB RECEIVED OTHER COMPALINTS ABOUT BLOW-OUTS FROM CAR OWNERS WHOSE CARS USE THE SAME TIRE BRAND (I REALIZE THESE ARE NOT AMONG THE RECALLED TIRES). I HAVE SINCE REPLACED ALL THE TIRES WITH MICHELIN TIRES AND CONTACTED FIRESTONE ABOUT COMPENSATION AND FOLLOWING UP ON THE LAB ANALYSIS. THE SECOND TIRE ALSO SUFFERED AN EXTERIOR WALL BLOW-OUT ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT AS SEVERELY DAMAGED AS THE FIRST. I STILL HAVE THE SECOND BLOWN-OUT TIRE AND ALL THE REMAINING FIRESTONE TIRES THAT CAME ON MY VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THAT OTHER ODYSSEY OWNERS SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS I EXPERIENCED, AND THAT FIRESTONE SHOULD EXAMINE TIRES BEYOND THE RECALLED TIRES FOR POSSIBLE DEFECTS.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P21565R16 )

VEHICLE HAS DEMONSTRATED ABNORMAL FRONT END VIBRATION SINCE 3/99 AT WHICH TIME THE DEALER INDICATED THAT " MUD" WAS IN THE TIRES CAUSING THE VIBRATION. THE VIBRATION HAS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT MY OWNERSHIP OF THIS VEHICLE. THE VAN HAS BEEN REALIGNED TWICE SINCE MY OWNERSHIP ( ONCE WITH THE ORIGINAL 4 FACTORY EQUIPPED TIRE AND ONCE WITH THE REPLACEMENT MICHELIN TIRES). THE FRONT BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPALCED AT 11,000 MILES DUE TO SEVERE WEAR WHICH WARRANTED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ROTORS AND THE BRAKE LININGS AS THE VEHCLE WAS SAID TO BE " UNSAFE" BY THE SERVICE MANAGER. THE VIBRATION HAS CONTINUED WITH ABNORMAL TIRE WEAR AND " CUPPING" ON BOTH THE 4 FACTORY EQUIPPED FIRESTONE TIRES AND NOW WITH THE 4 REPALCEMENT MICHELIN TIRES. I HAVE CALLED AMERICAN HONDA ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO REPORT THE PROBLEM AND ALSO TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE IN REMEDYING THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE TECHNITIANS INDICATE THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE REASON FOR THE ABNORMAL TIRE WEAR AND VIBRATION, BUT DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY ALSO EXPERIENCE THE VIBRATION, AS WELL AS SEE THE TIRES ARE WEARING ABNORMALLY. THE ORIGINAL FACTORY EQUIPPED TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY 13,000-18,000 MILES ON THEM. THE MICHELIN REPLACEMENT TIRES HAVE APPROXIMATELY 2,000-3,000 MILES ON THEM. THE VEHICLE HAD HONDA RECOMMENDED SNOW TIRES FOR THE MONTHS OF JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND MARCH 1999, AFTER WHICH THE ORIGINAL TIES WERE PALCED BACK ON THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT DELLA HONDA HAS SAID THAT "HONDA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND FEELS IT IS THE BRAND OF TIRE WHICH IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE VEHICLE". UPON TALKING TO LINDA AT AMERICAN HONDA SHE ALSO AGREED THAT IF CHANGING THE BRAND OF TIRES WOULD SOLVE THE VIBRATION, SHE WAS AUTHORIZING DELLA DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL FIRESTONES WITH THE MICHELIN TIRES. THIS WAS DONE AND FOR APPROXIMATELY THE FIRST 1,000 MILE THERE APPEARED TO BE VERY LITTLE VIBRATION OF THE FRONT END, AFTER WHICH THE VIBRATION HAS BEGUN AGAIN WITH NO REMEDY FROM THE CAR MANUFACTURER.