1999 Toyota Camry

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH SOUTH ON I45 ABOUT 10 MILES N. OF HUNTSVILLE AND STARTING TO FEEL THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKING FROM GENTLY TO VIOLENTLY IN A SHORT TIME. 2) THINK OF HAVING A FLAT I SLOWED DOWN AND BEGAN TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. WHILE THE CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN AND BEFORE GETTING ON THE SHOULDER I SAW RUBBER PIECES FLYING AND HEARD SEVERAL LOUD THUMPS COMING FROM THE LEFT FRONT SIDE OF THE CAR. WHEN THE CAR CAME TO A STOP, I HEARD A LOUD FIZZLE SOUND AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY LEANED TO THE LEFT. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND FOUND THAT ALL OF THE RUBBER COVERING ROAD-CONTACTING SURFACE OF THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS GONE EXPOSING METAL WIRES AND THE BASE RUBBER. I ALSO NOTED THAT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BUMPER, THE LEFT FRONT FENDER AND MUDGUARD OF THE CAR WERE DAMAGED, DISTORTED PUSHED CLOSER TO THE LEFT FRONT DOOR. THE PEELED, FLAPPING AND FLYING APART RUBBER ALSO CAUSED NUMEROUS BLACK STREAKS AND MARKS ON THE FENDER AND THE BUMPER. THE LEFT FRONT DOOR BELOW THE DOOR HANDLE WAS ALSO SCRAPES. 3) I REPLACED THE BLOWN OUT-TIRE WITH A FACTORY PROVIDED NEVER-USED SPARE TIRE AND DROVE TO A DISCOUNT TIRE STORE ON SOUTH SHAVER ROAD ON THE WAY HOME TO HAVE THE SEPARATED TIRE INSPECTED. THE TIRE TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED VERBALLY THAT THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED. HE CALLED GENERAL TIRES AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAVE TO MAKE THE CALL MYSELF SINCE THIS INVOLVES PROPERTY DAMAGE. I DROVE HOME AND CALLED GENERAL TIRES TO REPORT THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD TO WAIT 5-7 DAYS FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS BY MAIL. I WAS TO KEEP THE BLOWN TIRE AND OTHER TIRES THAT CAME WITH THE CAR UNTIL THEIR INVESTIGATION COMPLETES. THE BLOWN OUT TIRE, THE SPARE AND THE OTHER THREE TIRES ALREADY ON THE CAR ARE OF THE SAME SIZE, MODEL, MANUFACTURER AND CAME WITH A 1999 TOYATO CAMRY WHEN PURCHASED. TIRE MANUFACTURER: GENERAL, MODEL HP 400 A/S, SIZE P205/65 R15. THE DOT NUMBER ON THE TIRES ARE ACUR 2V1 178.

BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2003 TO FEBRUARY 2004, THREE OF THE FOUR NEW B.F. GOODRICH TIRES FAILED. *PH IT RESULTED TO DIFFICULTY OF STEERING; VEHICLE SWERVING SLIGHTLY AND DIFFICULTY IN STEERING. IN ADDITION, BRAKING WAS POOR AND RIDE WAS UNSTABLE. ALSO, ALL THREE OCCURRENCES THE FOLLOWING ARE OBSERVED BY THE CONSUMER: NO OBSTRUCTIONS ON THE ROAD, PAVEMENT WAS DRY AND IN GOOD CONDITION, CONSUMER DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING, NO VISIBLE DAMAGE ON TIRE DURING THE TIME OF FAILURE, FOUR INCH CRESCENT SLIT AT THE RADIAL POSITION INSIDE THE SIDEWALL, AND ALL TIRES WERE KEPT PROPERLY INFLATED. CONSUMER DECIDED TO REPLACE THE TIRES WITH A DIFFERENT BRAND. *LA

PURCHASED FOUR NEW DUNLOP SP SPORT A2 P195/70R14 TIRES AT 36,157 MILES ON 05/10/02 FROM TOYOTA DEALER IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA. ON APRIL 2, 2004, IN PREPARATION FOR A TRIP TO TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA (APPROXIMATELY 180 MILES), ALL FOUR TIRES WERE CHECKED AND EACH HAD 32 PSI AIR PRESSURE. ON APRIL 3, 2004 (APPROXIMATE ODOMETER READING 55,000) UPON ARRIVAL IN TALLAHASSEE, DISCOVERED ONE OF THE TIRES MOUNTED ON THE LEFT REAR WAS PARTIALLY DEFLATED AND WAS UNDERGOING SEPARATION AT THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ON THE SIDEWALL. WE TOOK THE CAR TO DISCOUNT TIRE COMPANY, 1507 KILLEAN CENTER BOULEVARD, TALLAHASSEE (PHONE 850-894-8473) FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE TIRE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE PARTIAL DEFLATION WAS CAUSED BY A TIRE DEFECT THAT RESULTED IN THE SIDE WALL SEPARATION. WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE TIRE DID NOT FAIL AT HIGHWAY SPEED (70 MPH). DUNLOP THROUGH THE DUNLOP WEBSITE. *AK

AROUND 15 MONTHS AGO I PURCHASED A SET OF YOKOHAMA TIRES FOR MY TOYOTA CAMRY FROM MY TOYOTA DEALER AND AS SOON AS THEY PUT THEM ON I NOTICED DRIVABILITY PROBLEMS IN THE FORM OF STEERING SHIMMY. THE DEALER THOUGHT THAT ONE OF THE TIRES MUST HAVE TREAD SEPARATION SO THEY REPLACED THE SUSPECTED TIRE; ALTHOUGH I THOUGHT IT DROVE SOMEWHAT BETTER I STILL COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SHIMMYING. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 15 MONTHS I CONTINUED TO COMPLAIN AND THEY REBALANCED AND ROTATED THE TIRES BUT IT HAS CONTINUED TO WORSEN OVER TIME. SO I SUSPECT THAT ALL 4 TIRES SUFFER FROM THE PROBLEM AND THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD A RUN OF DEFECTIVE TIRES.*AK

THREE OF FOUR MICHELIN TIRES EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, RESULTING IN ERRATIC AND DANGEROUS BEHAVIOUR OF THE VEHICLE, A 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY. TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN DECEMBER 2001 FROM SEARS, WHO ONLY WOULD PRO-RATE THE TIRES. THE DOT #S FOR TWO OF THE TIRES ARE 2XJ9 DMX 2001 AND 2XJ9 DMX 1901. I DID NOT RETAIN THE DOT NUMBER FROM THE FIRST TIRE THAT FAILED, AS I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. HOWEVER, THREE OF FOUR TIRES FAILED, INDICATING THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM/DEFECT. LUCKILY, THE SEPARATIONS WERE DETECTED BEFORE ANY OBVIOUS DAMAGE WAS CAUSED AND BEFORE ANY BLOWOUTS OCCURRED. THEY DID, HOWEVER, RESULT IN DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR OF THE CAR, ESPECIALLY ON WET OR SNOWY ROADS.THE CAMRY WAS USED AS A FAMILY VEHICLE AND DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY UNUSUAL USE. TIRES WERE INFLATED PROPERLY AND CHECKED PERIODICALLY. THE FIRST TIRE FAILED IN APPROXIMATELY APRIL 2003, THE SECOND IN MAY 2003, AND THE THIRD IN JULY 2003. FOURTH TIRE SHOWED NO OBVIOUS SIGNS OF FAILURE, BUT WAS REPLACED ANYWAY.*AK

I PURCHASED FOUR NEW BRIDGESTONE "POTENZA RE900" TIRES FOR MY 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY LE SEDAN FROM COSTCO WHOLESALE (72800 DINAH SHORE DR, PALM DESERT, CA 92211 (760) 202-1362) IN EARLY MAY. TWO WEEKS LATER WHILE DRIVING TO MORNING CHURCH (APPROX. 45 MPH) I HEARD A LARGE "BOOM" AND DISCOVERED THE LEFT REAR TIRE HAD EXPLODED. I DROVE TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION WHERE THEY INSTALLED THE SAME MODEL SPARE TIRE. I RETURNED TO COSTCO AND THEY REPLACED THE SPARE WITH A NEW BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE900 TIRE. LAST SATURDAY EVENING ABOUT 6:00PM (JUNE 21, 2003) WHILE DRIVING HOME TO PALM SPRINGS ON HIGHWAY 10 AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, I HEARD ANOTHER LOUD NOISE AND DISCOVERED ANOTHER BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE900 TIRE HAD EXPLODED. LUCKILY, SOMEONE STOPPED AND REPLACED IT WITH THE SPARE SO I COULD GET HOME. AGAIN, I RETURNED TO COSTCO WHERE THEY REPLACED IT WITH ANOTHER BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE900 TIRE. IN MY OPINION, COSTCO'S MANAGER, AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS PARTICULAR TIRE SHOULD HAVE: 1. IMMEDIATELY PULLED THEM FROM THE INVENTORY SO THAT THIS MODEL COULD NOT BE SOLD TO OTHER CUSTOMERS 2. REPORTED THIS COSTCO MANAGEMENT... WHO, IMMEDIATELY, SHOULD HAVE PULLED THEM FROM THE INVENTORY OF EVERY STORE 3. REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE 4. REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO THE NHTSA. WHAT SHOULD BE MY NEXT RECOURSE OF ACTION? I LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING A PROMPT RESPONSE CONCERNING THIS VERY SERIOUS MATTER. SINCERELY, MILDRED MADSEN. *JB 1370 ADOBE WAY PALM SPRINGS, CA 92262 EMAIL: MADSENEM@AOL.COM PHONE: (760) 323-4683. *JB

AS WE WERE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, GOING APPX. 55 M.P.H., WE HEARD A LOUD BANG TOWARDS THE REAR END OF THE CAR. THEN, OUR CAR STARTED SWERVING FROM LANE TO LANE AS IF WE HAD NO CONTROL OVER IT. I COULD HAVE HIT SEVERAL CARS. BUT, SOON I GOT THE CAR INTO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. WE GOT DOWN TO SEE THE LEFT REAR TIRE'S STEEL BELT HAD RIPPED OFF AND THE TIRE WAS BALD. THE BALD TIRE CAUSED THTE WHOLE CAR TO SWERVE.*AK (DOT NUMBER: URMW-203 TIRESIZE: 19570R14S)