Assurance ComfortDrive 225/45R17

BMW 550XI, NORMAL DRIVING, TIRE PRESSURE INDICATOR CAME ON, CAR BECAME UNSTABLE. PARKED VEHICLE AND OBSERVED LARGE BUBBLE IN FRONT RIGHT TIRE SIDEWALL HAD SPLIT, CAUSING RAPID DEFLATION. NO ROAD HAZARDS WERE INVOLVED, MECHANIC STATES THAT THESE TIRES GET SIDEWALL BUBBLES ALL THE TIME.

I AM AN AUTO MECHANIC AND LATER AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER AND I ALWAYS KEEP MY TIRES PROPERLY INFLATED WITH ROUTINE BALANCING, ROTATION AND ALIGNMENTS. IN OVER 30 YEARS OF DRIVING I HAD NEVER HAD A TIRE ISSUE BEYOND THE OCCASIONAL FLAT UNTIL I BOUGHT A SET OF GOODYEAR VIVA 2 TIRES FROM WALMART ON MAY 31, 2011. P225/60R16 97S DOT MDX0 H6HP 1911 TIRES FOR MY 2001 BUICK REGAL. AFTER ALMOST A YEAR I NOTICED THE CAR WAS NOT RIDING SMOOTHLY SO I TOOK IT IN TO GET THE TIRES BALANCED. THE TIRE MAN SHOWED ME THAT THERE WAS A TREAD ISSUE ON A TIRE, SO ON MAY 9, 2012 I BOUGHT A REPLACEMENT VIVA 2 TIRE. THE FAILED TIRE HAD LESS THAN A YEAR AND 17,601 MILES ON IT. RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY ANOTHER OF THE INITIAL VIVA 2 TIRES BLEW OUT (SAME DOT CODE). THIS TIRE WAS ABOUT 26 MONTHS OLD WITH 31,440 MILES ON IT. I STILL HAVE THIS TIRE IF YOU WANT TO INSPECT IT.

THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF A SIDEWALL BUBBLE ON MY BMW GOODYEAR EXCELLENCE19" RUN FLAT TIRES 98 ON MY 2011 BMW 550I. IN JANUARY 2013 AT 11,000 MILES MY RIGHT FRONT DEVELOPED A BUBBLE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I ONLY NOTICED BECAUSE MY TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR ALERT CAME ON AND WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO HAVE MY TIRES CHECKED THEY NOTICED THE BUBBLE. NOW AT 14,000 MY LEFT FRONT SIDE TIRE IS ALSO DEVELOPING A SIDEWALL BUBBLE. THE TIRES HAVE PLENTY OF TREAD AND I DO NOT ABUSE MY CAR. I AM VERY CAREFUL ABOUT AVOIDING POTHOLES AND DRIVE SLOWLY OVER RAILROAD TRACKS.

ALL 4 TIRES SHOWED TREAD SEPARATION WITH MILEAGE BETWEEN 34000 AND 49000 MILES. THE TREAD BUBBLED UP ON THE INSIDE TREAD EDGE OF ALL TIRES. I HAD 3 FLAT TIRES DUE TO THIS DEFECT. GOODYEAR ONLY OFFERED WHAT THEY CALLED "GOOD WILL" REPLACEMENT AT ABOUT HALF PRICE. I PAID TO HAVE THE FIRST 2 REPLACE ON 02/16/2013 AND 11/04/2013. BOTH OF THESE TIRES WENT DOWN AFTER HIGHWAY DRIVING. ON 11/19/2013 I ROTATED THE TIRES AND NOTICED THE REMAINING 2 ORIGINAL TIRES WERE SHOWING SIGNS OF SEPARATION ON THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE TREAD. CONTACTED GOODYEAR AND THEY WOULD ONLY DISCOUNT THEM BY HALF AFTER HAVING 4 OUT OF 4 TIRES GO BAD. I LEFT THE GOODYEAR STORE AND AM HAVING 4 MICHELIN TIRES PUT ON. I THINK GOODYEAR SHOULD REFUND ME WHAT THE FIRST 2 TIRES COST ME AND THEY CAN HAVE THEM BACK. I DON'T THINK THESE TIRES SHOULD BE ON THE ROAD THEY ARE NOT SAFE.