NHTSA Complaint #10122309 — 2002 HONDA CIVIC

I HAD 4 NEW BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE 92 TIRES MOUNTED ON MY HONDA ODYSSEY ON JULY 29, 2004. ONE TIRE WOULD NOT HOLD AIR. I RETURNED TO TO HONDA SERVICE CENTER AND HAD TIRE REMOUNTED. TIRE HELD AIR AFTER REMOUNTING. IN RECENT MONTHS, VEHICLE DEVELOPED UNEXPLAINED VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEED. TIRE ROTATION AND ALIGNMENT DID NOT CORRECT VIBRATION. ON MAY 26TH, 2005, THE TIRE IN QUESTION FELL APART (TREAD SEPERATED FROM SIDEWALL) LEAVING ME DRIVING ON THE RIM AT ABOUT 65 MPH. THE TIRE HAD LESS THAN 11,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL AND PULL OFF INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE. ON MAY 27TH, 2005, I HAD A LOCAL SERVICE CENTER MOUNT A USED TIRE ON THE EXISTING RIM (THE RIM APPEARS TO HAVE NOT BEEN DAMAGED). I'VE SINCE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND NOTED THAT THE VIBRATION IS GONE. THAT IS, THE VEHICLE DRIVE BETTER ON THE USED TIRE THAT IT HAD BEEN ON THE TIRE THAT FAILED. TO DATE, BRIDGESTONE IS UNWILLING TO REPLACE THE TIRE UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE I CAN'T PROVIDE THE TIRE TO THEM FOR INSPECTION (IT WS LEFT ON THE HIGHWAY IN PIECES.