NHTSA Complaint #10229879 — 2002 FORD ESCAPE

I PURCHASED (4) TIRES ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO FROM A BRIDGESTONE TIRE DEALERSHIP. THE TIRES ARE: 062065 DUELER H/L D683 OWL P225/70R15 100S. LATE APRIL '08, AS I WAS WASHING THE TIRES I NOTICED "CRACKS" ON THE SIDES, AROUND AND IN BETWEEN THE TREADS OF ALL FOUR TIRES. ON MAY 3, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE BRIDGESTONE DEALER AND FILED THE COMPLAINT THAT I BELIEVE THE TIRES ARE NOW UNSAFE AND REQUESTED REPLACEMENT. THE SERVICE MANAGER (DAN HILBORN) PROMISED TO INVESTIGATE WITH FIRESTONE AND GET BACK WITH ME. ON MAY 23, 2008, DAN CALLED ME AND SAID THAT THE REPLACEMENT TIRES ARE IN AND I CAN BRING IN MY CAR TO REPLACE THE TIRES. SAME DAY, I TOOK MY CAR IN AND THEN DAN TELLS ME THAT THE SAME TIRES ARE NO LONGER INSTOCK AND THAT I NEED TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $288.54 FOR UPGRADED TIRES TO REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE TIRES. DAN ALSO STATED THAT THE DEFECTIVE TIRES WERE FROM AN "OLD STOCK" THAT WERE ACTUALLY SOLD AS NEW TO MOVE THEM. DAN REFERRED ME TO "BILL" FROM BRIDGESTONE FIRESTONE TECHNICAL SERVICE DEPT IN WOODBRIDGE, ILL. BILL ALSO REFUSED TO REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE TIRES AT NO COST TO ME. HE STATED THAT THESE TIRES ARE SAFE TO DRIVE ON THEM WITH CRACKS BETWEEN AND AROUND THE TIRE TREADS. BILL STATED THAT THERE MAY BE SAFETY CONCERN IF YOU "CAN DRIVE A HEAD OF A BALL POINT PEN IN THE CRACKS"!!! I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED, AS I BELIEVE THAT AN AVERAGE CONSUMER WOULD NOT NOTICE THESE CRACKS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE ON THEM WHICH IS A SAFETY RISK TO THE LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE. I HAPPENED TO NOTICE THE CRACKS IN TIRES BECAUSE OF MY BACKGROUND IN QUALITY CONTROL IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY. YOUR PROMPT ATTENTION TO THIS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY SITUATION IS MOST APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. *TR