NHTSA Complaint #10441209 — 2007 KIA RIO

I PURCHASED TIRES FROM MANTECA TIRES IN MAY OF 2010. THE TIRES WERE YOKOHAMA PRADA TIRES FOR A TOTAL OF 359.80. I HAD THE TIRES BALANCED, ALIGNED AND ROTATED AT REGULAR INTERVALS. THE TIRES FROM DAY ONE WERE MAKING EXTREME NOISE AND I HAD NOTIFIED MANTECA TIRES THAT THE TIRES WERE CAUSING NOISE. THEY SUGGESTED TO ROTATE THEM AND USE THEM FOR A WHILE TO SEE IF THE TIRES CONTINUED TO MAKE NOISE. I DID SO AND THEN ALSO TOOK THEM IN LATER TO BE ROTATED AGAIN AND HAD THEM CHECK THE NOISE. THEY STATED THAT I SHOULD LET SOME MORE TIME GO ON THEM AND CONTINUE TO DRIVE TO SEE IF AGAIN THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY. IT DID NOT AND THE NOISE WAS GETTING WORSE. I DID NOT FEEL THAT THESE WERE SAFE. THEY SAID I SHOULD CONTACT YOKOHAMA, WHICH I DID. THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A LOCAL TIRE COMPANY AND GET IT CHECKED OUT. YOKOHAMA WAS CLAIMING THAT THE TIRES ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY STATED THERE WAS SOME CUPPING. I TOLD THEM HOW CAN THAT BE, WHEN I NEVER HAD THIS ROAD NOISE WITH MY LAST TIRES AND I HAD THESE TIRES ROTATED, ALIGNED AND BALANCED. THEY SAID THEY WOULD OFFER A 25 % DISCOUNT ON NEW TIRES. THAT IS NOT HONORING A WARRANTY. A LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER, A PERSON SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REPLACE TIRES. MANTECA TIRES THEN WHEN ON TO FAX THEM PAPERWORK AND TALK TO THEM, WHICH IT TOOK YOKOHAMA THREE DAYS TO GET BACK WITH THEM AND THEN THEY ONLY OFFERED A 40% DISCOUNT ON NEW TIRES. IF I HAVE BALANCED MY TIRES, ROTATED THEM AND DONE EVERYTHING I SHOULD AS A CAR OWNER AND THOSE TIRES ARE STILL MAKING NOISE, THEN IT IS CLEARLY THE FAULT OF THE TIRES. WHAT WOULD MAKE ME BUY YOKOHAMA TIRES AGAIN, EVEN AT A DISCOUNT, WHEN THEY DO NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY THEY OFFERED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THESE ARE OBVIOUSLY FAULTY TIRES AND I AM NOT THE FIRST ONE TO COMPLAIN OF THE EXTREME ROAD NOISE FROM THESE TIRES. IF YOU RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER CONSUMERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME WITH YOKOHAMA TIRES. THEY TOO, HAVE COMPLAINED OF YOKOHAMA NOT HONORING WARRANTIES. *TR