NHTSA Complaint #11702149 — 2025 HONDA CR-V

My brand-new 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring AWD came equipped from the factory with Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus all-season (M+S) tires. These tires exhibit dangerously low traction at very low speeds on normal packed snow and light ice typical on California’s Hwy 80/Tahoe corridor. On Fri Jan 3rd, the vehicle repeatedly lost traction, slid sideways, and struggled to accelerate from a stop on mild winter conditions where M+S tires are expected to provide adequate traction—particularly on an AWD SUV. This occurred at speeds under 10 mph on roads where other vehicles with M+S tires had no difficulty. The issue appears to be abnormally poor winter performance that is inconsistent with what is typical for M+S all-season tires. This raises concern about a possible tread compound defect, hard rubber compound, or manufacturing inconsistency with this specific Ecopia batch or production run. California law (Caltrans chain controls) considers AWD vehicles with M+S tires acceptable for winter operation without chains under R1 and often R2 conditions. These tires fail to meet this expected level of basic winter safety, even though they are legally marked M+S. Honda informed me that these tires are “not intended to be driven on snow and require chains,” which contradicts how M+S-rated OEM tires are used statewide and raises concern that the tire may not be performing to federal Mud & Snow design standards. This appears to be a safety defect affecting traction, stopping, and control of the vehicle during normal winter operation. A tire inspection or compound evaluation may be needed.