NHTSA Complaint #11714831 — 2024 NISSAN PATHFINDER

The Original Equipment (OE) Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S 255/50R20 105H M+S tires on my brand new 2024 Nissan Pathfinder suffer from groove wander on roads in which grooves are cut into them to mitigate hydroplaning in rainy conditions. The geometric design, tread design incompatibility, or structural irregularities of these tires cause severe groove wander and impair safe handling. I believe there is a mismatch between the tire design and the vehicle's weight or suspension design - Nissan should not be placing this OE tire on new Pathfinders. Groove wander causes the vehicle to follow road grooves involuntarily, which is a handling defect that compromise driver control. This condition is a safety hazard, especially at highway and interstate speeds or in inclement weather. Groove wander does not allow the vehicle to operate safely, causing the driver to constantly correct the involuntary path of the vehicle on such roads. The driver's and others' safety are at risk if the driver is unable to quickly correct the path of the vehicle and keep the vehicle in the lane of traffic to avoid lane departure into another vehicle or object. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by both the Nissan dealer from I bought the vehicle and a local Bridgestone/Firestone service center because both are unwilling to do so. Both have refused to accompany me on a test drive on Interstate 90 where this occurs because this road is approximately 12 miles one way from their locations (their claim it is too far away; if it was only 5 miles, they would be willing to do this). The tires have been visually inspected by both companies, and naturally both have found nothing wrong with the tires (normal wear at this time). Visually inspecting he tires will not diagnose the issue, and a test ride needs to be completed to document this issue - again both Nissan and Bridgestone refuse to do this. Other brand tires on other vehicles I own do not suffer groove wander.