NHTSA Complaint #742180 — 1999 MAZDA MILLENIA

MY MAIN COMPLAINT IS I HAVE DEFECTIVE DUNLOP TIRES ON MY CAR WHICH I BELIEVE ARE A SAFEY PROBLEM. I'M AM WONDERING IF THIS TIRE HAS A HISORY OF BEING DEFECTIVE, THAT IS WHY I AM REPORTING IT. DUNLOP WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM EXCEPT CREDIT ME THE DIFFERANCE ON TIRE THE TREAD WEAR. THE SAFETY, COST AND INCONVENIENCE IS MY PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD TWO TIRES ON THE FRONT OF MY CAR WITHIN 3,500 MILES OF EACH OTHER DEVELOP THE SAME IDENTICAL PROBLEM, A BLISTER ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. I TALKED WITH A DUNLOP SUPERVISOR AT LENGTH ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HE TOLD ME THAT DUNLOP GAVE ME A TIRE FREE OF COST THE FIRST TIME (WHICH WAS TRUE) AND THEY WOULD ONLY ALLOW ME THE TREAD WEAR DIFFERENCE THIS TIME BUT LATER GAVE ME 40% OFF THE PRICE ON THE NEW TIRE. THE FIRST TIRE PROBLEM COST ME $34.73 AND THIS SECOND TIRE COST ME $173.23. I DON'T THINK THIS IS A FAIR RESOLUTION FOR THIS DUNLOP TIRE PROBLEM AND SEEK YOUR HELP TO RESOLVE IT. SEARS ORDERED THE SECOND REPLACEMENT TIRE ON 2/17/01. THE NEW TIRE WAS RECEIVED BY SEARS ON 3/8/01. I THEN WENT TO SEARS ON 3/9/01 TO HAVE THE TIRE MOUNTED AND THIS IS WHERE PROBLEM BEGAN. I TOLD THE SEARS MANAGER WHAT HAD HAPPENED BEFORE AND THAT I WOULD EXPECT THE SAME TREATMENT THIS TIME. THE SEARS MANAGER GATHERED ALL THE INFORMATION FROM MY CAR AND CAR'S TIRE AND WENT TO HIS COMPUTER AN SAID IT WOULD COST ME $203.28 TO REPLACE THIS TIRE. I SAID THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE AND SHOWED HIM THE PAPERWORK FROM BEFORE. THE SEARS MANAGER SAID ALL I WAS ENTITLED TO UNDER THE DUNLOP TIRE WARRENTY WAS THE PRORATION OF THE TIRE TREAD WEAR WHICH WAS 25% OF THE PRICE OF THE NEW TIRE. HOWEVER THE PRICE OF THIS NEW TIRE INCREASED FROM $143.99 FOR THE FREE TIRE TO $208.99 FOR THE PRORATED TIRE. THE DIFFERENCE IN TIRE COST IS A PROBLEM BUT I BELIEVE A BIGGER PROBLEM IS THAT DUNLOP HAS A DEFECTIVE TIRE AND IT SHOULD BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED.*AK (TIRESIZE: P2155OV17)