2004 Chevrolet Suburban Tires & Wheels Problems

WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 45 THE TIRE WENT FLAT. THE TIRE HAD SEVERAL CRACKS AROUND THE SHOULDER AND APPEARS SEVERAL WERE GETTING READY TO CHUNK OFF. A COUPLE APPEAR TO GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE TIRE CAUSING THE AIR LOSS.

WE WERE DRIVING SOUTHBOUND ON US HWY 131 JUST NORTH OF KALAMAZOO, MI. OUR WILDERNESS AT P255/70R16 SHREDDED AND ALMOST CAUSED US TO ROLL OVER. THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE VEHICLE WAS APPROXIMATELY $2400 PLUS $197 FOR TWO TIRES. WE BOUGHT SUBURBAN FROM A FORD DEALER IN WI IN DECEMBER 2011. THE TIRES WERE ON THE VEHICLE. WE FOUND OUT THAT THEY WERE RECALLED AND ALSO WERE 14 YEARS OLD. WE WENT TO THE FORD DEALER TO SEE ABOUT BEING REIMBURSED FOR THE TWO TIRES THAT THEY KNOWINGLY PUT ON THE SUBURBAN. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY PUT THE TIRES ON BUT CLAIMED IT WASN'T THEIR FAULT AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO KNOW ALL THE TIRES THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED. WE THEN FILED A COMPLAINT WITH FIRESTONE. NINE MONTHS AFTER WE FILED THE COMPLAINT, SENT THE EVIDENCE, ALL PAPERWORK, THE TIRE WITH SHREDDED PIECES, AND COST OF REPAIRS, WE RECEIVED A NOTE THAT FIRESTONE WAS NOT LIABLE, THAT THE TIRE WAS 14 YEARS OLD, AND THAT THEY WOULD ONLY PAY FOR ONE TIRE. THEY SAID THAT THE TIRE WAS NOT PROPERLY INFLATED. WE TOOK THE AIR OUT WHEN IT WAS SENT BECAUSE UPS WOULDN'T TAKE IT WITH AIR IN IT. WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE SECOND TIRE. IT HAS EXCELLENT TREAD. THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING FROM LOOKING AT IT THAT IT IS A HAZARD. SHOULDN'T A TIRE COMPANY THAT RECALLED TIRES HAVE TO REPLACE THEM EVEN IF THEY ARE OLD? WE HAVE PICTURES TO SHOW THAT THE TIRE WENT COMPLETELY BALD AND NEVER WENT FLAT. *TR

I RECEIVED A LETTER DATED JULY 2, 2012 THAT INDICATED THAT THE TIRES I PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED FROM PEPBOYS WERE DEFECTIVE AND COULD BLOW APART WHILE DRIVING. THE TIRES HAD DOT SERIAL NUMBER UT T6 PA7. SO, I TOOK THE LETTER AND VEHICLE BACK TO PEPBOYS BUT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE RECALL. IN ANY EVENT, THEY DID REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES FREE OF CHARGE. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS THAT ARE STILL SELLING THE DEFECTIVE TIRES BECASE THE TIRES THEY INSTALLED ON MY VEHICLE, FOR THE SECOND TIME, HAD DOT SERIAL UT T6 PA7. SO, IT APPEARS THAT I AM STILL DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH DEFECTIVE TIRES.

A TIRE BLEW OUT. SPARE TIRE HOIST WAS INOPERABLE. HAD TO CUT SPARE TIRE HOIST OFF WITH A RECIPROCATING SAW. ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR 4 HOURS. HAVE HEARD OF MANY WITH SAME PROBLEM. POOR DESIGN IN A HIGHLY CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE AND HAD A FLAT TIRE. I COULD NOT GET MY SPARE TIRE TO COME DOWN AS IT WAS SEIZED UNDER TH BACK OF THE VEHICLE. I HAD A REPAIR SHOP FIX IT AND THEY ADVISED ME THIS IS COMMON ON ALL GENERAL MOTOR VEHICLES THAT SALT GET INSIDE THEM AND RUSTS OUT THE SPARE TIRE HOIST UNIT MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THE TIRE DOWN. I AM CONCERNED AS IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO MY WIFE AND KIDS ON A COLD NIGHT. AFTER LOOKING ONLINE THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT MOST PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE UNTIL THEY GET STRANDED WITH A FLAT TIRE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPARE TIRE HOUSING UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE SPARE TIRE WHEN HE NEEDED IT. THE DEALER ADVISED HER TO NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THEY WOULD REIMBURSE HER FOR THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE SPARE TIRE HOUSING MALFUNCTION HAS REOCCURRED. THE MANUFACTERER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REIMBURSE HER TO HAVE THE HOUSING UNIT REPAIRED AGAIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

WE WERE DRIVING BACK FROM THE AIRPORT, 60 MILES FROM OUR HOME. BEFORE WE LEFT THE AIRPORT AREA WE HEARD A NOISE. AS WE ARE HEADED HOME APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES DOWN THE ROAD THE STABILITY NOTIFICATION AND THE ABS LIGHTS COME ON. FIRST TIME THEY HAD COME ON. EVERY NOW AND THEN WE HEAR A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL. THE NOTIFICATION AND LIGHTS CUT OFF AND ON ALL THE WAY TO OUR DESTINATION. APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES FROM OUR HOME, WE HEAR A NOISE AS IF SOMETHING CAME OFF BUT YET THE SUBURBAN WAS DRIVING OKAY FOR THE EXCEPTION OF NOISE AND GRINDING. WE DECIDED TO KEEP DRIVING AS WE ARE IN A HORRIFIC CONSTRUCTION ZONE. THE NEXT DAY I CALL FOR AN APPT FOR INSPECTION AT A PRIVATE WHEEL AND BRAKE SHOP FOR AN ESTIMATE. THEY SAID I HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES AND THE FRONT WHEEL TIRE WAS JUST ABOUT TO FALL OFF. THEY SAID THEY WERE EVEN APPREHENSIVE ABOUT MAKING IT FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING, INSIDE. I CALL THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID IT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL ON THE HUB ASSEMBLIES AND IT WOULD COST APP $560 TO $600 PER WHEEL FOR REPAIR. I COULD NOT AFFORD THIS SO I TOOK IT TO REPAIR AT THE WHEEL SHOP. MY VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY AT THE TIME 54,000 MILES. I DO HAVE THE OLD PARTS FOR INSPECTION. *TR

TIRE FAILURE. *AK

I HAD A FLAT TIRE ON A 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN. AFTER ABOUT 1 HOUR OF TRYING, I WAS NOT ABLE TO RELEASE THE SPARE TIRE HOIST ON THE VEHICLE. SINCE I COULD NOT ACCESS THE SPARE TIRE, I HAD TO CALL FOR A TOW TRUCK. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER ALSO COULD NOT GET THE SPARE TIRE TO RELEASE FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE "BAD" HOIST. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I TRIED TO USE THE SPARE HOIST SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE DEALER SAID THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE AND THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER AGREED. THE DEALER ALSO SAID IT WAS MY FAULT FOR ABUSING THE HOIST (DRIVING ON DIRT ROADS) AND NOT PROPERLY SERVICING THE HOIST. NO WHERE IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL DOES IT TALK ABOUT SPARE TIRE HOIST MAINTENANCE. THE TOTAL COST FOR A FLAT TIRE WAS OVER $400 AND 7 HOURS OF MY TIME. *JB

VALVE STEM OF TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR BROKE CAUSING THE LEFT, REAR TIRE TO GO FLAT. IT BROKE WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE VALVE STEM CAP SO THAT I COULD CHECK MY TIRE PRESURE. IF THE FAILURE WOULD HAVE OCCURED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, IT MAY HAVE LED TO AN ACCIDENT. *JB

THE BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T TIRES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE WEAR (VIBRATION) ISSUES, DUE TO THE TIRES BEING A SOFTER TIRE, ACCORDING TO MANY CHEVROLET AND GMC SERVICE MANAGERS THAT I HAVE CALLED. I RECEIVED TWO TIRES, BALANCING/ROTATION FREE, BUT I HAD TO BUY TWO AS WELL. I FEEL SINCE GM DEALERSHIPS KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THEY SHOULD SEND OUT A RECALL. I HAVE HAD MY TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED MANY TIMES (ABOUT EVERY 3,000 MILES), BUT THE OWNERS MANUAL STATES EVERY 5000 - 8000 MILES. EVEN-THOUGH THERE IS A PROBLEM, THEY WOULDN'T PAY DUE TO MY VEHICLE HAD TOO MANY MILES (35,600) ON IT, BUT WHAT THEY WON'T ADMIT IS THAT FACT THAT I'VE HAD TO PAY EXTRA MONEY FOR ADDITIONAL BALANCE AND ROTATIONS. IF THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL; EVEN-THOUGH THAT MAY COST THEM MONEY, BUT IT'S GM'S RESPONSIBILITY AND THAT WILL COST THEM CUSTOMERS IN THE FUTURE!! *NM

INCIDENTS REGARDING BRIDGESTONE P265/70R17 DUELLER H/T TIRES 113S M&S. TIRES HAVE PREMATURE WEAR AND TEAR WHERE MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 11,000 MILES. HAD AN ALIGNMENT DONE AND THE MECHANIC STATES ALIGNMENT FINE AFTER HAVING TO SPEND $80 BUT FEELS THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE HAS ISSUES WITH THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES AND SHOULD BE RECALLED OR COVERED BY WARRANTY. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATED WHEN HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE SERVICES THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT 2 FRONT TIRES WERE WORN OUT BECAUSE THE IDLER ARM AND THE PITMAN SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED .THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT NO COST TO CONSUMER BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. *AK UPDATED 12/27/05. *JB