2002 Mazda Protege Tires & Wheels Problems

BULGES ON SIDEWALLS OF BOTH PASSENGER TIRES. TIRES ARE 6 MONTHS OLD AND ONLY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 3,000 MILES.

TIRE: FIREHAWK GT BL 205/50R16 87V 50K MILE TIRE. TREAD SEPARATION WITH ONLY 13,582 MILES ON THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE TIRE WAS OBSERVED TO BE FLAT. ATTEMPTS TO INFLATE FAILED. REMOVED TIRE AND NOTICED TWO PLACES ON THE INWARD SIDE WHERE TREAD WAS SEPARATING - ONE SPOT WAS JUST OVER AN INCH AND THE OTHER WAS JUST UNDER AN INCH. FULL SET (4) ORIGINALLY PURCHASED AT FIRESTONE COMPLETE AUTO CARE STORE, WHICH IS WHERE THE FAILED TIRE WAS TAKEN THE FOLLOWING MORNING. TIRE HAS SINCE BEEN DISCONTINUED AND WAS REPLACED BY A FALKEN ZIEX 912 BL 205/50R16 87V 40K MILE TIRE. HAD OTHER TIRES INSPECTED FOR SAME ISSUES THE NEXT DAY - SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATES THE OTHER THREE TIRES DO NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF THE PROBLEM. BASED ON TREAD DEPTH, WARRANTY COVERED CLOSE TO 90% OF REPLACEMENT TIRE. IN THE TWO WEEKS SINCE, THE REPLACEMENT TIRE APPEARS TO BE FINE - NO OBSERVABLE MIS-MATCH ISSUES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON 905 WEST, CLOSE TO THE 805 N EXIT, AND THE ROAD WAS BROKEN. THERE WAS A HOLE ON THE ROAD AND MY CAR'S TIRE EXPLOTED WHEN I DROVE BY IT. MY CAR'S ALIGNMENT IS LOST. I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT. UNFORTUNATELY I DIDN'T HAVE A GOOD SPARE TIRE SO I HAD TO DRIVE TO MY HOUSE WITH THE EXPLOTED TIRE, AND SINCE IT HAPPENED AT 10PM I WILL HAVE TO MISS WORK TO FIX IT, AND BUY A NEW TIRE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE WITH GOODYEAR AMERICAN EAGLE -H TIRES 205/55/16. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING, SHE NOTICED A RUBBING, THUMPING SOUND. SHE STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED BLISTERS ON THE SIDE OF THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE. SHE INSTALLED THE SPARE AND WHEN SHE REACHED HER DESTINATION, SHE NOTICED 5 TO 6 ADDITIONAL BLISTERS ON THE TIRE. SHE NOTIFIED THE TIRE STORE WHERE SHE PURCHASED THE TIRES FROM AND RECEIVED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT PREVIOUSLY SPOKE WITH THE TIRE STORE ABOUT INSTALLING AN H SPEED RATED TIRE INSTEAD OF A V SPEED RATED TIRE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE V RATED TIRE WOULD BE FINE. THEY ALSO REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TIRES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 131,000.

I STILL HAVE PLENTY OF TREAD LEFT ON MY TIRES, BUT I ALREADY REPLACED 2 AND FOUND OUT TODAY I HAVE TO REPLACE THE OTHER 2. ONE FRONT TIRE HAD A BULGE IN IT AND I REPLACED BOTH FRONT TIRES. MY BACK TIRE HAVE A HUMP IN THEM. WHICH IS GOING TO CAUSE THEM TO WEAR FASTER . *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA PROTEGE 5. THE VEHICLE HAS KUMHO (P195/55R15) TIRES. WHILE AT THE DEALER FOR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT SHE NEEDED A NEW TIRE. THE DEALER NOTICED A SPLIT AND WEAR ON THE INSIDE TREAD OF THE TIRE. SHE DOES NOT KNOW IF THE OTHER TIRES HAVE THE SAME FAILURE AS WELL. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19,022. THE VEHICLE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 47,290.

THE TIRE WAS SIX WEEKS OLD AND BLEW UP FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON A HIGHWAY. DUNLOP AND TIRES PLUS REFUSED TO HONOR A WARRANTY BECAUSE WE COULD NOT RETURN THE ENTIRE TIRE TO THEM. THE TIRE WAS BLOWN INTO 2 INCH PIECES AND ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY. PERHAPS THEY ARE SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE RISKED OUR LIVES RUNNING AROUND THE HIGHWAY PICKING UP THE PIECES. I AM OF THE OPINION THAT OUR LIVES WERE PUT INTO ENOUGH DANGER DUE THE DEFECTIVE TIRE DUNLOP MADE. *TR

FACTORY HUB CAPS FALL OFF WHILE DRIVING. PLASTIC CLIPS ON RETENTION RINGS ON INSIDE OF HUBCAPS BREAK OFF WHILE DRIVING. HAVE LOST 3 HUBCAPS IN LAST 4 MONTHS. PAID $50 TO REPLACE THE FIRST ONE. DEALER SAYS IT HAS NEVER HEARD/SEEN THE PROBLEM BEFORE. DEALER OFFERED TO SELL NEW HUBCAPS FOR COST...$31.00. ---PLANNED, ENGINEERED OBSOLESENCE--- WILL NOT BUY A MAZDA AGAIN IF THEY CAN'T KEEP THE HUBCAPS ON THE CAR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE VEHICLE HIT A COUPLE POT HOLES WHICH BENT TWO RIMS (MATERIAL VERY SOFT). THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *NLM