On the evening of 10/13/12, my rear driver-side tire exploded on the 710 Freeway while traveling south in Long Beach, California at the legal speed limit. My vehicle, a 2004 BMW 330 CI, began to swerve uncontrollably however I was able to pull to the side of the road safely, without incident. The "Fierce" (245/40ZR18 93W SL FIERCE INSTINCT ZR TL) model tire on my vehicle was purchased from this Just Tires in Carson, California, at 744 E Dominguez Ave on 6/10/12. There was minimal wear on the tire as my photographic evidence clearly substantiates.
Less than two months prior to this incident, on the afternoon of 8/21/12, while traveling north on the 405 Freeway in Long Beach, California, my rear passenger-side tire exploded similarly. This caused my vehicle to swerve violently but I was able to safely pull to the side of the road.
On 8/21/12, the employees at Just Tires attempted to replace the "Fierce" tire in accordance with the Road Hazard Protection Plan that I had purchased previously. After three failed (3) attempts to change my rear passenger-side tire, Just Tires decided to upgrade my tire to the "Eagle GT" (245/40Zr18 93W SL EAGLE GT). This decision was made because, although the "Fierce" and "Eagle GT" tires were made from the same mold, for some reason the "Fierce" tired consistently leaked air when installed on my rear passenger-side wheel.
I waited several hours on the evening of 8/21/12 for my vehicle to be serviced (IN 5:45PM, OUT 8:05PM). During this time, I witnessed Just Tires employees observing the leak and attempting to install numerous new tire replacements to no avail. Despite trying three different and brand new "Fierce" tires, the employees continued to observe this leak. Upon installing the "Eagle GT" model tire on my rear passenger-side wheel, there were no signs of any leaks whatsoever. As an accommodation, I was offered the "Eagle GT" tire. I believe the leaking behavior observed on 8/21/12 is responsible for creating the prime conditions for a tire to burst as I experienced on 10/13/12.
When I returned to Just Tires on 10/13/12, due to the previous' evenings tire failure, I was told to call the general Goodyear Customer Support number at (800) 321-2136. The manager, Kevin Ajamian, never offered to take a claim in store and did not advise me that there was a direct number for Good Year claims that I could call for assistance. Additionally, he insisted that the damage to my vehicle could not have been caused by the tire. Even after explaining that I was on the freeway, Kevin denied the tire was to blame. He admitted to me that while there have been no recalls of the "Fierce" tire, he was aware that in some cases this tire has been known to have issues, albeit rarely. Using display tires in the main lobby, Kevin showed me how the inner edge of the "Fierce" tire had a slightly different texture than that of the "Eagle GT."
Despite Just Tires' assertions that the "Fierce" tire had nothing to do with the damage that my vehicle incurred on the evening of 10/13/12, numerous body shops have attested otherwise. According to several leading auto body professionals, my vehicle has sustained obvious damage due to the tire failure that occurred on my rear-driver side wheel. Based on these concerns, in addition to this review, I plan to file a report with the Better Business Bureau. read more