Bridgestone/Firestone Sucks

Just thought I’d say that. I purchased a 2005 Toyota Sienna LE AWD on October 18. They come with Bridgestone 380 Run Flat tires. Since they run about 50-60 miles when they go flat, the car doesn’t come with a spare nor a place to put one.

These tires have a bit of a problem, though, they wear out very quickly. So, quickly, in fact, that Bridgestone Customer Support says that they have no mileage warranty. None. They do say that if the tire doesn’t get to what they reasonably expect, they’ll likely replace it. That level, by the way, is 20,000 miles and if you get to 30,000, like I have, they say you’ve done well.

In other words, they expect the consumer to pay $1,200 every 20,000-30,000 miles. On an average, then, they expect the consumer to pay about $5,000 every 100,000 miles. Boys and girls that is .20 cents a mile. That does not seem acceptable to me nor to Toyota, who is looking into this. These tires were new in 2004 on their cars and it seems likely that I’m fairly high on the leader board on mileage. I’m not the only one who has complained about the short life span, especially since Bridgestone does not seem to have warned Toyota enough that Toyota salesmen know about the issue.

Which makes sense, given the cavalier attitude of Bridgestone when I talked to them yesterday. Too bad, guess you have to get more of our product. Huh.

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