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I was going to buy a new set of high end Yokohama tires for my 2001 Cadillac STS, but now I am having second thoughts. Most likely I will not buy them now because I will always have this website (and your terrible incident) in the back of my mind. - Dale Bible Been there, done that, not buying Yoko again Good luck with that. I had a set of Yoko ES100's that I wasn't too happy with, but nothing dangerous. Having fought battles with corporations before, I wish you luck. Unfortunately, stories like this seem more common nowadays. - Geoff Five flats and one slice I have a 06 Toyota Rav 4 with Yokohama Geolanders on it. I have had the car less than a year and just had my 5th flat 4 of them have been caused by small rocks making holes in the tire. On one tire a rock about an inch and a half long sliced a 2" cut into tire. Still have a tire with the rock less than 1 inch in dia. stuck in it. Any suggestions on how to get action from Toyota or Yokohama? -Adam Bubble damage One tire developed a bubble on the inside wall after 17,000 miles which was discovered only because a nail was removed from the tread. This could have resulted in a problem had a blow out happened on the freeway. The tires were never over- or under-inflated. -Tom Tire shreads right off the rim
-Roger Three bad tires, one mound of hassle My new 2002 Toyota MR2 Spyder came equipped with 4 Yokohama tires. I was pleased at the outset because I have always heard great things about Yokohama. Within one year, a huge bulge appeared on the back passenger tire. I called around to find a certified Yokohama dealer. I waited weeks to have my "special" type of tire ordered (205/55/R15/85V) and when I went to have it replaced I was told that it would be covered under the one year, 36,000 mile warranty. This was after the "certified" dealer reviewed my damage. I agreed to have the tire replaced. -Amy Four tires in dangerous condition What a mess. I have a 2002 Subaru Forester that was purchased from Gillman Subaru brand new, with installed Yokohama Tires (P215/60R 16 94H Geolander Radial Tubeless All-Season Tires. I have 36,000 on my vehicle, consisting of all city driving (freeways, streets, etc). My car has independent four wheel suspension/four wheel drive, but I do not drive on ANY gravel, grass, or dirt roads or over any debris. -Lori Separated and screwed I was on my way to work via the Garden State Parkway. I was driving below the speed limit, which is 65 mph, when I suddenly heard a loud bang. Instantly my fender was flopping in the wind and my rear-view mirror was no longer attached to my car. I promptly slowed down and then pulled into the shoulder. Once I was in the shoulder I got out of my car to assess what had happened. -Justin FED UP I have a 06 Suzuki Grand Vitari and i took it Sept 07 for inspection and failed for tires with 10,000 miles on it. Called the dealership and they said bring it in and told me when it got shipped over it it was knocked out of allignment so they would put 4 new tires and allignment for free. GREAT. Karen, Latrobe PA Separation puts family at risk The Yokohama tire that were on the Mazda Mpv 2000 -- the tire separated from the belts. Mazda said it was Yokohama's fault. Mazda put a 215 tire on the van when it should have been a 265 tire. The van was too heavy for the small tires. Transport Canada has also been contracted about this problem. I have replaced four tires on my one-year-old vehicle. Two tires are Michelin and two are still Yokohama tires. These Yokohama tires will have to be replaced because the same problem will happen. -Sharon Poor quality tires, worse quality customer service I bought a set of Yokahama AVC ES100 245/40/20 tires. They seemed to ride fine when I first put them on but after the first tire rotation I ended up putting the 2 bad tires on front. The shaking was so bad it would about shake the steering wheel out of your hand. I had them rebalanced 3 times thinking that maybe I had a bent wheel but no one ever said anything was wrong. Finally I took it to the car manufacturing plant that I work for and they did a road variance test and found that two of the tires were not even round and were 3 times more than what they should be. I called Yokahama and was told they wouldn't accept the test done by the auto plant, that I would have to take it to one of their distributors and have one of their high school drop outs check it. They were wanting me to pay another $100 top have the tires tested and I already have $250 in them. So I'm gonna remove the tires and replace them with Firestones and let everyone I can know at the quality and customer service of Yokohama. -Kevin H. Scared to death I needed to buy new tires and went to a tire supplier store. Not knowing very much about tire purchasing, I listened to the service manager. He described several options available as to choice of tires. Although he did not recommend a choice, he said he liked Yokohama and I went for it. After reading your web site, I'm scared to death wondering if that delamination is going to occur with my new tires. I wish I had had the sense to question before I bought. -Margaret C. CONSIDERING buying Yokohamas until now I just had a flat tire and was CONSIDERING buying a new set of Yokohama tires for my SUV. I don't want to roll my vehicle at 70 MPH with my family! Thanks for your story and I will remain a loyal Bridgestone customer. They have always treated me well. -Darrell Jones, Flagstaff, AZ I will never by Yokohamas again Just wanted to pass along my own experiences with Yokohama tires... I, too, thought Yokohama tires were supposed to be good. So, I purchased a set for my car. Less than a year (and 15,000 miles) after purchase, they wouldn't pass inspection. The belts had separated in some of the tires and they were wearing unevenly. I contacted Yokohama and they offered to have them shipped to their facilities for inspection. They picked them up (at their expense, which was nice), but their examination made it sound like my car was the reason for their tires failing. The funny thing is I replaced the Yokohamas with a brand I had never heard of before, Hankook. I'm now on my third year with these tires (about 40,000 miles) and they're still going great. I will never by Yokohamas again. If I buy a new car that comes from the manufacturer with Yokohamas, I will make sure they are replaced before I take delivery of the vehicle. -Brian Worn out in under 25,000 miles A minor problem compared to yours but I just want to join the Avoid Yokohama chorus. -Michael Knies Yokohama doesn't stand behind its product. Thanks for your article on the Yokohama Tires. I drive a 2006 VW Jeta TDI. I am due for the first set of tire replacement. I started shopping around and trying to decide what tire to put on the vehicle. One dealer suggested the Yokohama AVID. It is a rather expensive tire but certainly not un-affordable. In-as-much as I drive this vehicle 45 - 50,000 miles per year in my line of work, I wanted to put a quality tire on the vehicle. I agree, there is no tire that is trouble free, but part of a "trouble free" product is a manufacturer that stands behind the product in the event of a failure. Obviously Yokohama failed to do so. Based on what I read, I will go to another brand. Thanks -Brian Cook P.S. Please forward my e-mail to Yokohama. Disgusting bulges Hi, we have 2 Yokohama tires bulging in left front and rear left, after only putting a mere 8000 miles on our suzuki aerio. We are disgusted. We have digital pictures of these tires. Yokohama refuses to honor their warrantee in a way that doesn't break our bank. They wanted 72 bucks for FED EX shipping of the tires up front, and they said they would only replace one of the tires although two are clearly manufacturing defects. Our dealership person attested to that. -GRegards, regory, Iowa Delamination and deception
-Sincerely, Lin Pacinelli More defects and deception I think your website say's it all! We too had our tire looked at by a certified tech who said the inner liner seal "or tape" that seals the tire together was peeling "coming apart". Which never should happen. We took every angle of the inside and outside of the tire. I figured that they would of told me that they lost the tire not the documentation! It's really funny, because I had called them prior, to them saying they didn't receive the paper's, and the Tire was scheduled to be inspected a few day's later. Then few day's after they inspected it, is when I received the letter saying they didn't receive the paper work. So I already new they had both the tire and documentation! I'm sure we will get the run around, haven't heard anything yet. Will Yokohama Care! I don't think so, they have already proven that by starting the process off with BS claims, of no documentation! I've enclosed a few pic's for you, your more then welcome to post. I'll keep you informed. -Anonymous by request Similar sucky experience and spreading the word too I had a similar experience. The local dealer started giving me the run -Mike Thorsrud Dangerous to drive in the snow. Never buying Yokohama again I am the owner of Yokohama Avid Touring tires. They are guaranteed for 80,000 miles, I only have 38,000 on them and they are terrible for driving in snow and rain. They are dangerous to drive in the snow. Tires with this many miles on them and rated as they are, should have a lot of life left in them. I will never, ever buy Yokohama tires again. Good for you and your site, let everyone know what rotten tires these are. -Mike Sue the tires off this company You have every right to be mad as hell and I hope you don't have to take it anymore. I hope you can find an honest, energetic lawyer who will see the merits in this case and sue the tires off this company. Some lawyers enjoy the challenge others work for 33% contingency of the settlement. Best of luck! -Al Hubbard Catastrophic failure Yesterday, while driving on the freeway at 75 m.p.h., my left rear tire (a Yokohama) had a catastrophic failure. The outside totally separated from the inside and immediately went flat. I don't know how I managed to get from the inside lane to the outside lane and stopped, but I did. With no damage, even to the rim. If this tire had been on the front, I know there would have been no controlling it. -Mike T. Deadly delamation Last year this time we had a good family friend of ours die in an accident which as caused by a total delamination of the rear passenger side Yokohama tire. The family is thinking of filing a lawsuit against Yokohama in efforts protect others from similar disasters. Do you know of any other Yokomama delamination victims? -Name withheld by request Premature wear. Will not do business again. I purchased tires from Flynn's approximately a year ago. After only 13,000 miles of what I thought was a 40.000 mile warranty, they wore out. They say there was no alignment done to the front and the backs were over inflated. There was an alignment done and frequent oil changes during which the tire pressure was checked. I have the paperwork proving this, but, because Yokohama is across the country, they are saying that there is nothing they can do. How convenient. Now, if I had bought discount tires for basic driving, OK. These tires, however, are designed for all terrains with an extra deep center groove for traction. To me that translates to a heavier wear tire, not 1 year throw-aways. As far as I am concerned, I will not do business with either of these companies again, and will inform every friend, relative, car buff and tuner enthusiast I know to stay away from them. It's a shame, that a person has to get a lawyer just to make people honor their own warranted promises. MT New tires, old problem I recently bought yokohama tires and found that I had a bubble in one of the tires within 30 km. There was a defect in the chafer of the tire in the area of the bubble. What are my options as to replacement by the company? Is it common to have this defect in yokohama tires? Vkram Tire disentegrated The driver's side rear tire disintegrated, which almost caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle. JB Blow out miracle but no more Yokohama tires for my family and friends! This past weekend, after graduating from college, my daughter and her aunt were traveling on California Interstate 5 when the passenger-side tire, a Yokohama AS430, blew out. It was a miracle that no accident happened. The whole wall on the tire broke open. The tire had less than 15,000 mile on it. I have a digital picture of it; it's pretty scary. I have contacted the shop where I bought the set of tires from, but have not heard back from them yet. However, based on what I have read on this site, I am not holding my breath that the shop or Yokohama will fess up to any problem. No more Yokohama tires for my family and friends! Javad, San Jose, CA Tire blows after 2,600 miles I bought a 2009 Subaru Forester in May 2008 that came with Yokohama Geolander tires as original equipment. I had been checking the pressure regularly, since a pressure warning light on the dashboard intermittently came on. All checks showed the pressure was stable and within specs for the vehicle and tires. The last check was the day of an out-of town trip. On that trip, the right rear tire blew after only 2600 miles while changing lanes within the speed limit on Hwy 80 in Northern California. It looked as if the blowout involved the sidewalls and not the tread. This was late on on a Friday night. Because the tire was so new, when I visited a tire dealer on Saturday morning I was told I would need to wait until Tuesday to get an exact replacement. Because I was far out of town and this is an all-wheel drive vehicle I wound up replacing all four tires with a Goodyear model. I got an $84 credit against the blown tire, but only a $20 trade-in each for the three other tires. Needless to say, I will never purchase a Yokohama tire again. Jim in Northern California Tire failure within 6,000 miles. Buyer beware...this is a ripoff I purchased 4 Yokohama tires from Tirerack.com for my Mercedes SLK. Within 6000 miles, the sidewall of the right rear tire began to fail, forming a bubble which causes an imminent blowout. The tires still look brand new, have never hit anything (ground clearance in an SLK is 4 inches...you would wreck the car first), never drove at excessive speed. This is a weekend car that gets about 3000 miles PER YEAR. Tirerack has refused to reimburse me for the tire(s), saying that it must have been something I did to the tire to damage it. Tirerack says that I can, at my own cost, ship the tire back to them and they will inspect it, and if THEY think there is a problem, they'll send it to Yokohama, who will also inspect it, and who will, entirely at their discretion, decide if they will reimburse me. Tirerack continued to insist that I did something to damage this tire, WITHOUT EVEN SEEING IT!!!! They simply don't care, obviously, if they sell defective tires. What a joke. Essentially, what is clearly a manufacturing defect is not covered by either Tirerack or Yokohama. So, this is my last purchase of Yokohama tires, and my last purchase from tirerack.com Be aware: Yokohama is selling defective tires, tirerack knows it, and simply does not care. Buy beware...this is a ripoff. Greg, Birmingham, AL Lousy tires fail at 8,000 miles I purchased a new Subaru Forrester in December of 07. I do a lot of driving both highway and city. My Forrester came with Yokohama Geolander G900. The car has 8,000 miles an it and in the last month I have had to replace two of the tires. The first tire had belt separation which had to be replaced. The second tire had a nail puncture caused a belt separation and had to be replaced. The general consensus in talking with tire retailers is that these tires are simply lousy tires that are overpriced. I would urge anyone looking to purchase tires to stay away from these. I know that the first chance I get I will replace all four tires. Albert, Berrien Spring MI Broken belts on two tires puts child at risk I got out of my 7-month-old Suzuki Aerio today and noticed that both the left front and left rear tires had bulges. Obviously the belts had broken on these tires. I called Suzuki Corporate who told me it was not their issue. I called the dealership who told me they would look at it and see what (they) could do. I called Yokohama who gave me a case number and referred me to their closest dealer -- 75 unsafe freeway miles away. I picked the dealership. The dealer said there were no abnormal wear problems, the tires were rotated balanced, etc., etc., etc. However, these tires have less than 9000 miles on them and the tires are coming apart. This was obviously a defective tire issue. These tires are supposed to be the high performance 195 55/15's that come on the sport Aerio. What frustrates me is that I am a Technical Quality Manager and have worked in the automotive world for almost 15 years. I would NEVER allow a customer to be in a vehicle that was not safe for ANY reason. I have shut down production for less than this. I can't understand why Yokohama is not doing something about this issue IMMEDIATELY before someone gets killed. But then I remember how many folks were killed by the exploding gas tanks on the Ford Pintos before anyone did anything and I shudder about what has happened to us as a society when our profit is more important than the lives of our customers. I will end up going to a different tire dealer and getting four new tires on the Suzuki that are not Yokohama tires because I drive my prescious 3-year-old daughter around in this car. It will cost me at least another $400. Another day off of work, and much frustration. But all of that is small compared to the life of my daughter. Judith, Waterloo IA Share your story please. Email it to me here.
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I came across your web site when I was researching Yokohama tires. Today the rear tire completely fell off the rim. It's my wife's MR2 Spyder, but her son was driving and managed to safely pull over. Check out the pics of the tire. I got the tires at Discount Tires with a store warranty. What do you recommend I do with this circumstance? I don't want anyone to get hurt, want both my tires to be replaced, don't want "Spoilage of Evidence" either. Someone could get killed and it very well could have been my wife! Where do you recommend we go from here?
around ~ "it must have been underflated, must have hit a curb", etc. I knew (from your web site and others) what I was up against, and really didn't care to argue. The tires were on the car when I bought it two years ago (a '99 Lexus), and I got two years out of them. Since there was no damage (AND I WASN'T KILLED), I just pretty much blew it off and ordered new (Goodyear Triple Treads) from The Tire Rack.
