GeekEV
Well-known member
Wow. Make sure they check for damage to your rims, axle and other various related parts! I'm sure they'll make good, but it's a shame this had to happen first.
Front Tires Flaking at 1500 Miles
- Thread starter Armand
- Start date
Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:
Armand said:
If the blowout was one of the remaining old tires, insist on replacement of all remaining original tires. There have not been widespread reports of failures of the tires supplied on the LEAF so there must have been a manufacturing, storage, or installation problem with your original tires. Also, severe underinflation can cause problems so I would take an accurate gauge with you when you pick up the car and make sure the new tires are properly inflated before leaving the dealer lot.
Armand
Active member
One thing I do not overlook is tire pressure and visual inspection. I had checked tire pressure on all four in the morning and did a visual inspection. Everything looked good. We drove about 70 miles today. My wife drove the last ten and she was the one who got the blowout only a couple of miles from the house. Any way, the car is now at the Nissan dealer with a note to the service manager with whom I had chatted only three days earlier. He had promised to push to get the remaining two tires replaced. It was one of them that gave out.
Does anyone know if the whole thing with low rolling resistance Ecopia tires is a real benefit? At this point, I am thinking I should just dump the Bridgestones (including the two new ones) and get 4 new Michelins.
Does anyone know if the whole thing with low rolling resistance Ecopia tires is a real benefit? At this point, I am thinking I should just dump the Bridgestones (including the two new ones) and get 4 new Michelins.
Armand
Active member
Here is how the story ended. The tire that blew had a weight balance in it so the damage appeared to be externally caused but Nissan replaced both rear tires on goodwill. They had also replaced the front tires due to apparent defect though they never reported back on that. Going through 4 tires in less than a month involving defects and blowout was quite stressful not to mention the inconvenience of repeated visits to the dealership and a few days without a leaf! But the dealership did their best to minimize the pain. They worked with Nissan and got the car back on the road as fast as they could. Very nice people. PM me if looking for good sales and service people in the sf peninsula area.
I drove straight to wheel works and paid for tire warranty. I am not confident these tires will do the 60k miles they are supposed to. I am also going to check out the spare tire thread as well. These tires are not stocked by many dealers based on my experience and what I've read here. If you end up in a situation where you need a new tire, it might take a day or two to get it. I might even buy a tire and store it in the garage. Of course Nissan would not let me keep the one good tire they replaced as they paid for its replacement.
Lastly, my case appears to be a freak of nature. There is no other report of quality issues with Ecopia as far as my research shows.
I drove straight to wheel works and paid for tire warranty. I am not confident these tires will do the 60k miles they are supposed to. I am also going to check out the spare tire thread as well. These tires are not stocked by many dealers based on my experience and what I've read here. If you end up in a situation where you need a new tire, it might take a day or two to get it. I might even buy a tire and store it in the garage. Of course Nissan would not let me keep the one good tire they replaced as they paid for its replacement.
Lastly, my case appears to be a freak of nature. There is no other report of quality issues with Ecopia as far as my research shows.
GeekEV
Well-known member
Let's hope that continues to hold true. Every product on the market is going to have some manufacturing defects that slip through QC. Usually they're very small in number, though given the global megaphone that is the internet, it doesn't always feel that way.Armand said:
TimLee
Well-known member
Deleted Post.
ttweed
Well-known member
That's odd--mine says 36 PSI, same as Armand and many others have reported here previously in the various tire pressure threads. His car is obviously later than yours in production, and mine is earlier. Are you sure it says 35? :?: :?:TimLee said:
TT
TomT
Well-known member
Well, in checking my tires today, I am seeing chunking on three of them... They have about 8,500 miles on them at this point. So, it may be a more widespread problem than initially thought since mine should be from a different lot than the OPs... I'm going to contact Bridgestone and a dealer and see what they will do about it... Below is a picture from one of the tires...
Why are you posting a pic of your pet alligator?TomT said:
laalan
Well-known member
My door panel shows 36 psi.. I have also noted that alignment specs seem to be changing.
I wish my edges looked as good as the ones in the picture above. I have two LEAFS with edge wear at 3,000 and 4,000 miles and alignment is in spec.
I wish my edges looked as good as the ones in the picture above. I have two LEAFS with edge wear at 3,000 and 4,000 miles and alignment is in spec.
Armand
Active member
TomT said:Well, in checking my tires today, I am seeing chunking on three of them... They have about 8,500 miles on them at this point. So, it may be a more widespread problem than initially thought since mine should be from a different lot than the OPs... I'm going to contact Bridgestone and a dealer and see what they will do about it... Below is a picture from one of the tires...
That looks like what I had. This could be a recent phenomenon. I mentioned in an earlier post that I couldn't find another case but clearly your tires are showing similar wear pattern. Good luck and let us know about the outcome.
Herm
Well-known member
TomT said:
Tom, from the shadows it also appears like you have some scalloping (feathering, cupping) on the edge. Usually due to heavy braking, worn out bushings, toe-in alignment issues or bad tires.. you notice the front tires making more noise?
TomT
Well-known member
I noticed this right after I rotated the tires so this particular tire spent all it's life so far on the right rear. It's hard to say about the tire noise as a gradual change can be subtle to detect but I'd say that they are somewhat noisier now than when new... There definitely as not been any heavy breaking but I do corner in a spirited fashion from time to time...
Update: I took sound level meter readings shortly after I got the car... At the same speed (55 mph) and on the same street, it is now 2.9 DB louder than when new... I'm now at just under 10,000 miles. Both were an average of two directions to account for wind.
Update: I took sound level meter readings shortly after I got the car... At the same speed (55 mph) and on the same street, it is now 2.9 DB louder than when new... I'm now at just under 10,000 miles. Both were an average of two directions to account for wind.
Herm said:
TomT
Well-known member
I took it in this week for the Bridgestone rep to take a look. He found evidence of significant chunking on two tires, slight chunking on a third, and nothing on the fourth. They are all from the same batch. Based on what he saw, he has authorized all four tires to be replaced for free under warranty.
In questioning him about how widespread this is, he, of course, hedged his bets and said that they have only seen it on a "very small percentage of tires." He also said that the Leaf OEM tire is a slightly different construction than the aftermarket tire and that the aftermarket tire "may" be a little more robust (which is what they will be replacing them with). Lastly, apparently the EP422 is made from recycled rubber and the EP100 is not. He would not comment on whether or not this might be part of the problem...
In questioning him about how widespread this is, he, of course, hedged his bets and said that they have only seen it on a "very small percentage of tires." He also said that the Leaf OEM tire is a slightly different construction than the aftermarket tire and that the aftermarket tire "may" be a little more robust (which is what they will be replacing them with). Lastly, apparently the EP422 is made from recycled rubber and the EP100 is not. He would not comment on whether or not this might be part of the problem...
TomT said:
hill
Well-known member
We gotta get you a better digital camera my friendTomT said:Well, in checking my tires today, I am seeing chunking on three of them... They have about 8,500 miles on them at this point. So, it may be a more widespread problem than initially thought since mine should be from a different lot than the OPs... I'm going to contact Bridgestone and a dealer and see what they will do about it... Below is a picture from one of the tires...
TomT
Well-known member
Blame Apple (and the fact that it was pretty dark out at the time)...
hill said:We gotta get you a better digital camera my friend
DarkStar
Well-known member
That's strange, the image reports it was taken with a "Canon PowerShot SD950 IS."TomT said:Blame Apple (and the fact that it was pretty dark out at the time)...
hill said:We gotta get you a better digital camera my friend
