2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Tires & Wheels Problems

MY DAUGHTERS JEEP JUST FAILED STATE INSPECTION DUE TO SEVERE CRACKING OF THE TIRE NEXT TO THE RIM. ALL 4 TIRES ARE GOODYEAR WRANGLER ST 225/75/16 104S. THE TREAD DEPTH IS STILL VERY GOOD HOWEVER THEY WILL NOT PASS STATE INSPECTION DUE TO THE LARGE CRACKS TOTALLY AROUND THE RIMS. A TECH AT THE LOCAL JEEP STORE TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES. HE STATED THAT THIS PROBLEM GOES WAY BACK.THE LOCAL GOODYEAR DEALER (SULLIVAN TIRE) WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP. GOODYEAR USED TO BE ONE OF THE BEST TIRES, WHAT HAPPENED? IT SEEMS THAT ALL OF THE OTHER TIRE COMPANIES OFFER A MUCH BETTER PRODUCT. NO MORE GOODYEAR TIRES FOR MY FAMILY!!! *TR

THE WHEELS ON MY VEHICLE ARE CHROME PLATED, AND HAVE BEEN PEELING AND CHIPPING. THIS HAS CAUSED AIR TO LEAK FROM THE THE TIRE BEAD. I HAVE HAD THE WHEELS BRUSHED AND CLEANED AT LEAST SIX TIMES EACH AND THEY STILL LEAK. AT 380.00$ FOR A RE-CONDITIONED WHEEL IS NOT A GOOD FIX SINCE I HAVE PAID ON THE AVERAGE OF 30.00$ FOR REPAIRS. I JUST RECENTLY NOTICED THAT THEIR IS CRACKING NEAR THE HUB. *TT

MY DAUGHTER WAS RETURNING HOME TO MADISON, AL FROM AUBURN UNIVERSITY, ALABAMA USING INTERSTATE I-65 NORTH. JUST OUTSIDE OF BIRMINGHAM, AL AT MILE MARKER 170 SHE HAD A BLOWOUT OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. THE TIRE TREAD SEEMED TO COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE SIDEWALL ALL AROUND THE TIRE. THE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY USELESS. THE TIRE WAS ON A JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE OVERLAND WITH FULL TIME FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, WHICH WE BELIEVE HELPED MY DAUGHTER COME TO A SAFE STOP ON THE HIGHWAY MEDIAN. THE TIRE WAS A GOODYEAR WRANGLER SR A P235/65 R17 DOT MK87 DYWR 0506. WE ARE NOW VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE REMAINING WRANGLER TIRES ON THIS VEHICLE AND IF IT IS SAFE TO CONTINUE TO USE THEM. PICTURES OF THE DAMAGED TIRE AND THE TIRE ITSELF ARE AVAILABLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 4WD. THE VEHICLE HAS GOODYEAR WRANGLER TIRES, SIZE P235/70R16. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INDEPENDENT OWNER WHO SOLD THE VEHICLE TO THE CONTACT HAD BRAND NEW TIRES PLACED ON THE VEHICLE. AT APPROXIMATELY 38,000 MILES, THE GOODYEAR TIRES BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE TREAD SEPARATION. SHE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVING PROPERLY AT SPEEDS 50 MPH AND LESS. THE TIRES WERE ALSO SEPARATING FROM THE HUBCAPS OR RIMS AND THEN FLATTENED. THE TIRE WAS REPAIRED. LATER, THE SECOND TIRE FLATTENED. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED WITH THE SPARE TIRE THAT CAME WITH THE VEHICLE. THREE MONTHS LATER, SHE AWAKENED TO FIND THAT THE TIRE WAS ENTIRELY FLAT. SHE PLACED AIR IN THE TIRE, BUT IT REMAINED SOFT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,000. UPDATED 09/10/08 *BF UPDATED 09/17/08. *JB

THE WHEELS ON MY 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE, 17" CHROME PLATED ALUMINUM. OEM WHEELS ARE CORRODING. THIS CORROSION IS SEEN ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE WHEEL AND WHEN I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEM HOLDING AIR I TOOK IT TO SEARS TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. WHEN THE TIRE WAS REMOVED FROM THE WHEEL ITSELF, THE TECH CALLED ME OVER AND SHOWED ME THAT THE WHEEL IS CORRODING ALONG THE ENTIRE SURFACE WHERE IT MEETS WITH THE TIRE. IT APPEARS THAT THE CHROME PLATING WAS AND HAD PEELED OFF ALLOWING THE CORROSION TO START AND THE AIR TO LEAK. HE ALSO POINTED OUT THE CORROSION ON THE HUB OF THE WHEEL WHERE IT MEETS THE AXLE AND IT APPEARS THAT SOME OF THE THICKNESS AT THE HUB HAS CORRODED AWAY. THERE WAS ALSO CORROSION ON THE INSIDE ON THE WHEEL, WHICH MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO ME, AS IT IS NOT EXPOSED TO AIR OR WATER. HE ALSO STATED THAT IF ITS LIKE THIS ON ONE ITS LIKE THAT ON ALL. THE TECH AND HIS MANAGER ADVISED ME THAT AT ANY TIME THIS WHEEL COULD JUST CRACK OFF BECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE CORROSION. THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOUR OFFICE. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS ISSUE WITH THESE CHROME PLATED ALUMINUM WHEELS. ALTHOUGH I ONLY FOUND A FEW SIMILAR COMPLAINTS REGISTERED ON YOUR SITE, I WOULD TEND TO BELIEVE THAT ITS A MUCH LARGER ISSUE THAT SIMPLE HASN'T POPPED ITS UGLY HEAD OUT YET. I HOPE AND TRUST THAT YOUR OFFICE WILL TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AND NOT JUST WRITE IT OFF AS A WEAR AND TEAR FAILURE. I HAVE OWED SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES AND I WORK IN THE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE INDUSTRY AND NEVER HAVE I SEEN OR HEARD OF SIMILAR ISSUES WITH OEM WHEELS CORRODING TO THE POINT WHERE THEY HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF CRACKING OFF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDS YOUR ATTENTION AND THE ATTENTION OF THE MANUFACTURE. LUCKILY, THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS OR A DEATH RELATED TO THIS DEFECT AND LETS ALL HOPE THAT NEITHER HAPPENS BEFORE ANYTHING WILL BE DONE ABOUT IT. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOUR OFFICE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED ALL THE TIRES WERE LOSING AIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO DETERMINED THE RIMS WERE CUTTING INTO THE BEAD OF THE TIRES AND CAUSING THE TIRES TO LOSE AIR. THE RIMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

DT: THE CHROME RIMS THAT WERE AN OPTION ON THE VEHICLE, ON THE INSIDE METAL CORRODED AND PEELED OFF. ALREADY TALKED TO THE DEALER, AND THE MANUFACTURER NOTICED THIS . JUST THIS WEEK. THE TIRES ARE GOODYEAR, WRANGLERS. *AK THE TIRES NOW ARE MICHELIN TIRES WHICH WERE CHANGED AT 50,000 MILES. THE WHEEL OR RIM HUBS HAD TO BE BROKEN OFF BECAUSE THEY WERE RUSTED OUT DUE TO CORROSION. *TT *SB

THE MANUFACTURER PUT THE WRONG SIZE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. IT WAS TOLD TO THE CONSUMER AT 24,000 MILES THAT TIRES WERE WORN OUT. CONSUMER COULD NOT GET THE RIGHT TIRE FOR THE VEHICLE. GOODYEAR WRANGLER, ST ALL SEASON, P22575R16, 104S, WEIGHT RATING 1984 MAXIMUM. *AK.....GOODYEAR TIRES WORE OUT AT 23000 MILES. CONSUMER CLAIMED THAT HE WAS TOLD BY GOODYEAR THAT HE SHOULD GET 60000 TO 70000 MILES ON THAT TIRE. IN CHECKING FOR REPLACEMENTS BOTH B.F.GOODRICH AND MICHELIN REFUSED TO PUT THEIR TIRES ON CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. THEY STATED THAT THEIR TIRE MUST HAVE A RATING OF 106S. *AK

THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE RIMS CORRODED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY FAILED TO MAINTAIN PROPER AIR PRESSURE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. *AK *SC *JB

TWO OF THE WHEELS ON THE CONSUMER'S 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LEAKED AIR DUE TO RUST. *NM THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE INSIDE OF THE RIM WAS RUSTING. *JB

FACTORY 17" ROUGE CHROME PLATED WHEELS HAVE HAIRLINE CRACKS IN THE CHROME BETWEEN THE SPOKES. DO NOT KNOW IF SAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THIS CRACKING OF THE CHROME MAY BE STRESS CRACKS IN THE ALUMINUM WHEEL. THE CAR A 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE ONLY HAS 9,000 MILES ON IT. JEEP DEALER SAYS THE CRACKING CHROME/WHEEL IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY BUT STOPS SHORT OF TELLING ME WHY IT HAPPENED AND IF IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM. *JB

THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH AND THE OTHER 3 TIRES FORMED BUBBLES IN THE SIDEWALL. MANUFACTURER REPLACED ALL TIRES, INCLUDING THE SPARE TIRE. *AK THERE WERE BUBBLES ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. *SCC *JB

DT: THE WHEELS ON THE OWNERS 2002 JEEP CORRODED AND LEAKED AIR FROM THREE WHEELS DUE TO THE WINTER ROAD SALT/WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE OWNER HAS TO CHECK THE AIR IN THE TIRES CONSTANTLY. THE OWNER CONTACTED THE DEALER WHOM SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS LO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE FIRST WHEEL WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, THE OWNER IS NOT SURE WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO WITH THE WHEELS YET AND JUST KEEPS PUTTING IN AIR FOR TIME BEING. *AK *TT *NM

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING HEARD A LOUD NOISE, PULLED OVER THE FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED. ORGINIAL EQUIPMENT. TS TIRE SIZE 225/75R16 AND DOT#M671EKWR1601. *YH

VEHICLE CERTIFICATION LABEL LISTS 17" X 7.5" WHEEL RIMS & TIRES AS MINIMUM SIZE. VEHICLE FACTORY EQUIPPED WITH 16" X 7" WHEEL RIMS & TIRES. OWNERS MANUAL SAYS "WARNING! NEVER USE A TIRE SMALLER THAN THE MINIMUM TIRE SIZE LISTED...." MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ADVISE AS TO CORRECT GVWR, TIRE PRESSURE FOR TIRES AS EQUIPED, OR TO SUPPLY CORRECT LABEL OR WHEELS & TIRES.*AK