MG4 Bridgestone tyres - Damaged from new!

[JIS]

So we purchased our MG4 64kWh Luxury last November since which time we had done 14,000 km. Suddenly BOTH front and rear passenger side tyres collapsed whilst driving at 30kph on a smooth clear road ! We had a breakdown vehicle with us within 30 minutes and the car was taken to my local MG dealer in Saintes (Charente-Maritime France). I was called by the dealer to say that the best option would be to change all four tyres (I agreed) and chose Michelin in preference.
The next day at the MG dealership, I spoke to the mechanic working on my car and he said that the rear tyre was clearly defective as the side wall was weak and perforated whilst the tread was in good condition. The mechanic was also obliged to inspect and advise on the condition of the other three tyres. He marked ALL 4 tyres as "HS" "Horse Service" i.e. defective.
I spoke to the manager saying that this was a warranty issue as the tyres must have been defective when I purchased the car. He and his team all chimed in saying that tyres are not covered under warranty as they are wearable items like wind screen wipers. I said that the tyres were clearly defective as the issue I have experienced has nothing to do with normal wear as the tyres still have 75% tread remaining and that they are defective tyres.
They would not agree and I was obliged to pay over €1,000 for the replacement of the four tyres. I have now written to the area manager seeking reimbursement and threatening to take it further as goods sold must be fit for purpose.
Have any of you experienced something similar ?

 

[MG Clive]

Unfortunately MG's 'Warranty Statement' appears to say that tyres aren't covered by their warranty under any circumstances > MG Warranty Statement.

Best of luck with your claim anyway.

 

[siteguru]

Not sure how consumer rights work in France, but in the UK if a fault occurs more than 6 months from purchase then the seller can require the consumer to prove that the fault was present at the time of sale, but not apparent until later. The garage's findings may be suitable proof, provided you can get a written copy of them. Alternatively you'd need to keep the old tyres and commission your own inspection report. (Just because MG offer no warranty vs the tyres doesn't mean you don't still have a claim ... and that's a horrible multiple-negatives sentence! ).

Any court claim would be against the seller, not the manufacturer.

 

[JIS]

Unfortunately MG's 'Warranty Statement' appears to say that tyres aren't covered by their warranty under any circumstances > MG Warranty Statement.

Best of luck with your claim anyway.

Many thanks. Yes you are right and the folk at the dealership said as much. However, one cannot contract out of the laws of the land. This is what I am advised :

1. Consumer Law (France/EU):
   • Under Article L217-5 of the French Code de la consommation, products sold must be fit for purpose and free from hidden defects.
   • A tyre that deteriorates through sidewall delamination or flaking at 14,000 km — without road impact or misuse — is not fit for purpose.
   • EU law provides a legal guarantee of conformity valid for 2 years on new products, which includes manufacturing defects, even if tyres are technically “wear” parts.

So, it would seem that the MG dealer should be obliged to replace the defective tyres under this aspect of the law. The area manager has yet to reply or even acknowledge my letter (despite a chaser), this suggests that they too are seeking legal advice.

 

[Alb]

Any chance the car was driven with tyres underinflated?

 

[salty]

Unfortunately MG's 'Warranty Statement' appears to say that tyres aren't covered by their warranty under any circumstances > MG Warranty Statement.

Best of luck with your claim anyway.

Agree, after 14,000 km, you'll be hard pressed to claim they where faulty from new. 14,000 km in 7 months is also going some. Believe me I hope your claim is successful, but don't hold your breath.
Do you have those stupid speed humps in France, because they can cause the damage you describe, if straddled at speed, happened to my last car, 3 tyres, the inside sidewall ruined, but tread was near perfect. Anyway good luck.

 

[ReintjeWA]

You could try Bridgestone themselves, it’s a bit of a long shot but they might be more inclined to protect their brand than MG appears to be. Bridgestone would also be more interested in knowing if they have a manufacturing defect in their tyres I would assume.

 

[Tuareg]

Any claim will take into account that you have had 14,000kms of use out of the original tyres. That would be deducted from any claim. Not worth the effort, just accept it and get on with life.

 

[Anon70]

Looking at some Bridgestone websites you might be better claiming through them, first 2 sites in Australia and the other is UK. Assuming the UK and European warranty will be simialr

Age-of-a-tyre

Discover how to determine the age of tyres and the tyre expiry date. Click to learn the importance of understanding the tyres age for vehicle safety and what the tyre lifespan is.

www.bridgestone.com.au

Tyre Warranties

Learn about the different types of tyre warranties that are offered by Bridgestone.

www.bridgestone.com.au

Bridgestone Tyre Mileage Guarantee Terms and Conditions

kwikfit.tyremileageguarantee.co.uk

 

[OriginalBigAl]

Did you see the reported damage/ defects in the tyres after their inspections, if so, could you try to explain to us what to look for , outside/ inside wall , bulges? etc, cheers.

 

[bk227865]

MG can "claim" what they want about the tyres. They still need to obey the local laws and regulations. If MG's "claims" are against the law they are null and void.

 

[Kithmo]

Any chance the car was driven with tyres underinflated?

That is the most logical answer due to all four tyres being defective and the defect being on the sidewalls.
Or the car may have been moved with the tyres completely flat before the OP bought it.

 

[ReintjeWA]

That is the most logical answer due to all four tyres being defective and the defect being on the sidewalls.
Or the car may have been moved with the tyres completely flat before the OP bought it.

I agree, but I suspect MG would then claim the car would’ve warned about under inflation through the TPMS system, so they would then say it’s user error. And the TPMS system does seem to be calibrated to quite a high threshold, going by the numerous posts on the forum about cold weather setting of the warning.

 

[AndrewS]

So we purchased our MG4 64kWh Luxury last November since which time we had done 14,000 km. Suddenly BOTH front and rear passenger side tyres collapsed whilst driving at 30kph on a smooth clear road ! We had a breakdown vehicle with us within 30 minutes and the car was taken to my local MG dealer in Saintes (Charente-Maritime France). I was called by the dealer to say that the best option would be to change all four tyres (I agreed) and chose Michelin in preference.
The next day at the MG dealership, I spoke to the mechanic working on my car and he said that the rear tyre was clearly defective as the side wall was weak and perforated whilst the tread was in good condition. The mechanic was also obliged to inspect and advise on the condition of the other three tyres. He marked ALL 4 tyres as "HS" "Horse Service" i.e. defective.
I spoke to the manager saying that this was a warranty issue as the tyres must have been defective when I purchased the car. He and his team all chimed in saying that tyres are not covered under warranty as they are wearable items like wind screen wipers. I said that the tyres were clearly defective as the issue I have experienced has nothing to do with normal wear as the tyres still have 75% tread remaining and that they are defective tyres.
They would not agree and I was obliged to pay over €1,000 for the replacement of the four tyres. I have now written to the area manager seeking reimbursement and threatening to take it further as goods sold must be fit for purpose.
Have any of you experienced something similar ?

If you do decide to contact Bridgestone you never know how sympathetic they might be. After all, they are the main sponsors of the worldwide FIA ecoRally Cup. So they should have a very good understanding of tyres on EVs. from a PR perspective, they might be sympathetic.

Good luck!!