I purchased my car brand new from Tempe Honda in April. It is the second vehicle I have bought from them, and I take my car to the dealership for all oil changes and service. Just recently I have been having excessive vibration when driving so I took it to get looked at. After a couple hours I got a call from Ken Smith (service advisor at Tempe Honda), and I was told that the two back tires have extreme flat spots on them and they need to be replaced. He also said that the ONLY way that could have happened was if I slammed on my brakes and skid causing the tire to have been worn so badly. He gave me the price and told me that it needs to be done as soon as possible. He included that he is surprised that the tires have not had a blow out because of how bad they look. I told him that I would call him back in just a few minutes because I wanted to call around and see if I could get two tires for cheaper somewhere else, and I wanted to get an opinion on what I was told.
After talking to a friend, I decided to call a brake repair shop to ask about anti-lock brakes and if it is possible for the damage to be caused the way I was told. They said there is no way the tires would lock up and cause that to happen with anti-lock brakes. I called the dealership and asked for the service manager (Ladell Player). I asked him about the anti-lock brakes and told him what the service rep said about the damage to my tires. He said he would find out all the details and get the foreman involved and call me back. After waiting over an hour I called Honda customer service to ask them what my options are. They opened a case and said to wait and see what the dealership is willing to do. They also told me to ask the service manager if he could at least pro-rate the tires if I need to still buy new ones.
I got a call back another couple hours later from the service manager (Ladell) who conveniently changed the story at that point saying that the tires had flat spots in a pattern that would be caused by skidding sideways so the brakes were never locked up after all. When I argued that point and told him that I have NEVER skid sideways in my car he said there is nothing he can do but I need to buy two new tires. I asked if he could give me a discount or pro-rate the tires and he said they can not do that. When I told him that I had called customer service and they suggested I asked him that, he then told me that he would need to talk to his manager and call me back again. He finally called me back and once AGAIN changed the story. He said that the previous assumptions were not the problem, but that the tires themselves were breaking apart on the inside and it is a warranty issue with the tire manufacturer.
At that point my car had been there for over SIX hours and they did nothing to fix the problem and said I needed to take the car to Firestone and have them look at the tires. I called customer service back and told them that I was not happy with the final outcome. They said they could not do anything until I get the tires looked at by the manufacturer and gave me the number to call. I made an appointment for the next morning and got the tires inspected. Firestone told me that the tires were not faulty and the damage was caused from not being rotated often enough which voided the warranty. They printed the paperwork showing that the tires need to be rotated every 5,000 7,500 miles. That was very frustrating because I have taken my car to the dealership EVERY TIME it needed an oil change. The car was in THEIR service department approximately every 5,000 miles and I specifically asked them on a few occasions if the tires were due for a rotation and I was told by HONDA SERVICE that the tires were checked and they did not need to be rotated. The first and only time they FINALLY rotated the tires was when my car was at 23,700 miles.
I called customer service AGAIN and told them the update and they said they would have to forward the case to a manager to review everything and make a decision on what to do. I told them at that point that I do not feel safe driving around on the tires and I wanted them to be replaced and then further the case if they still needed to do so. I was told that it has to be looked at by a case manager before they will do anything more and I should get a call back in 24 to 48 hours. I got a call the next morning from Kevin, a case manager at American Honda Customer Service Department. He just wanted to tell me that he is looking at the information and said he would call back later in the day or the next day. I expressed my concern to him about the danger of driving on my tires and that I felt that the tires should be replaced by Honda due to the negligence of maintenance and all the hassle I have gone through. He said he needed to contact Tempe Honda and get back to me.
I got a call from Ladell Player (service manager at Tempe Honda) at 4:50pm saying that they were given authorization to cover the cost of ONE tire but I would still need to purchase the other tire at full price. I told him that I did not feel that I am responsible for the cost of either tire and mentioned AGAIN to him that the Honda service department did not rotate the tires when I asked about it. He said well the ball was definitely dropped somewhere on that but then told me that is all they are willing to do.
It was the end of the day at that point so yet ANOTHER day is gone and I am STILL driving on bad tires. I called Kevin (case manager) and left a message because he was already gone for the day. I am now waiting to hear back from him. I am totally amazed and disappointed that Honda would treat a loyal customer this way over a couple of tires. Especially, considering the fact that it is their fault that all of this happened by neglecting to properly service the vehicle. I do not appreciate their lack of concern for my safety, and their terrible customer service.
Kimberly
Maricopa, Arizona
U.S.A.
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