No spare tire in my Oddy!

yankeeblues · Jul 4, 2006

I have an 05 Ody EXL with 9700 miles bought new in March 05.

I had a rear tire blow out and shred into pieces today, so hard, it ripped up my factory mud guard. I was on a highway ramp going about 55 and hit nothing that I could see or feel. The tire just blew to smithereens. Tire was properly inflated as I always check before a highway ride. I had been driving about an hour at 68-72 mph.

Opened the spare tire holder in the left rear - NO @#$!$%@#!!$$!TIRE!!!!! No mounting bolt and no evidence that a bolt had ever been in the threads of the bolt fastener. Looks like the factory goofed and the dealer never checked. Yeah, I guess I should have but I never did....never imagined it might not be there! Jack was there, along with tire bag, etc.

We had to be flatbed trucked to Sears on 4th of July, miraculously open, where they had a Bridgetone of the correct size but not the correct Michelin (a special order of course despite Sears having their "Huge Michelin sale"). So I had to pay for towing (AAA covered most) and $150 for a wrong brand tire including balancing, valve stem etc. so I could make the 50 miles home.

Tomorrow I will be contacting the dealer. Don't know how far I am going to get on the shredded/exploded Michelin ( I am convinced it just failed) but I certainly think Honda should pay for the Bridgestone (they can have it for a shop spare!), the towing balance, and overnight me a new spare (they are 80 miles from my home) and attaching hardware since I can't drive anywhere with no spare. My brother knows the Dealer personally so I think they won't try to deny responsibility. Obviously, had the spare been there, I would have limped home at 50 mph and bought a new Michelin here.

What do your forum people think - has anyone ever heard of a new car with no spare?

Sears said they had seen it a few times before.

Anybody have a low milage factory Michelin shred up into mulch without seeing or feeling anything?

psu ody fan · Jul 5, 2006

Absolutely something the dealer should have noticed on the pre-delivery check list.

cruishall · Jul 5, 2006

it's hard to produce evidence that there's no spare tire in your ody, but it's worth the try. good luck!

yankeeblues · Jul 5, 2006

Well....

Just to clarify -

I do not think the dealer will argue with me about the spare. I have bought 4 cars from them, and my brother has bought many more, including a recent loaded Pilot and an even more recent $68k Jaguar (to each, his own...)

Further, all tires are original and un-repaired and the jack has still never been used. About the only other explanation is that I sold the donut on Ebay for $30 and then drove around with no spare.

Or, someone broke into a van (with an alarm), with no trace except for a stolen tire and mount...after carefully replacing the tire cover.

I always give the other side a gentlemanly opportunity to step up and fix a mistake. I also think it's very plain to see how there was never a holddown bolt in that holding nut.....

I'll post the results of my discussion with the dealer- I believe they'll make this right.

VFR pilot · Jul 5, 2006

doubt you'll get anything dealing w/ the destroyed tire. though i would rip them a new one about the no spare.

do EXL's come w/ TPMS?

yankeeblues · Jul 5, 2006

I have something more accurate than TPMS..a good brain, good eyes and a tire pressure gauge. The tires were checked the day before with the gauge at 36psi (my preferred hot weather pressure) and visually an hour before the blowout. I have been driving Ody's for 6 years now- my first flat.

I don't care much whether the dealer replaces the Michelin for the blown out tire; However, I will insist on an exchange for a Michelin for the Bridgestone I had to buy. And a new spare. And the towing $$.

yankeeblues · Jul 5, 2006

Good ending in sight already

I called my local Sears this am to find out about ordering a replacement Michelin and asking lamely if I could get ANY credit for the Bridgestone I don't need/want.

Apparently, Sears has a 30 days return policy on new tires!!!!!!
The Sears that sold me the mismatched tire yesterday didn't bother to tell me that but my local Sears did. So, I can order the Michelin and I'll just be out all of the balancing, valve stems, etc.

This is a great policy and makes going to Sears a great option after a blowout because nobody seems to stock the Ody Michelin Energy in retail outlets.

Dealer just called, apologized profusely and told me to take car to my local dealer (I bought car 80 miles away) and that they would reimbuse me for whatever I thought was fair. Dealers frequently get taken to task here for not doing what is "right." Well, they are in this case, no questions asked. (They did ask me to email them a pic of the empty well which I am happy to do).

Beyond that, I need a new mudguard and will ask for Michelin to look at shredded wheat tire - looks like 4 bangle bracelets. I think they should give me a new tire, and I'll pay for the first 9700 miles of wear. (25%). However, I won't fight them on this..I'll just buy non-Michelins at replacement time if they don't stand by them.

psu ody fan · Jul 5, 2006

Re: Good ending in sight already

yankeeblues said:
Beyond that, I need a new mudguard and will ask for Michelin to look at shredded wheat tire - looks like 4 bangle bracelets. I think they should give me a new tire, and I'll pay for the first 9700 miles of wear. (25%). However, I won't fight them on this..I'll just buy non-Michelins at replacement time if they don't stand by them.

Glad to hear it worked out for you. In my experience, Michelin customer service has been top notch. My wife hit a curb and slashed the sidewall on two tires when I first got my Mazda. Completely her fault. We had a little trouble finding replacement tires in the correct size, etc. Michelin reimbursed me 50% of my expense for my troubles, no questions asked.

GMnoMore · Jul 7, 2006

I have an '04 and the spare is under the mat between the front and middle row seats. Did they move it to the left rear in '05?

nds · Jul 7, 2006

GMnoMore said:
I have an '04 and the spare is under the mat between the front and middle row seats. Did they move it to the left rear in '05?

Yes.

yankeeblues · Jul 7, 2006

Followup

The dealer has shipped me a new donut and mounting bolt from a unit on his lot. Sears ordered me a new Michelin Energy (more than $200) but is accepting the Bridgestone back for a full refund.

Yes, the tire is now in the back right side because the previous spare well is now the lazy Susan - anyone put a full sized spare there in place of the lazy susan?

All you 05 -06 owners- Check your spare tire now!!!!!!!!!

From the mounting threads for the tire holder, it is plain to see that Honda shipped my van to the dealer without ever putting the spare in and then the dealer didn't inspect it either. Luckily they are sztanding by me 16 months later.

Now I am taking the mulched tire bits to a big volume Michelin dealer to ask for a replacement. I can't tell what happened from the remaining rubber shrapnel but if you can't tell it was a defect, you can't tell it hit an object either!

dgipalo · Jul 8, 2006

Re: Followup

yankeeblues said:
All you 05 -06 owners- Check your spare tire now!!!!!!!!!

From the mounting threads for the tire holder, it is plain to see that Honda shipped my van to the dealer without ever putting the spare in and then the dealer didn't inspect it either. Luckily they are sztanding by me 16 months later.

Now I am taking the mulched tire bits to a big volume Michelin dealer to ask for a replacement. I can't tell what happened from the remaining rubber shrapnel but if you can't tell it was a defect, you can't tell it hit an object either!

The spare tire 'tour' was a part of my dealer's 'pre-delivery' tour, including how to R&R the cover.

I pull the spare at every oil change and check/adjust the pressure in it. Part of my 'normal' tire rotation habit. I find that the tire is typically 10-15 PSI low, and needs air. And those donut spares are DANGEROUS under-inflated; they need the full advertised pressure to carry the load.

As to the tire failure - it's possible that you picked up a nail/debris, and had the tire leak down to self-destruction; doesn't take very long (< 1 mile) at nearly-deflated state. Last time I had a tire go flat on the highway was around 1991 in my 'vette; I was doing ~70 when I picked up debris in the sidewall. The tire sidewall was shreaded by the time I pulled to the side of the road, less than 1/4 mile from the point of hitting the debirs. These were original GY Eagle GTs. Granted, this was unusual, in that it was nearly instant deflation (took 3/8x1/2 inch chunk out of the sidewall), but it demonstrates my point.

yankeeblues · Jul 8, 2006

my point is....

IMHO, the tire is too badly damaged to tell what happened.

Although I cannot prove the tire did not hit something, the manufacturer similarly, cannot demonstrate that it did. I can't prove the tire was defective, but neither can they that it wasn't.

My tire is in 3 separate pieces - the tread and 2 sidewalls.

Interestingly, the tire appeared to fail as I was rounded a curved bank on a ramp from one highway to another, while the sidewalls were under stress. About 55 mph.

Your point is that you picked up debris - obviously, you either saw it, felt it, or saw evidence of it after the fact. In this case, none of these siituations apply. So it does not seems your experience is directly relevant to mine.

I expect that I'll get something for complaining nicely. We'll see.

sega626 · Jul 8, 2006

Re: Followup

yankeeblues said:
The dealer has shipped me a new donut and mounting bolt from a unit on his lot.

All you 05 -06 owners- Check your spare tire now!!!!!!!!!

Exactly! Especially if you are buying a new one from a dealer in Connecticut!

BTW, I wonder if the factory thought yours was a Touring? And, is there someone out there driving a Touring with a spare they don't know they have?

Somewhat related, I just put air in one of my tires when I realized it was low. My wife said she was told it was low about a month ago, but I never had a chance to check it. When I did, it had about 22psi. What damage may have occurred if at worse circumstance, I was running on the tire that underinflated for a month. Everything looks okay, and I am keeping a close eye on it now.

dgipalo · Jul 8, 2006

Re: my point is....

yankeeblues said:
IMHO, the tire is too badly damaged to tell what happened.

Although I cannot prove the tire did not hit something, the manufacturer similarly, cannot demonstrate that it did. I can't prove the tire was defective, but neither can they that it wasn't.

My tire is in 3 separate pieces - the tread and 2 sidewalls.

Interestingly, the tire appeared to fail as I was rounded a curved bank on a ramp from one highway to another, while the sidewalls were under stress. About 55 mph.

Your point is that you picked up debris - obviously, you either saw it, felt it, or saw evidence of it after the fact. In this case, none of these siituations apply. So it does not seems your experience is directly relevant to mine.

I expect that I'll get something for complaining nicely. We'll see.

The fact that the tire sidewalls got sliced off by the rim demonstrates loss of air and highway speeds, and going around a curve would put extra stress on a tire. Also, since the Oddy has much better isolation from the road than a mid-80's 'vette, a tire going flat is much less obvious. The incident I described was obvious because there was a loud 'crash' from the debris being slung into the chasis (I had a fair gouge in the plastic inner fender and a scrape/dent on the frame) A more 'stealthy' debris hit, especially on a noisy or rough road, would not have been nearly as obvious. And if you were cranking some tunes, not at all audible.

Given your description of tire failure, you're luck that the rim's not toast; running on the rim will trash it out faster than you may imagine.

Another thing your experience DOES demonstrate is the significant value of a tire pressure monitoring system. With a relatively smooth and isolated vehicle, a low tire may not be noticed until it fails. A TPMS, expecially when it gives both visual and audible alerts, would give notice of impending problems. ALthough I am a PAX-skeptic, the presence of TPMS in the Touring-level trim is a GOOD THING, and would be worthwhile for all trim levels and a significant safety item.

Good luck in your pursuit of warranty compensation. If you had road hazzard warranty coverage, there wouldn't be any questions. Most tire dealers will sell you such coverage at a reasonable cost ($10 or so a tire) when it's relatively new. Also Tire Rack offers a direct-reading wireless TPMS for ~275 plus installation; it consists of sensors in the wheels and a display unit in the vehicle. The Tire Rack Link

yankeeblues · Jul 8, 2006

How is it that

How is it that you seem to have a much better idea of what happened than I do? You weren't in that Passat next to me by any chance, were you?

For the record, I was driving carefully and paying attention to the road. The tire was not low before it went flat. I checked all my tires one hour before it blew. The loss of pressure was instantanious. I entered the ramp with a fully inflated tire and exited the ramp with a blown tire.

I am not trying to convince you the tire failed. But with all due respect, I was there - you weren't. And the damaged tire is right in front of me.

I am sure you are trying to be helpful, but your 70mph corvette story is not relevant to my incident, in my opinion.

I made this thread because I doubt my Ody is the only one that was shipped without the tire.

Some folks here may check the pressure in their spare like you every few months - however, many of the rest of us may not be so careful. Anyone out there who hasn't checked out their spare should do so asap. I took the spare for granted.

End of story.

lelandstanford · Jul 8, 2006

If specs list at tirerack.com is correct. Michelin Energy LX4 (235/65-16) weighs 21 lb and BridgeStone is 31 lb.

That lighter than (smaller) G2 sizes: 215/65-16 (23 lb.) and 225/60-16 (25 lb.).

How can you have larger tires of the same make/model and weigh less?

No spare tire in my Oddy!

yankeeblues

psu ody fan

cruishall

yankeeblues

VFR pilot

yankeeblues

yankeeblues

psu ody fan

GMnoMore

nds

yankeeblues

dgipalo

yankeeblues

sega626

dgipalo

yankeeblues

lelandstanford

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities