Continental Tires

Wolfgang of Margate, FL July 16, 2009

Bought a 2006 Mercury Montego in early 2007 from the local Lincoln/Mercury dealer.Car had 7500 mi.on it with 4 Continental tires.After about 2mo. in our possession the car developed humming noises at the right rear side.Sounded like the wheel bearing was going.Noise really got worse when hitting any speed above 45 mi./hr.Put up with noise for about another month until it got to be unbearable.Took the car in to the local Lincoln/Mercury dealer.Explained the problem to the Service Rep.who looked at me a little skeptical and stated that wheel bearing don't wear that fast on a new car.Inspected the tires and after rubbing her hand across the left rear tire came up with a hand-full of little rubber pellets from the tire.Defective Continental tire! Dry Rot!After going around with her with a few good arguments (I thought)such as why does Ford put on substandard tires on a brand-new Mercury product dealer relented after explaining that tires on a new car are not under warranty and said 2 new tires have to go on the car.

I have to pay for one tire and dealer will pay for one tire.Also I have to pay for a wheel alignment.I felt the alignment was unnecessary but I was behind the proverbial 8-ball-- no alignment, no tires -good bye.Drove the car out with 2 new Continental tires on the car.Cost to me: 1 wheel alignment and 1 new Continental tire.

Now the wheel bearing noise is not too bad and the car is driven for another 5000 to 6000 miles but humming noise is gradually coming back.Again back to the Lincoln/Mercury dealer.This time I by-pass the Service Rep. and go directly to the Service manager who who humours me and test-drives the Montego.

Yep, the noise comes from the tires.. his opinion.Thank you very much..Back to square One.Crabby Continental tires ..wheelbearing noise.. humming and whining is now with us(me and my wife)permanently.That is one dealer who will not see me again in his showroom for another car. We put up with the noisy tires for another 8-9month.It gets to be embarrassing when we have friends riding with us.Finally the corker came last week when we went to my granddaughter's soccer tournament in Naples, Fla.We drove on Alligator Alley from Ft.Lauderdale to Naples.(about 110 miles)and the humming,singing noise of the tires got so bad(you could hardly hear yourself talking to each other in the Montego) that we were mentally exhausted on the return trip.

We ran to a local reputable tire dealer and explained the noise problem to him. Ah,yes... it is your tires.. Continentals maybe? He put the car on a State-of-the-art wheel alignment machine(Electronic wheel alignment with computer screens) and I saw how much the wheels were out of alignment.The right rear tire was so much out of round it was useless to keep it on the car.Original lousy wheel alignment by the Lincoln/Mercury service Dept..

We bit the bullet and had 4 new Yokohama tires installed, balanced and aligned and sh.t- canned the 4 Continental tires. Now, there is peace and quiet in the Montego.. quiet as the proverbial church mouse.

In conclusion, I will never ever buy another car with Continental tires on it.If a dealer has them on the car he either puts on different set of tires or it is good-bye in the show-room. For those individuals who read this and have Continental tires on their car or truck, run ..don,t walk to your tire dealer,bite the bullet and replace those Continentals as fast as you possibly can.I will not deal nor talk to Continental tires.

Victoria of Penfield, NY July 10, 2009

Regarding my previous post about the Continental 4x4 Contact tires which were the original tires on my 2007 Honda CRV and are currently worn out and dangerous at 33,000 miles and 31 months into the lease. I spoke with the dealership again. They say they did not offer a warrantee on these tires.

My question is, why are car manufacturers putting substandard tires on their new cars? And how is it these cars score well for safety? Isn't the WHOLE, car considered? The organizations who test these cars, do they only test new cars? Do they not consider that safety and longevity of the vehicle and its parts are important to the consumer for the long run and not just in the first few months of ownership? Do I, as an informed consumer, have to research not only the new car but all the various components of the car and the other manufacturers? I am not sure who to be more angry with; the car manufacturers who apparently cut corners or the tire manufacturers who know they make a sub-standard product and sell them "in bulk" to car manufacturers. The dealerships are not really to blame. However, now they are trying to sell me replacements tires which ARE warranted for 65,000 miles.

I am leasing this vehicle for 42 months, so the tires will outlast my ownership. I don't know why I find this so insulting but I do. I purchase a vehicle in good faith, truly believing I have done my homework and researched the kind of car I need etc. I am responsible and make my monthly payment, obey the various laws of the road but I have on tires which may "bubble", rapidly wear out, or burst at any time despite my diligence. This is the last time I will buy a vehicle with the factory tires on it. I will also base my purchase on the type of tires on the vehicle and the dealerships' willingness to modify the tires without extra cost. I urge others to do the same. As a consumer, I always feel like I am "behind the eight-ball" and that I am being scammed. Every time something like this happens, I realize how realistic my paranoia is. As a consumer please tell me what I can do to assure the products I purchase in good faith, are sold and made with a commitment to quality.

Victor of Fontana, CA July 10, 2009

Purchased a new 2005 Volkswagen Jetta with Continental ContiProContact size 225 45R17 tires in August 2006. In late 2007, we noticed cracks in the tires around the area where the tread meets the sidewalls. Took back to the dealer who referred us to a tire dealer who replaced with 2 Continental tires of the same brand and size at a prorated rate. The 2 replaced tires were the only ones showing cracks. Early in 2009, we noticed the same type of cracking on the 2 other Continental tires. Since they were worn, I replaced them with Yokahama tires of the same size.

Last night, my daughter had a blowout on one of the 2 remaining Continental tires. Very scary for this father and more so for my daughter. Coincidence? Maybe. I strongly feel that these tires warrant an investigation. Is this the same company that had the big issues with the SUV tires for the Ford Explorer?

Bob of San antonio, TX July 4, 2009

I have a 2006 VW Jetta GLI, the ContiProContacts came on the car stock. The tires have always been maintained and have only 25K on them. 2 of the 4 have serious cracks on the side walls, tread is still good. Affraid to drive the car because the tires could blow.

Bob of San antonio, TX July 4, 2009

I have a 2006 VW Jetta GLI, the ContiProContacts came on the car stock. The tires have always been maintained and have only 25K on them. 2 of the 4 have serious cracks on the side walls, tread is still good. Affraid to drive the car because the tires could blow.

Don of Oak Ridge, NC June 26, 2009

I purchased a new 2007 x-type Jaguar on 2/20/07. Around 19k 01/06/09 the steering wheel was shaking. When i took the car to the dealer I was told the front tire had a bubble,and I was lucky it didn't blow out. They told me I needed four tires new tires because they could not be balanced because of the side walls.

Elizabeth of Glenwood, NJ June 26, 2009

I purchased a Mercedes C300 in December 2008; since that time I have had to replace my Continental tires 9 times! The tires do not hold up well at all in any road condition. While I do drive 50 miles each way to work, I have done so for the last 25 years of my life and have never replaced any tires other than for normal wear and tear. These tires are extremely sensitive to road conditions, and going over any type of pothole/dent in the road causes bubbles/flat tires rather easily. My last flat occurred while I was driving 60 mph down the highway, I experienced no potholes and the tire literally exploded. And that tire was a brand new tire--having only been on my car for approximately 2 months!!! I was very lucky to have not had an accident.

June of Reidsville, NC June 25, 2009

I purchased a 2008 Ford Escape in April, 2009 from the local dealer. The vehicle had 4,000 miles on it, but I bought it as "new" as it had been used as a demo. Continental tires. I have already had to have one of the tires replaced due to uneven wear. Now, all four tires are wearing unevenly.

I travel I-95 at the speed limit and after reading comments from this site, fear for my safety and that of other drivers on the road near me. This set of tires now has 9,500 miles on them. I am very disappointed that Ford would put such poor quality tires on its new vehicles. Had I seen this site sooner, I would have insisted that the Continental tires be replaced with a more reliable brand of tire. I expect to have the tires replaced with a more reliable brand much sooner than one would expect with the purchase of a new vehicle.

Sandra of Plainville, MA June 16, 2009

My 2007 Honda Crv has 31 000 miles on it. The ride is noisy so I took it to the Honda dealership to have the noise evaluated. I was told that I needed 4 new tires. I asked if this was covered under the "bumper to bumper" warranty and was told that Honda did not cover the tires and that I would need to take the matter up with the tire manufacturer which is Continental. I wrote to Continental and requested 4 new tires and was told that they would not honor my request but would give me 50% off the purchase of 4 new tires.

Joyce of Lincroft, NJ June 8, 2009

We bought our daughter a 2008 Porsche Cayenne in March of 2008. Three months later she had a blow out on the Right front tire. Luckily, she was on an open road and was able to come to a stop without harm. Three days ago, she was driving over a bridge and had a blow out in the Left front tire. This time she was not as lucky and hit the guardrail (which saved her life from swerving off the bridge into the water below). Continental said she must have hit a pot hole. She did NOT. She did not hit a pot hole when her right front tire blew either!

These tires are defective and VERY DANGEROUS and lives will be lost because of them. Since Continental is assuming no liability, and the Porsche dealership says to take it up with the Tire Company, my only recourse is to NEVER give my business to another dealership who deals with Continental Tires.

Our Porsche Cayenne is in the shop now with over 4,000 worth of damage to the body alone, and the cost will add up once they get to the suspension. My daughter was taken to the hospital where they found that she had bruised her kidney and her leg very badly. It is ridiculous that tire companies are not held accountable for their defective products. I am BEYOND frustrated and angry about this. I will NOT deal with another dealership who puts Continental tires on the automobiles.

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