Continental Tires Covered Under New TSB!

new05vibeowner · Post by **new05vibeowner** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 12:12 am

Seems the good folks at Pontiac have given us Vibe owners with Continental tires a Christmas present! There is now a TSB out regarding cupping of the junk Continental OEM tires. Showed mine to the dealer, who, with no argument whatsoever, agreed and hung a new set of Goodyear Assurance Comfortred tires on my '05 this morning. They had the Contis stacked next to the car, and they looked almost cone shaped, being much more worn on the insides, in addition to the horrible scalloping on the outside edges. I've only driven the Vibe 30 or so miles on the Comfortreds, and the difference is INCREDIBLE! Zero, and I mean zero road noise at all. I can't believe the difference. My Vibe had just less than 17K on it when they switched the tires. With an 80K treadlife warranty, these might be the last tires I put on the car!

damronjr · Post by **damronjr** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 12:14 am

It's about time! A little late for most of us, but glad to hear for the newer owners.

tnpartsguy · Post by **tnpartsguy** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 12:37 am

TSB # 1740464 (Covers '03 ~ Current Vibes)

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 8:26 am

Very intersting indeed! My Conti's are original and look great, lots of tread left at 28,000... However I just noticed cupping on the inside of them! The front pass is making a noise as well as it rotates thought is was a balance wheel weight issue, so I pulled it off the car and disovered the cupping, thus the noise. My car is aligned just fine too...I have to wait until Tuesday to look up this TSB from work...

JohnC · Post by **JohnC** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 8:45 am

Well I did my part in convincing GM that the Contis were trash. Every time a survey was sent to me I went into great detail on how the Continental tires were "ruining my GM experiance". I went all the way thru thier customer complaint procedure, but never got new tires. All they would say is that I wasn't the only customer having problems.Continental tires , GM for FINALY putting out a TSB.

03VibeGT6Spd · Post by **03VibeGT6Spd** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 6:07 pm

Quote, originally posted by JohnC Â» All they would say is that I wasn't the only customer having problems.I have a hard time believing that statement, GM admits to nothing!I'm the only person who has ever complain about Clutch issues, Tire Issues or Automactic light issues.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 6:40 pm

No, no no! Say it ain't so! The lady at GM told me I was the only one!!!... I'M the only person who ever had the automatic light issues! I feel so, well, cheated! lol! Ahem, anyway, well, I'm glad GM is finally doing the right thing and helping their customers out. I never had a problem, mine were in great shape at 24 or 26K, can't remember when I killed one of 'em... Replaced all of them at that point for consistency's sake. I'll never know how long they would have lasted had I not curbed that one tire and ultimately replaced all four.

21Rouge · Post by **21Rouge** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 9:11 pm

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy Â»TSB # 1740464 (Covers '03 ~ Current Vibes)Do/have all (including Canadian) Vibes come into this world outfitted with 'Continental' tires?

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 3:27 am

well that sucks for us older Vibe owners... who have already worn out/replaced those crappy tires for something better lol. But as said already, this helps the new Vibe owners with them.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 6:46 am

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover Â»Do/have all (including Canadian) Vibes come into this world outfitted with 'Continental' tires? No they also come with Goodyear RSA which are a bit better but are very short lived.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:24 pm

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy Â»TSB # 1740464 (Covers '03 ~ Current Vibes)I am in the GM system now and cannot find this TSB. This number looks strange...I have even tried 17-40-464 and nothing came up, manually looked through all of them as well. EDIT: Scratch that I just found it!

remusrm · Post by **remusrm** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 11:27 am

want to find this out too, since my damn tires are bold int he middle, and no i did not over inflate them... I am at 25k and are worn...

Yury · Post by **Yury** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:38 am

MiVibe-ToolGuy, could you post the actual TSB number ? I just spoke to my dealer and they could not find the tsb by the originally posted number.They are a bit uncooperative on this issue, so if possible could you post the contents of the tsb as well so i am well prepared ?Thanks a lot.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:18 am

IM sent to you Yury! The TSB number is indeed 1740464, under bulletins/campaigns. It does not look like other GM TSB numbers but that is what it is. I looked under 2003 Vibe and searched under the word "TIRE". The word Tires did not work or Continental for a search...

Yury · Post by **Yury** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:27 am

thanks Todd, it is really appreciated.

Blue Goose · Post by **Blue Goose** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:50 am

Tool Guy- Could you send any info on this TSB to me also? I have an 05 Matrix that came with the Conti's and I kid you not...I just dumped them a week or so ago due to the scalloping and cupping issue!! Guess what I had put on.....Comfortreds!!! Talk about LOUSY timing I know this is a Vibe TSB but maybe a Toyota one is in the near future....man this ticks me off BIG time THanks in advance

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 2:42 am

IM sent...

vibe-04 · Post by **vibe-04** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 4:23 am

I just got a call back from my dealer and the TSB apparently related to scalloping and cupping on the rear tires only. They are not sure if this will be covered since I have no service records indicating when the tires were rotated or as in my case swapped for winter tires.Does someone have the exact TSB description?thxs

new05vibeowner · Post by **new05vibeowner** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:31 am

Procured from the Internet:"Premature or Irregular Rear Tire Wear""2003-2005 Pontiac Vibe""The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI."Condition/Concern:""Premature or irregular rear tire wear on vehicles with original equipment Continental Conti-Touring Contact tires, size P205/55R16 89H.. The customer concern may be exissive tire noise and the tires may show a feathering or cupping wear pattern on the inside edges. Mileage on the subject vehicle may be in the 15,000 to 21,000 mile range."If you rotated your tires even once, it would stand to reason that you'd have the issue on all four tires, and there's nothing that says that you didn't rotate the tires yourself.If I were you, I'd push my dealer hard on this and insist that they re-shoe your car at no charge if your mileage is in the 15-21K range. If you're over that, negotiate a deal based on how many miles you got out of the Contis. If the dealership won't help, then call the local GM zone rep directly and plead your case. I was extremely fortunate - my dealer replaced all four of mine at no cost, but then again, they see my Vibe about every 8 weeks for an oil change, and know that I'm religious about maintenance.Good luck!

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:30 pm

Quote, originally posted by new05vibeowner Â»If you rotated your tires even once, it would stand to reason that you'd have the issue on all four tires, and there's nothing that says that you didn't rotate the tires yourself.This will be the tricky part! Like you said the rears will end up on the fronts eventually and thus all four will show issues! I have 28,000 on my car and the GM info states MAY BE in the 15,000 to 21,000 range which if you get a cranky dealer they may say it does not fall in the mileage... All tires are different and highway miles accumulate faster and an owner will be out of the miles listed but still have issues like me. I just hope the dealers do not take the MAY BE as MUST BE! 15,000-21,000 miles in my book equals 3-4 tires rotations and that is how I rotate my tires making all last about 50,000-55,000 miles. I do not like the way this is written GM! Rears only how ridicules! With my 28,000 on my car if they do not get replaced by GM I figure they will probably go another 15,000-20,000 because except for that inner edge, they have lots of tread on them. And the inner edge is only worn a little at this point.The road noise on the other hand is out of control!

rubberman · Post by **rubberman** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 1:09 pm

Is there a way to post the whole tsb so it can printed off. I found if you have a copy the dealer can't play stupid.When I had a copy of the battery one they replaced it right away.

vibe-04 · Post by **vibe-04** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:43 am

Thanks (credit) to MiVibe-ToolGuy

Yury · Post by **Yury** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:20 pm

The TSB says 'inside edge'. But, I found that mine have wear on the outside ! I don't get it.I took off a tire and it can't stand on it's own and falls on the side.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 10:18 pm

Quote, originally posted by rubberman Â»Is there a way to post the whole tsb so it can printed off. I found if you have a copy the dealer can't play stupid.When I had a copy of the battery one they replaced it right away.IM me if you want...

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:19 am

Rob, your IM is disabled. I tried to IM you back and than it got deleted because it would not send and I lost your email address in the IM. Can you turn your IM on or IM me your email again...Well at any rate I can only fax not email the info.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:04 am

I took the TSB to my dealer when I had some other work done today. The service advisor confirmed that my tires were cupped (at 19,125 miles) and told me to call 1-800-GM-CARES and that they (assume he meant GM-CARES) would want proof of my tire rotations. When calling that number I got a message that for Chevrolet to call 1-800-222-1020; for Pontiac 1-800-762 (then got a busy signal). Tried twice more and same thing. So I called the Chevrolet number thinking they woudl have the complete Pontiac number. She said she could handle Pontiac. She could not find the TSB but put me on hold and called the Dealer Service Advisor who told her that the reason he could not help me is that I didn't have my service records. GM CARES told me to take the documentation back to the Service Manager at the dealer.I rotated tores at 4,494 (Procare); 11,398 (dealer). and 18,391(Goodyear). I remember Procare telling me the tires were cupped at the first rotation but that was not noted on my bill. The dealer bill for the 11,398 rotation stated "Tires are cupped - may need alignment".Car Talk's Bob and Ray say that the #1 reason for a need for an alignment is an alignment, i.e. that the prior alignment was screwed up. I predict in the end it will be deemed to by my fault, my problem. However I never expected anything so if I get nothing that will meet my expectations. Tread is not too bad for 19,000 miles. Also - I had to go to Procare to get a print out of my 4,494 rotation. Must have misfiled my original. It is just on white paper but I have a credit card statement showing a Procare charge for that amount on that date. They'd have to be pretty (removed) to say that isn't good enough proof.

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:19 am

I was lucky to get mine replaced without having it to be an issue...however this TSB seems to be "to little to late."most people have already ditched their crappy contis for something different....Hopefully all those who paid extra for new tires can go back to the dealer and work out a compromise.

vibe-04 · Post by **vibe-04** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:29 am

I've been on the phone and they are giving me crap about rotations as well. I estimate I've got 16,000KM (10,000 miles) and they are almost down to the wear bars. They said to bring the tires down and they will look at them They are off the car now and I'm on snows (X-Ice) which look brand new!

rubberman · Post by **rubberman** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:29 am

Got the Fax Tool-Guy thanks.Vibe 04 my dealer gave flak about tire rotations in the summer saying they had no record of them being done(did them myself when I removed the snows) the tires are all wore on the inside(If they were smart this means they were rotated) and one or two have blad patchs.My luck GM still won't do squat So I will continue to give my local dealer a bad name. The car has 43000kms so the tires have about 20000kms on them

GT Guy · Post by **GT Guy** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 8:39 am

My dealer replaced all 4 of my continentals today with Goodyear Eagle RSA's. Free!! Thanks for the info. I had 34k miles on the Conti's and have had my GT since 11/02. I am very pleased!

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 12:57 am

Quote, originally posted by GT Guy Â»My dealer replaced all 4 of my continentals today with Goodyear Eagle RSA's. Free!! Thanks for the info. I had 34k miles on the Conti's and have had my GT since 11/02. I am very pleased!I got all mine replaced at 3 years/19,000 mi (but with the same Conti's) at the end of Jan. but had to pay for mounting and balancing - about $80; plus I followed their advice and got an alignment costing $60. I was surprised as I always thought tire issues were not part of the car warranty but had to be taken up with the tire manufacturer. That's who probably eventually eats the cost anyway.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:11 am

Well I took the Vibe to the dealer and this is what happened...Nothing!!! I was over the mileage in the bulletin but it did state MAY BE in the 15,000 - 21,000 range, I have 31,000. However my tires look brand new and show little cupping on the inside edge. Obviously the dlr could tell they have been aired up to the proper PSI and rotated every 5,000 miles. The dlr said their GM rep said since I was over the mileage, they would split the cost of 4 new tires and an alignment with me and the tune of $350... I said what? You want me to pay for the GM factory mistake with misaligning the rear end? Dlr said that is what our GM rep said. I said no thanks, call the shuttle to pick me up... I will make my Conti tires last 50,000, even with the road noise.Not even we will replace the 2 rears if you pay for an alignment. Nothing, nada, zilch... Hope others have better luck than me.

eilros · Post by **eilros** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 5:05 am

Thanks for the info about the TSB. My tires have 26,400 miles on them and have feathered horribly. The rest of the tread is fine. I bought my 2004 Certified Vibe used with 19,122 miles on it so I know they were rotated by the dealer at that time. Hopefully I be able to get them replaced.

Sharpeye · Post by **Sharpeye** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:31 am

too much hassle just to get another set of second rate tires. My new TA's go on tomorrow. 205/60's. Road hazard and everthing for $321, and I'm done with tire issues for a heck of a long time.

darth_bumdart · Post by **darth_bumdart** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:15 am

Thanks for posting the TSB. The dealer (Carroll's, Halifax) replaced my bald Conti's (Cheers!

chargervibe · Post by **chargervibe** » Sun May 14, 2006 1:51 pm

I found this thread just before I'm about to hit the 36k mark. I had taken my 04 in for a vibration last August. I was told at that time that the it was due to cupped tires from them not being rotated properly around the 24k markSo last week, I call the one of the service advisors and he tells me to bring it on in and they'll take a look at it. So they give the tires a look over and determine that they are essentially shot. He told me though that they weren't going to replace them. I needed to call GM and get them to authorize the tires new tires.So I get on the phone with GM Pontiac. The guy tells me that there is nothing he can do until he calls the service manager and gets the info about my Vibe. The service manager tells him that the tires are now worn due to normal wear and tear (which at 35k they certainly are). I tell the Pontiac guy that I'm aware they are shot now but I brought the Vibe in last August for this issue and he said the service manager had no record of that.So I get back on the phone with the service advisor, who laughs when I tell him that Pontiac was told there wasn't a record and he pulls it up gives me the date and everything.So I call Pontiac back, get the same guy back on the phone due to the case number. He's telling me there is nothing he can do.. yada yada yada.. I finally convince him to the service manager back. When he gets back on the phone with me, he informs me that the service manager says my Vibe was brought in but the tires were vibration was due to the tires not being rotated properly.To say the least, I was quite upset. I couldnt' believe it. The Pontiac guy told me that all my local dealer had to do was call and ask for the authorization and it would be no problem. GM would pay for it and everything. He suggested I go to another dealer.At this point, I call the service advisor back and tell him what all is going on. He tells me that thier service service manager is just like that sometimes and won't replace them despite it not costing him a dime.Tomorrow, I'm calling the salesman whom I've known for years from cchurch and have bought my last two Vibes from. If he can't go talk to the service manager. I'll go talk to the service manager and inform him quickly that if I have to go to another dealership to get this issue resolved I'll never be back and I'll make sure that his bosses know that as well.

wcelline · Post by **wcelline** » Thu May 18, 2006 12:52 am

Good news to hear...A couple years ago I had this problem on my 03 Vibe. Took it to the dealer a few times to complain. They said it was lack of rotation. By 17k I had to buy new tires for Safety. I went back to the dealer one more time with all my receipts for rotation (every 5-6k) and the receipts for new tires that I had to purchase to pass inspection.After a few weeks, I got a check from GM for the cost of the tires.Best of luck to all...

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Fri May 19, 2006 3:57 am

You may still have a hard time unless you can prove you DID rotate your tires. Have some kind of record?I had a record in my car with dates since I rotated them on my own but that still did not help my cause. Guess mine were not worn that bad and other than the noise, my tires have lots of even thread on them still.Good luck, this seems like a hard one for most of us...

jasonvibe · Post by **jasonvibe** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:38 am

OKAY, I see the front page of the TSB. But it also mentions vibration on the Goodyear RSA's. Does anyone know what the other pages say about the RSA's???

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 10:11 pm

Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe Â»OKAY, I see the front page of the TSB. But it also mentions vibration on the Goodyear RSA's. Does anyone know what the other pages say about the RSA's???The document only is one page... And it only states Continental Conti's P205/55R16 89H, nothing about Goodyears sorry.

jasonvibe · Post by **jasonvibe** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 3:11 am

It says "RSA uneven vibration". Is there some other meaning to "RSA" ? I have a slight vibration...had the tires balanced at one place and paid again to have that balance checked. ALL ARE BALANCED. But I still have a slight highway vibration that varies with speed and whether or not I am turning the steering wheel a bit. The dealer told me they all do that. Meaning I guess VIBES all vibrate. Now I know where they go the name. Another said it's fine, "could not duplicate. But none could explain why my $50 snow tires on steel rims are like riding on a cloud in comparison. Crap GoodYears or bad wheels? The dealers refuse to check the tires or alloy wheels for trueness. THESE are chearly stated as covered under warranty. I used to own a Bonneville which was Pontiac's top of the line car. The dealers treated me well. Now I drive a lower cost car...they treat me like dirt. "IS there an issue with the RS-A's?" The bulletin pic shown here looks incomplete. "RSA"

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:56 pm

Quote, originally posted by Mark Â»When I got my Vibe AWD in '04 those contis were so ****ty that I spun out in the snow going 20 mph, smacked into a curb and broke the front A-arm. tires only had 8,000 miles on them. Then I bought Michelin hydroedge's. Never had a better tire in my lifetime. I dont care what you people say, but I think my tires are worth more than the car. Wow, you sure are a negative person.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:29 pm

Quote, originally posted by Markistheman Â»When I got my Vibe AWD in '04 those contis were so ****ty that I spun out in the snow going 20 mph, smacked into a curb and broke the front A-arm. tires only had 8,000 miles on them. Then I bought Michelin hydroedge's. Never had a better tire in my lifetime. I dont care what you people say, but I think my tires are worth more than the car. most cars come with all season tires that are relatively poor in snow. Some people who live in areas that get significant snow have a second set of tires, one set of general road tires for summer, one set of snow tires for winter. Having AWD does nothing to improve the tire/road traction. The contis having only 8000 miles on them was probably not a factor, even brand new they would be no substitute for good set of snow tires. 20 mph doesn't sound very fast at all, but not knowing the road conditions at the time, I'd assume it was too fast for those road conditions with those tires, given what the result was. It is unfortunate that you have such a low satisfaction level with your car, hope you can replace it soon with one you will like better.