FRIDAY EVENING WHILE DRIVING IN 5:00 PM TRAFFIC I HAD A BLOWOUT ON THE INTERSTATE IN MY 2002 HONDA CRV. IT WAS THE DRIVER'S SIDE BACK TIRE WHICH HAD THE BLOWOUT. THE CAR IS ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS OLD WITH 26,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS NOT HURT NOR WAS THE CAR DAMAGED. THE TIRE IS A BRIDGESTONE, I APOLOGIZE THAT I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT MODEL, AND IS THE STANDARD TIRE PUT ON THE CAR WHEN IT WAS SOLD TO ME NEW OFF THE HONDA LOT. ON SATURDAY MORNING I WENT TO A TIRE SHOP TO GET A NEW TIRE AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD SEVERE TREAD SEPARATION ON THE OTHER 3 TIRES. THE SPARE HAD AS YOU CAN IMAGINE NO SEPARATION. THE DRIVER'S FRONT TIRE SHOWED SIGNS OF SEVERE SEPARATION, THAT EVEN A NOVICE LIKE MYSELF COULD NOTICE. THE GENTLEMEN AT THE TIRE SHOP SAID THAT ALL FOUR TIRES HAVING TREAD SEPARATION COULD POSSIBLY BE A DEFECT FROM THE FACTORY. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, IN AUGUST 2003 I HAD A 20,000 MILE CHECK UP AT A LOCAL HONDA DEALER, WHICH INCLUDED TIRE ROTATION AND INSPECTION OF THE CONDITION OF THE TIRE. IN SEPTEMBER 2003 I RETURNED TO THE SAME HONDA DEALER TO GET THE TIRES BALANCED. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THE TIRE HAD A BLOWOUT BUT EVEN MORE CONCERNED THAT THE MECHANICS DID NOT NOTICE THE TREAD SEPARATION. I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD PASS ALONG THIS BIT OF INFORMATION. *LA
