All 4 tires of my Nissan 2004 (first owner) develop cracks on sidewalls, not sure when cracks developed however, based on 1/8" wide crack (gap) on right rear inside tire, crack must have started between 25,000 & 30,000 miles, all along perimeter where sidewall meets tread. Tire size (original equipment manufacturer) P245-45-R18, Goodyear Eagle rs-a. dealer (central valley Nissan, modesto ca). Condition of tires are obviously a sign of structural defect. Tires can explode at any time and should not be driven until new tires have been placed. Dealerships should be notified to watch for conditions on models that were sold with this particular tire. I found the condition myself and unfortunately have never been warned by the dealer who sold me the vehicle. I believe many others with the same type of tire are at risk today and not aware of the impending consequence.

- Ripon, CA, USA

All 4 tires of my Nissan 2004 (first owner) develop cracks on sidewalls (25000 miles), all along perimeter where sidewall meets tread. Tire size (original equipment manufacturer) P245-45-R18, Goodyear. Dealer (sheehy Nissan, springfield, va) released document : "found all 4 tires have splits in sidewalls. No apparent damage -- looks like under warranty." Tires have been rotated by dealer at recommended intervals, wheels balanced. Nissan manual:at rotation dealer inspects for abnormalities; no mention of problems at about 2600 miles. Dealer advise contact Goodyear hq, tires not guaranteed Nissan. Was advised by Goodyear hq to have car inspected @ craven tires, fairfax station, va. Craven tires released written statement: "we found cracks in all 4 tires inconsistent with dry rot due to mileage and age of tires. Customer was offered 25% courtesy discount on new tires. Customer has declined at this time. Offer stands for 30 days. Note tread depth on all 4 tires is 4/32 of an inch." Note that 4/32 is measured from embedded "consumption" bar, note also that new tires are 10/32 inch, hence tires would still have 40% life (4/10). My opinion is a structural defect and therefore a danger for all these tires, not only on my car. Dealer (Mr. Ron del rio, sheehy Nissan, springfield, va) confirmed by mouth that the problem had occurred on many other Maximas en Altima, but that all clients had decided to pay themselves for replacement. These tires will see separation of sidewalls/tread, rapid deflation and may cause accident. Do not use the car until this is solved to my full satisfaction; will not hesitate to bring the matter in front of the court. I am awaiting answer on my notes that I sent to Goodyear corporate address and Nissan customer services. Nissan has notified me that it will answer me within 2-3 days, as the matter had to brought to the attention of "higher level" people within their organization.

- Fairfax Station, VA, USA

: the contact stated cracks were noticed on the sidewall of the tires. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who advised to call the tire manufacturer. The manufacturer of the tires determined the cracks were a result of wear and age, not dry rot. The tires needed to be replaced.

- Fairfax Station, VA, USA

: the contact stated while washing the vehicle, the sidewall of all four tires were discovered to be cracked. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the sidewalls were worn and the tires needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was alerted. The tires are Goodyear, model Eagle rs-a, P245/45R18.

- Killeen, TX, USA

: the contact stated that there were tears on the inside wall of all 4 tires. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who determined that the vehicle was unsafe to drive with the tires in that condition, however the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the problem.

- Plainview, NY, USA

Goodyear Eagle rsa tires P245/45R18, on Nissan Maxima 2004, with 20,000 miles. All four tires are defective. Tread is separating from sidewall. Goodyear has no recall and Nissan has no recall on this issue. The dealer I took the car to said that mine was about the 3rd Nissan he seen with this issue. I just took my 2004 Nissan maximum into the dealer for a front seat and undercarriage recall issue and ask them to look at my front tire because the sidewall of the tire had a large split in it. The dealer told me that all four tires were bad on my car and the inside of the tires were much worse than the split in the sidewall that I pointed out to them. My car only has 20,000 miles on it and the dealer would not replace the tires because Goodyear will not acknowledge this problem and send the dealers replacement tires.

- Joppa, MD, USA

This complaint documents a very disturbing situation regarding Goodyear Eagle rs-a P245/45R18 tires on our 2004 Nissan Maxima. We are the original owners and there were 29,500 miles on the car at the time. We had a violent flat tire (passenger rear) and upon removal noticed that the inside side wall had split in multiple regions around the circumference of the tire. When the car was up on the lift as the tire was being replaced at a Goodyear dealer, it was noticed that the remaining three tires also had multiple long, deep inside side wall cracks, evident around the entire circumference. It was obvious that the car was extremely unsafe to drive in this condition, and we had all 4 tires replaced. We have no idea how long the tires had been in this condition, though it looked like the rubber had degraded significantly. Since the cracks were on the inside, they were impossible to see with normal visual inspection. We consider ourselves extremely lucky that we were not seriously injured or killed as a result. It is also evident that this is a defective condition of the tires, for this to happen to all four tires at only 29,500 miles. Once home, we checked the internet to see if there was any recall issued. We were horrified to find numerous complaints from owners of 2004 Nissan Maximas that have experienced the same problem. We find it hard to believe that prestigious companies such as Goodyear or Nissan would be so irresponsible as to allow people to unknowingly drive around on hazardous tires. We are extremely concerned that other Nissan Maxima owners may experience the same problem but may be hurt or killed as a result. It is irresponsible of both Goodyear and Nissan to not respond to this situation. We believe they should issue a recall or safety alert and fully reimburse the owners for the tire cost. We then sent letters to both Goodyear and Nissan to address their intent.

- Chadds Ford, PA, USA

I purchased a 2004 Nissan Maxima approximately 18 months ago. The car now has 17000 miles on it. I took it to the Nissan dealership where I purchased the car, pohanka Nissan in fredericksburg, va, the car failed inspection because the tires have failed. The tires are Goodyear Eagle rs-a M+S P245/45 R18. The tires have sidewall cracks on the inside of the tires and cords are showing. The dealership said that this is a recurring problem on Nissan's equipped with these tires. I believe that this is a safety issue. I am also disappointed that this apparently widespread problem has not resulted in a recall. These are expensive tires and should not have failed after 18 mos. And 17,000 miles.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

: the contact stated while adding air to the tires, it was noticed the sidewalls of the two front tires were cracked. There were no warning indicators of a problem other than the cracked sidewalls. The tire manufacturer was contacted and agreed to replace the two front tires. The two rear tires do not appear to have a problem. The tires were regularly rotated and the proper pressure was maintained. The tire dealer informed the contact this was the forth vehicle seen with this same problem recently. The tire brand name is Eagle rsa and the size is P245/45/R18.

- Madison, CT, USA

: the contact stated when inspecting the tires it was discovered the driver's side rear and front passenger tire sidewalls were cracked. The tires are still maintaining air pressure; however the cracks are more severe. The dealer and manufacturer have not been alerted.

- Austin, TX, USA

: the contact stated upon inspection of the tires it was noticed the sidewalls on all four tires are cracked. The vehicle dealer and tire manufacturer have been alerted.

- Orlando, FL, USA

At a recent oil service the tires on my car were found to have deep cracks in the sidewalls. The tread on the tires appears to be good for 10K more miles. However I had to have them changed as they amy fail due to rupture of the sidewalls.

- Vanceboro, NC, USA

I notice a few days ago that 3 out of 4 tires on my Nissan Maxima 2004 have developed cracks on the side walls. After doing some research on the internet I came across numerous complaints about the same thing. I strongly believe that these tires are defective and further investigation by the NHTSA is required. Lets not wait for someone to get killed before action is taken. The tires are manufactured by Goodyear. The model of the tires are Eagle rs-a P245/45 R18.

- Perth Amboy, NJ, USA

: the contact stated on Friday night the vehicle was pulled into the driveway. On Saturday morning the contact noticed the front passenger tire was flat. The side wall was split. Upon further inspection it was noticed all four tires had a split on the side wall, but only one had gone flat. The tires have not been inspected to determine what caused the sidewall damage.

- Rockmart, GA, USA

I own a 2004 Maxima and have Goodyear rsa245/45/18 tires. I have had a blow out while driving on long island expressway. Checked my tires this weekend found side wall cracks on both front tires and severe sidewall failure on inside of rear tires. I have replaced two tires during the first year due side wall cuts was told it was road hazard. How could a car with just 40K have had 3 out of four tires replaced and now I need to replace all four again. These tires need to be recalled before there is a death.

- Williston Park, NY, USA

Eagle rsa P245/45R18 I was driving my 2004 Nissan Maxima down rt. 3 East in NJ going approximately 65 mph. All of a sudden I felt the car start to vibrate and shake terribly I realized I had a flat. Before I could even have any reaction, the car jerked to the left, then to the right, I tried to stop it and I spun out of control on the highway and crashed into another car who was trying to pass on my right. My car came to a rest with my driver's side door facing oncoming traffic, and my car blocking off the left and the middle lane, and literally 1 inch from crashing into the concrete divider. Luckily oncoming traffic stopped, and the passenger and myself in my car were not injured. However there were two people in the other car we hit claiming injury after the accident. The inside wall of the tire was completely separated from the rest of the tire. My mechanic told me he never saw any tire like that. I filed a complaint with Goodyear, and I was told to have the tires sent to akron, Ohio for testing, (the adjustor that came to pick up the tire told me she never saw a tire like that either) that was 10 months ago and I haven't even gotten an answer from them. Now as I was once again driving on the highway (December 22, 2005) going approximately 70 mph, my front drivers side tire blew out, there was no accident this time. I am worried that I am not going to be so lucky when this occurs for a third time. I rotate my tires every 6,000 miles and check the air pressure in them regularly. I've filed another complaint with Goodyear but what good is that going to do? they won't give me an answer and I have to wait to be contacted again by their insurance adjustor. I don't know what to do with this, I bought a $30,000 car, and I am afraid to drive it. After reading the entries on this site, I know that I am not alone now with this problem, these tires are defective and need to be recalled before someone gets killed! I am looking for help with this situation.

- Bayonne, NJ, USA

My Goodyear Eagle rs-a tires have split along the sidewall. The local retailer told me these tires are known to do that and that Goodyear has a strict policy of not allowing any replacement or pro-rated credit toward the purchase of replacement tires. This is an extremely dangerous defect which could cause fatalities in the event of tire failure. These tires need to be recalled immediately! I bought this vehicle new in July, 2003 and these tires were on the vehicle as original equipment. These tires have been garage kept and rotated every 7,500 miles with proper inflation. There's plenty of tread left on these tires and they should have lasted alot longer. The tires are splitting along the sidewall. Three of the 4 tires have done this, requiring replacement of all 4 of them. Make / model: Nissan Maxima 2004; VIN [xxx]; tire model: Goodyear Eagle rs-a; maximum permissible tire pressure: 44; tire size: P245 / 45R18; mileage at time of incident: 46,903; incident date: 12/09/05; maximum load rating: 1,565; state of registration: Oklahoma; numbers on side of tire (possible "tin" ?): [xxx]. updated 07/17/2012 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Edmond, OK, USA

2004 Nissan Maxima SE 3.5 liter V6 with a manufacturer's standard tire size of P245/45R18. Currently Goodyear is having a manufacturer's defect on the tires listed above. The side walls on these tires are splitting and they are doing a recall on them...I guess they are going to reactive rather than proactive...just like Firestone. I just wanted to let you know before someone was seriously injured or killed. The reason I am writing is because I have those same tires installed and they are splitting around the side wall and the only reason I know about this is the dealer stated that Goodyear knows about the problem but is reluctant to initiate a recall...worried about dollars rather than saving lives. I am not talking about a small split but rather a split that covers almost 3/4 of the radius. Thanks for your time and assistance. I really thought you and the general public needed to know before something really bad happened.

- Kathleen, GA, USA

2004 Nissan Maxima with 24K miles. Equipped with Goodyear Eagle R-sa P245/45R18 tires. Left front and right rear tires shows signs of sidewall separation (one inch from rim). Tread depth was measured at 7/32 and 8/32. Talked with dealer who said he had another Maxima Goodyear replaced the tires on due to sidewall separation. Goodyear has offered to replace the defective tires at less than the pro-rated warranty amount. This complaint is meant to bring attention to possibly a "bad" production run or engineered defect.

- Wesson, MS, USA

The consumer stated that the tires had cracks on the sidewalls. The tires were about a year and a half old. The tires came on the vehicle when the car was bought. A Goodyear dealer checked the tires and the consumer would replace all 4 tires. The tires were Goodyear Eagle rsa. Consumer noticed the cracks yesterday. The factory representative was will check the tires.

- Robbinsville, NJ, USA