Kumho Tyres tread breakup

Hyundai Creta – Kumho Tyre Issues (30 July 2021)

To Whom it may concern

In March 2018 I bought a new Hyundai Creta from a dealer in Pretoria. The vehicle came fitted with four new Kumho tyres as well as the spare wheel.

I soon noticed that the tread on the front tyres started to break up and become pitted. In November 2019 (16,500km) I took the vehicle to the Hyundai Centurion dealer. After confirming that the wheel alignment was correct, they referred me to the Lombard Tyres franchise in Centurion (This outlet has since closed down). After summoning the Kumho representative, Lombard Tyres was authorised to replace the damaged front tyres (at no cost to me), which was done.

I requested that the rear tyres and spare tyre also be replaced under warranty, but was assured by the Kumho representative that this specific fault would NOT manifest on the remaining 3 tyres. I was also instructed to swap the front and rear tyres in 10,000 km from the current odometer reading.

The new Kumho tyres on the front wheels did not show any tread breakup or pitting. On the 6th April 2021 (odometer 27915) I changed the front and rear tyres as instructed previously by Kumho. I immediately noticed tread breakup and pitting starting on the front tyres. On the 9th July 2021, I took my vehicle to Lombard Tyres in Silverton. I met with Mr. André Fourie (Area Manager). He looked at the damaged front tyres with the tread break-up and bad pitting, but said that he could not make a decision on replacing the damaged tyres and would have to consult with the Kumho representative. The latter was however not available. André undertook to inform me when the Kumho representative was available again. He did so and an appointment was scheduled.

The response from Kumho follows: (cannot post PDF or photos)