Firestone Complete Auto Care

Did you know that Firestone shops can severely damage your vehicle and not pay for it?

I was a Firestone customer for about 10 yrs and a credit card holder. I have been pursuing a court case against Firestone/Bridgestone since August 2022 after their mechanic admitted to damaging my engine. Both parties acknowledged "debris" had fallen in my engine area, requiring engine repair and they offered to have it taken somewhere to fix it. Bridgestone Claims coordinated towing my SUV to a dealership for a diagnostic service after asking which specific dealership I'd want it repaired at. Once the estimate was ready, Bridgestone decided against paying the costly repairs and offered me a ridiculous settlement amount via email. They paid the $500+ diagnostics immediately to the dealership and I had to tow my vehicle home after declining the offer.

I have learned that Bridgestone is self-insured. I also learned the Firestone Store Mgr & Area Mgr are dishonest corporate puppets. So, if the Firestone Complete Auto Care Centers screw up something major, the management will direct you to Bridgestone's Claims Dept where they will attempt to settle for the lowest estimated vehicle value instead of paying for the necessary repairs. While this should be illegal, they are able to get away with this if you settle for "their offer" (a pathetic dollar amount, a two-week car rental and my vehicle towed from the dealership to another location of my choice). They treated it as a total loss, receiving the same treatment you'd expect after being in a car accident with no personal injury claim. I did not ask for money and ONLY wanted my vehicle fixed.

Firestone has businesses registered all across the United States, but if you go after them legally you will need to fight them in Tennessee where Bridgestone Retail Operations is headquartered. All they had to do was fix what they damaged. It makes no sense to put customers, like myself, through this when they are profiting as much as they do and have the nerve to sue others, like IBM and the State of TN. I would not wish this headache on anyone and I know these situations are happening far too often where people are not getting a fair resolution. I am forever changed by this experience and will have my guard up going forward when dealing with any business.