I had a Bridgestone Turanza tire go flat on my I35. I didn't notice it until it was pretty low, and I was traveling at 70mph. By the time I noticed and pulled over the tire was flat....
When they dismounted the tire, the whole inner belts had ripped out of the tire, and the tire was useless.....

The tire place told me, another couple of miles and the sidewall would have separated just like yours....

I can only hope the tire pressure monitors on these cars work....

 

first and foremost... everyone lived.

Seeing those pics only one of three things explain it.

1) Tire was defective
2) the sidewall was damaged from low pressure (given it chewed through all the way around) so when it blew the rim chewed through in seconds.
3) you drove on it way too long after it blew.

 

Riotgear,
Friendly suggestion: If somebody got hurt then I would post no accounts of the events leading to the accident on the internet (pics okay, descriptions no). ...Could come back to haunt you in case of litigation.
A couple questions that you might want to think about--what does the other rear tire look like? Is your car lowered, and if so, what is the rear camber? Is the tire pressure warning system functional on your car? As some others have indicated, excessive camber, combined with over- *or* under- inflation, especially combined with a wider than OE tire, could definitely cause problems.
Glad you weren't hurt. Good luck sorting it out.
Dudefish

 

Looks like it was driven on while flat or low on air. Notice how it was cut right at the seam where the tread slab mates with the sidewall. Main focus of pressure is exactly where the tire came apart. This is almost always caused by running a tire low on air, especially on vehicles with sport suspensions. When a tires low or flat, it creates friction as it rolls which builds up heat. Eventually the tire starts to fall apart and fails. There may have been some impact or puncture that accelerated the damage, but its very very rare (especially in a specialty tire such as the S-03) to just fail during normal driving conditions.

I would take it to your local Bridgestone/Firestone dealer. Have them look at it and see if they consider the damage a manufacture warranty (or result of a defect). Doesn't matter if the tire was purchased locally or not, the warranty follows the tire.

Unfortunately that tire doesn't have a road hazard or mileage warranty. However, it does carry a 5 yr manufacture warranty. Free replacement up to 3 yrs. Pro rated 4th and 5th year or to 2/32" remaining tread IF IF it was determined the tire was defective. It also carries a 30 day test drive warranty. If you have purchased the tire in 30 days or less and do not like it, your entitled to return it for something else. This may help as well. I honestly don't think they will rule it a mis-manufactured tire. But if your local dealer is cool they might work with you on the price of a replacement.

Did you purchase the tire from us? (Tire Rack).

Good luck

 

I'm have the SO3's in 275/35/19's (rear) and have noticed that there is no indication of a low pressure from visible standpoint.

I found a drop in psi from 35lbs to 16lbs in a matter of two weeks on one tire. I have no idea what caused such a drop in such a short time, and I have been monitoring it ever since with pressure now holding steady.

 

Could be a small crack in the wheel or a faulty valve stem.