NHTSA Complaint #10043875 — 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF FOUR OF FIVE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES. WE PURCHASED A NEW 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500 (VIN [XXX]) IN 1998 EQUIPPED WITH STEELTEX R4S LT245/75R16 TIRES. FOUR OF FIVE OF THESE TIRES FAILED AT A SIMILAR MILEAGE, WITH ABOUT 50% OF TREAD LEFT. THREE OF THE TIRES FORMED BULGES UNDER THE TREAD AND WERE EXCHANGED AT TWO DIFFERENT FIRESTONE DEALERS WITH CREDIT FOR THE TREAD REMAINING. DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE. THE FOURTH FAILURE OCCURRED WITHIN ONLY A FEW HUNDRED ADDITIONAL TIRE MILES LATER. THE FAILURE WAS A SUDDEN BLOWOUT AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH LOSS OF VIRTUALLY ALL TREAD AND RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE SUBURBAN, WITH TRAVEL TRAILER IN TOW, TO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE AND NO INJURY WAS SUSTAINED TO MYSELF AND FOUR PASSENGERS. IT IS ABSOLUTELY UNREASONABLE TO BELIEVE THAT FOUR OF FIVER TIRES WILL SUFFER STRUCTURAL FAILURE AT ABOUT THE SAME MILEAGE AND WITH ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF TREAD REMAINING, UNLESS THE TIRES WERE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. TO DATE WE HAVE RECEIVED NO CONSIDERATION FROM EITHER BRIDGESTONE FIRESTONE OR CHEVROLET RELATIVE TO THE PROPERTY DAMAGE WE INCURRED DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE FIRESTONE TIRES.*AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR