NHTSA Complaint #10100745 — 1997 ISUZU RODEO

DEAR SIR/MADAM: I OWN A 1997 ISUZU RODEO AND THE TIRES I HAVE ON THIS VEHICLE ARE THE BF GOODRICH LONTRAIL T/A . THE PROBLEM IS THAT IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS I HAVE EXPERIENCE TWO BLOWOUTS AND AM AFRAID THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME SORT OF MANUFACTURING PROBLEMS WITH THIS BRAND OF TIRE. BOTH TIRES WERE RELATIVELY NEW, APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS OLD AND I SEE NO REASON WHY THE TIRES WOULD EXPERIENCE THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS BACK IN MAY 2004 THE TIRE BLEW OUT (LEFT FRONT) AND THE TREADS LITERALLY FELL APART. THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS ON THE MORNING OF 19 NOV 2004, AGAIN I HAD A BLOW OUT (RIGHT REAR) AND THE SIDEWALLS FELL APART. I CONTACTED BF GOODRICH ABOUT THIS SINCE AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT MICHELIN TIRES WHO NOW OWN BF GOODRICH, THEY IN TURN HAD ME CONTACT SEARS AND HAVE ONE OF THEIR TECHNICIANS INPECT THE TIRE. THE SEARS TECH TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DUE TO ROAD HAZARD, WHICH I SAID WAS IMPOSIBLE SINCE I WAS ON A VERY CLEAN ROAD (JULIA TUTTLE CAUSEWAY) IN MIAMI AND I DID NOT HIT OR RUN OVER ANY OBSTRUCTION OR FOREIGN OBJECT. WHEN YOU INSPECT THE TIRE YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THE TIRE BLEW OUT, AND NOT DUE TO ANY ROAD HAZARD. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT IN BOTH CASES I WAS NOT TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, AND WAS ABLE TO CONTROL MY VEHICLE. CAN YOU PLEASE INFORM ME IF YOU HAVE HAD ANY OTHER REPORTS OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS BRAND OF TIRE AND IF SO WHAT IS MICHELIN DOING TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE CONTACT ME EITHER BY PHONE OR E-MAIL. MY WORK NUMBER IS (305) 437-2976, CELL (305) 905-7161. E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] WORK E-MAIL: [email protected] .MIL . *AK