NHTSA Complaint #10133263 — 2002 FOREST RIVER GEORGETOWN

BLEW TWO CARLISLE TIRES (ST225/75R15) WITHIN 100 MILES!! 2002 FOREST RIVER SIERRA 5TH WHEEL. TIRES/PRESSURES/TRAILER LOAD CHECKED BEFORE DEPARTURE. TIRES NOT +OR- INFLATED, & TRAILER WAS LOADED LIGHT FOR TRIP: INDIANA TO DAYTONA, FLORIDA. 50 MILES INTO TRIP, RIGHT SIDE REAR TRAILER TIRE BLEW APART. OUR SPEED WAS 53 MPH @ 6 AM, NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. DAMAGE TO TRAILER. WE WERE ABLE TO STOP SAFELY AND CALL AAA FOR ASSISTANCE. INSTALLED SPARE TIRE, DROVE TO A BIG O TIRE STORE, 25 MILES AWAY, PURCHASED A DURO TIRE TO REPLACE THE SPARE THAT WE JUST PUT ON THE TRAILER. BIG O TIRES SAID FIRST BLOW OUT CAUSED THE RIM TO BE BENT; THIS NEW TIRE WAS BEING MOUNTED ON A RIM THAT WAS NO GOOD. REPLACED WHEN WE GET HOME; USE FOR EMERGENCY SPARE ONLY. WE WERE BACK ON THE ROAD AT 8:45 AM, FIGURING THE WORST WAS NOW BEHIND US. BUT 60 MILES FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, 10 AM, LEFT FRONT TRAILER TIRE BLEW OUT, AND THIS TIME IT HAPPENED ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. OUR SPEED WAS JUST 62 MPH. WE USED THE TIRE WE JUST PURCHASED (ON THE DAMAGED RIM), AND PANICKED ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT. DAYTONA WAS STILL A LONG WAY OFF... AND WE'D ALREADY LOST 2 TIRES. I CALLED OUR RV DEALER & TOLD THEM THAT TWO TIRES FAILING FOR NO APPARENT REASON IS NO COINCIDENCE: (ONE TIRE HAD <3000 MILES; THE OTHER HAD <100 MILES!) HE SAID SAVE THE BAD TIRES. NOW WE ARE TOO SHAKEN TO CONTINUE DRIVING ON CARLISLE BRAND TIRES. WE STOPPED AT ANOTHER BIG O TIRE STORE, AND HAD THEM REPLACE THE OTHER TWO TIRES WITH NON-CARLISLE TIRES! WE STILL HAD ONE CARLISLE TIRE ON, SO THE ENTIRE TRIP TO FLORIDA AND BACK WAS SPENT LOOKING AT THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS, WATCHING FOR TIRE TROUBLE, WHICH MEANT WE COULDN'T DRIVE IN DARK: BASICALLY WAITING FOR THE LAST CARLISLE TIRE BLOW. DRIVE TOOK TWICE AS LONG, SINCE WE COULD ONLY DRIVE DURING DAY, STORING 4 BAD TIRES THE ENTIRE TRIP. IF YOU HAVE HAD SIMILAR FATE WITH THESE TIRES, CONTACT US. NHTSA WON'T DO US ANY GOOD. LIANE BRUMMETT, INDIANA 812-825-8699.*AK