NHTSA Complaint #10163553 — 2003 DUTCHMEN LITE

RECEIVED 2003 DUTCHMEN LITE, 29QBJ TRAVEL TRAILER, APRIL 2003. EQUIPPED W/CARLISLE ST205/75R15 TIRES, DOT 8LUL0603. FIRST TRIP, JULY 2003 NO PROBLEMS, APPROX 1000-MILES. JULY 2004 WENT TO VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, ABOUT 150 MILES INTO TRIP, HAD BLOWOUT ON LEFT FRONT, THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO INNER FRONT WHEEL WELL. PURCHASED SPARE. TIRES ONLY HAD ABOUT 1150 MILES ON THEM. WENT NOWHERE IN 2005. JULY 2006 WENT TO DISNEY WORLD ORLANDO, FL. ABOUT 120 MILES INTO TRIP, TIRE BLEW ON LEFT SIDE REAR (2ND TIRE). NO VISIBLE WHEEL WELL DAMAGE. TIRE HAD ABOUT 2565 MILES ON IT. PICKED UP NEW TIRE W/RIM IN OH. CONTINUED TO FL WITHOUT TIRE FAILURE. ON RETURN TRIP, JULY 14, 2006, HAD ANOTHER BLOWOUT AT 120 MILES, RIGHT BACK (3RD TIRE). TIRE ONLY HAD ABOUT 2685 MILES ON IT. DAMAGE TO UNDERSIDE OF WHEEL WELL. PICKED UP TWO SPARE TIRES. FIRST THREE BLOWOUTS ACCRUED IN EARLY MORNING, BEFORE ROADS GOT HOT & AT 70 MPH. ALL TIRES HAD BEEN CHECKED FOR VISUAL DEFECTS & INFLATED TO SUGGESTED 50-PSI TIRE PRESSURE & HAD BEEN MAINTAINED DURING IDLE MONTHS. ONLY MADE IT ABOUT 220 MILES FROM LAST BLOWOUT, AN HAD 4TH BLOWOUT, FRONT LEFT, THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL SPARE THAT HAD BEEN PUT ON WITH FIRST BLOWOUT. THIS TIRE ONLY HAD ABOUT 1756 MILES. IT DAMAGED THE OUTSIDE OF THE TRAILER JUST ABOVE THE WHEEL WELL. WE HAD BEEN DRIVING AT 65 MPH. AFTER CHANGING TIRE, WITH ANOTHER CARLISLE (ONLY THING AVAILABLE), WE SLOWED TO 60 MPH FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP, ANOTHER 824 MILES. I WILL REPLACE ALL CARLISLE TIRES WITH ANOTHER BRAND BEFORE WE PULL OUR TRAILER ANYWHERE AGAIN, INCLUDING BRAND NEW TIRES JUST BOUGHT AS SPARES. WILL KEEP LAST FAILED TIRE & LAST REMAINING NOT BLOWN TIRE THAT IS STILL ON FRONT RIGHT. WHEN THESE TIRES BLEW, THERE WAS A LOUD BANG, & LOTS OF SMOKE COMING FROM WHEEL WELL. TIRES LOST A SECTION OF SIDEWALL & TREADED AREA, WITH STEEL BELTS SHREDDED AND TORN. *NM