NHTSA Complaint #10208744 — 2004 FORD EXPEDITION

ON 10/20/07, THE SIDEWALL OF MY GOODYEAR FORTERA (RIGHT REAR) FAILED. MY WIFE LOST PRESSURE AND HAD TO AAA CHANGE THE TIRE. GOODYEAR STATED (LA QUINTA DEALER) THE TIRE WAS DAMAGE BY A UNKNOWN OBJECT. ON 10/26/07, I WAS DRIVING DRIVING WHEN THE LEFT REAR TIRE FAILED. I PULLED OVER AND CHANGED THE TIRE. I LATER HAD THE TIRE INSPECTED AND THE INNER SIDEWALL SEPARATED AND APPEARED TO BE THE SAME SIZE AND DETAIL OF THE PREVIOUS TIRE FAILURE. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE GOODYEAR DEALER (CEDAR CITY UT) THEY TOLD ME THAT I HAD DRIVEN ON THE TIRE TOO LONG AND I CAUSED THE DAMAGE. I WAS LUCKY, I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND CHANGED THE TIRE BEFORE I LOST ALL AIR PRESSURE. THERE WAS "NO DAMAGE" ON THE TIRE DUE TO MY DRIVING. THE DAMAGE TIRE FAILURE WAS ABOUT A 4-5 INCH RECTANGULAR SHAPE HOLE. THE SECOND TIRE BEGAN THE SAME WAY. THE SIDEWALL BEGAN TO SEPARATE IN THE SAME FASHION AND HAD NOT "BLOWN OUT" PRIOR TO ME CHANGING IT. *TR