NHTSA Complaint #10229681 — 2000 CHEVROLET S10

ON 11/08/06 I BOUGHT 4 NEW TIRES FROM SEARS AT THE REGENCY MALL IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA. ON 7/17/07 I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY ON MY WAY TO SEARS AGAIN WHEN I CHANGED LANES AND HAD A BLOWOUT. AT MOST I RAN OVER ONE OF THE REFLECTORS ON THE ROAD LINES, BUT THE BLOWOUT WAS SO BIG I WOULD HAVE HAD TO RUN OVER SOMETHING MUCH LARGER AND SHARPER. I WOULD HAVE SEEN IT. I WENT BACK TO SEARS AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY INSISTED THAT I RAN OVER SOMETHING I KNEW I DID NOT. I EVEN WENT BACK AND CHECKED THE ROAD. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I DEVELOPED AN UNDETECTABLE AIR LEAK ON THE SIDE OF THE TIRE. I TOOK THE TIRE TO A TIRE STORE. THE WORKER TOLD ME THAT THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE, THOUGH STORE MANAGEMENT WOULD NOT BACK HIS STATEMENT IN WRITING. TIME HAS PASSED LONG ENOUGH THAT IF THOSE TIRES WERE TRULY DEFECTIVE THEIR WOULD BE A TRACK RECORD OF THIS PARTICULAR BRAND OF TIRE. I HAD TO REPLACE THE ONE TIRE, THAT HAD THE BIG BLOWOUT AND THE OTHER TIRE , THE REPAIRMAN WAS UNABLE TO FIX. I PUT SOME OF THE LIQUID FIX IT IN IT AND THAT SEEMED TO MEND IT. I THINK THEY ARE DEFECTIVE. THE TIRE INFORMATION IS AS FOLLOWS: BRAND: FALKEN ZIREX TUBELESS DOT V4KU-3MTR2606 PR-181-235/60R16 ZE512 100H M+S U5061 *TR