NHTSA Complaint #10248333 — 2000 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER

MY MOTHER, BROTHER, AND I WERE ON AN EMERGENCY TRIP TO ARKANSAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ON 09/01/08. WE HAD JUST GONE THROUGH KANSAS CITY, MO WHEN MY BROTHER (WHO WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME) LOST CONTROL OF MY 2000 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER VAN AND WAS ABLE TO GET THE VAN OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE. LUCKILY, THERE WAS NOT A CRASH INVOLVED. THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WAS SHREDDED DOWN TO NOTHING. HE PUT ON THE SPARE TIRE AND WE STAYED OVER NIGHT AT AN IHOP RESTAURANT. IN THE MORNING, WE WENT TO WALMART AND HAD THE TIRE REPLACED FOR $84.74, AND WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR TRIP. WHEN WE RETURNED HOME TO OMAHA, NE, I WENT TO SEARS WHERE THE TIRES WERE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED IN MAY 2005. THE MANAGER OF THE GARAGE AT SEARS WENT OUT TO LOOK AT THE TIRE THE SHREDDED AND ALSO INSPECTED THE OTHER TIRES. HE WAS SURPRISED BY THE LOOK OF THE SHREDDED TIRE (WHICH I KEPT AS EVIDENCE OF THE DAMAGE) AND HE ALSO NOTICED THAT BOTH PASSENGER SIDE TIRES WERE SPLITTING ON THE SIDEWALLS THE SAME WAY THAT THE BLOWN TIRE DID. THE MANAGER ORDERED THREE NEW TIRES, AND THEY WERE MOUNTED ON 09/28/08. I HAVE "ROAD HAZARD PLUS SERVICE AGREEMENT" WITH SEARS, BUT IT STILL COST ME $317.96 TO REPLACE THE 3 TIRES. SEARS ADJUSTED THE BILL BY $35.11 AND $26.33 (TREAD ADJUSTMENT) FOR THE 2 TIRES THAT HAD SPLITS ON THE SIDEWALLS, BUT I HAD TO PAY THE TOTAL COST OF THE TIRE THAT SHREDDED. I WAS VERY UPSET BY THE WHOLE SITUATION. THE TIRES WERE ONLY 3 YEARS OLD AND HAD ABOUT 33,500 MILES ON THEM (75,000 MILE WARRANTY). THE MANAGER GAVE ME THE FOLLOWING NUMBER: PJKCWKHR1005, BUT I DON'T RECALL WHAT IT WAS FOR. IN THE END, IT COST ME $402.70 ($84.74 + $317.96) TO REPLACE THE TIRES (I KEPT THE WALMART TIRE AS A SPARE). I BELIEVE THAT THESE TIRES WERE A DEFECTIVE, BAD BATCH OF TIRES, AND THAT I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED BY EITHER GOODYEAR OR SEARS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE HAVE BEEN ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE PARTICULAR TIRES. THE TIRES ARE GOODYEAR P205/75S14 WEATHERHANDLER LS. *TR