NHTSA Complaint #10254191 — 1994 MERCURY SABLE

TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 120 MILES FROM HOME. UPON ARRIVING AT THE DESTINATION, I NOTICED THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS EXTREMELY LOW WITH AS ESTIMATED 10 P.S.I. AIR PRESSURE REMAINING. KNOWING THAT I HAD TWO PREVIOUS TIRE BLOWOUTS ON THIS VEHICLE DUE TO CRACKED VALVE STEMS AND OCCURRING WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 4 MONTHS, I MOVED THE VALVE STEM SLIGHTLY BACK AND FORTH AND NOTICED AIR ESCAPING FROM THE AREA WHERE THE STEM SEATS AGAINST THE ALUMINUM WHEEL. I PUT SOME SOAP BUBBLES AROUND THE STEM AND CONFIRMED THAT AIR WAS ESCAPING FROM A CRACK IN THE VALVE STEM. REFERENCE ODI #'S 10254187 AND 10254189 AS A REFERENCE ON THE PREVIOUS TWO VALVE STEM ISSUES ON SAME VEHICLE. SPARE INSTALLED. VISITED THE TIRE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE FOUR NEW REPLACEMENT TIRES WERE INSTALLED 2 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AND 26,068 MILES PRIOR. NO PUNCTURES, TEARS OR CUTS WERE FOUND ANYWHERE ON THE TIRE TREAD OR SIDEWALL. THE ONLY KNOWN CAUSE OF THE LOW TIRE WAS A CRACKED VALVE STEM IN THE AREA WHERE THE STEM SEATS AGAINST THE ALUMINUM WHEEL ALLOWING AIR TO EXHAUST QUICKLY FROM THE TIRE ONCE THE CRACK PROPAGATED TO INSIDE. A NEW VALVE STEM WAS INSTALLED. THE LEFT REAR TIRE VALVE STEM WAS ALSO REPLACED AT THIS TIME TO AVOID A FUTURE PROBLEM. CRACKED VALVE STEM INFORMATION; TR 413, EHA GERMANY. *TR