NHTSA Complaint #10329366 — 2008 AUDI Q7

I WAS DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON INTERSTATE WHEN BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON MICHELIN PILOT SPORT PS2 TIRE WITH ONLY 11,000 MILES ON TIRES. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW. THE TIRES HAD BEEN WELL MAINTAINED BY ROTATING AND BALANCING EVERY 3,500 MILES AND TIRE INFLATION PROPERLY MAINTAINED. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND DRY. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 2.5 HOURS WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE CAR TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND CALL FOR ASSISTANCE TO CHANGE TIRE TO SPARE. UPON EXAMINATION, THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE TIRE THE STEEL BELT CAME THROUGH THE TIRE AND CAUSED BLOWOUT. THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF TIRE DID NOT SHOW THE WEAR THAT THE INSIDE EDGE SHOWED AND HAD NOT BEEN READILY NOTICEABLE UPON VISUAL INSPECTION EARLIER IN THE DAY. THE TIRES HAD JUST BEEN ROTATED, BALANCED AND ALIGNED 1 MONTH PRIOR AND THERE WAS A NOTATION TO MONITOR THE TREAD BAR AS THE FRONT TIRES WERE WEARING FASTER THAN THE BACK TIRES (THE CAR IS ALL WHEEL DRIVE). I HAD BEEN DOING A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE TIRES EACH TIME I GOT IN THE CAR AND HAD NOT NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS WEARING UNEVENLY FROM THE OUTSIDE EDGE. THE AAA EMPLOYEE WHO REMOVED THE TIRE STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THAT AIR LEAKED OUT THROUGH THE STEEL AND CAUSED THE BLOWOUT. THE CAR HAS TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM HOWEVER NEVER SHOWED TIRE PRESSURE LOSS UNTIL THE BLOWOUT OCCURRED. *TR