NHTSA Complaint #10368249 — 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM

WE HAD A FLAT IN OUR DRIVEWAY ON ONE OF A SET OF GOODYEAR GT HR TIRES WHICH WERE PURCHASED IN JUNE 2007. UPON CHANGING THE TIRE AND INSPECTING IT, THE TIRE HAD LARGE CRACKS ALL AROUND THE PERIMETER ON THE INTERIOR SIDE. WE CHECKED THE OTHER TIRES AND SAW SIMILAR CRACKS. WE TOOK IT TO THE GOODYEAR DEALER WHERE THEY WERE PURCHASED AND THE OWNER FOUND IT LEAKING AT ONE OF THESE CRACKS. I COMMENTED THAT I WAS DISMAYED THAT THESE TIRES DRY ROTTED AT ONLY THREE YEARS, TO WHICH HE STATED THAT, "THEY AREN'T DRY ROTTED; THESE ARE STRESS FRACTURES". I ASKED WHY THEY WOULD HAVE THESE FRACTURES AFTER ONLY THREE YEARS AND WHAT CAUSED THEM,AND HE GAVE ME NO ANSWER. THE DEALER SEEMED TO HAVE NO CONCERN THAT THESE TIRES ARE FAILING IN THIS WAY IN ONLY THREE YEARS AND ONLY WANTED ME TO PURCHASE REPLACEMENTS, OFFERING A VERY SMALL DISCOUNT, TO WHICH WE DECLINED. WE WILL BE REPLACING THESE TIRES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND ARE AWARE OF THE TREAD WEAR AND MILES THEY HAVE ON THEM, BUT WE ARE CONCERNED THAT OTHERS ARE DRIVING ON TIRES THAT THEY THINK ARE FINE BECAUSE THEY AREN'T VERY OLD. THEY SHOULDN'T BE CRACKING LIKE THIS AS WE'VE HAD MANY SETS OF TIRES AND HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. HAD THAT TIRE GONE OUT ANY OTHER PLACE THAN IN MY DRIVE, I AM AFRAID TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. WE STILL HAVE TO DRIVE IT TO HAVE NEW TIRES PUT ON, WHICH I GREATLY FEAR. THIS TIRE WAS DATED 0907. *TR