NHTSA Complaint #10422524 — 2011 CARRIAGE CAMEO

PURCHASED A NEW 2011 CARRIAGE CAMEO B34 FIFTH WHEEL RV FROM TEXAS DEALERSHIP ON AUGUST 13, 2011. RV WAS MANUFACTURED ON FEBRUARY 10, 2011. DURING PRE DELIVERY INSPECTION WROTE DOWN THE TIRE MANUFACTURING DATES OF ALL FOUR TIRES UNIT WAS RIDING ON. TIRES WERE MOUNTED TO HI SPEC 07 SERIES RIMS BY COMPANY CALLED LIONSHEAD IN ELKHART INDIANA. CARRIAGE THEN MOUNTED RIMS AND TIRES PN AL725 TO DEXLER AXLES. AXLES HAVE A JANUARY 2011 MANUFACTURING DATE. DATE CODES ON TIRES REVEAL TIRES WERE MANY YEARS OUT OF WARRANTY FROM THE MANUFACTURER DURO TIRE. FOLLOWING DATE CODES WERE RECORDED: DOT 4N4M 2810 0707BE DOT 4N4M 2810 0708AH DOT 4N4M 2810 0708AC DOT 4N4M 2810 0707EA SPARE TIRE CODE WAS NOT VISIBLE LIONHEAD INC THE COMPANY MOUNTING TIRES TO RIM SHOULD HAVE AND I BELIEVE WAS WELL AWARE THESE TIRES WERE OUT OF WARRANTY AND OVER FOUR YEARS OLD. COMPANY MOUNTING TIRES TO AXLES "CARRIAGE" SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THIS AND IS CREATING A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION BY NOT MONITORING THE TIRE DATE STAMP OF PRODUCTS THEY ARE INTEGRATING INTO THEIR PRODUCT. CARRIAGE EXCLUDES TIRES FROM THEIR OWNERS WARRANTY. DURO LIMITS THEIR WARRANTY TO THREE YEARS FOR TIRE AND TWO YEARS FOR DRY ROT. MOST RV OWNERS BUYING THESE LARGE FIFTH WHEEL PRODUCTS WEIGHTING 11000LBS PLUS ARE UNAWARE TO LOOK AT TIRE DATE STAMP. DEALERSHIP STILL HAS THIS UNIT. TODAY IS AUGUST 29, 2011. TIRES ARE GOING TO BE REPLACED BY A GREAT SERVICE MANAGER AT DEALERSHIP. HOWEVER, THE POINT I WISH TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT THE CARRIAGE AND THE RV INDUSTRY IN GENERAL IS PLACING PEOPLE LIVES AT GREAT RISK NOT MONITORING THE DATE CODE STAMPS BEFORE THEY PLACE THIRD PARTY "LIONSHEAD" PACKAGE PRODUCTS ON THEIR RV'S. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DO NOT REVIEW THE TIRE DATE STAMP WHEN BUYING A NEW RV. SINCE MOST LARGE FIFTH WHEEL RV"S ARE PURCHASED BY RETIREE'S, THIS ACTIVITY PUTS THEIR LIVES AT GREAT RISK. A TIRE CODE INSPECTION POINT AT DEALER WOULD STOP THIS. *TR