NHTSA Complaint #10462557 — 2009 WILDCAT 510

SPECIALTY TIRES ON TRAILERS, TIRES BLOW OUT AT CURRENT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING VEHICLE DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL RESULTING IN INJURY TO OCCUPANTS, VEHICLE AND OTHER VEHICLES. MY INCIDENT RESULTED IN PROPERTY DAMAGE ONLY TO THE TRAILER, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORST. INTERNET RESEARCH SHOWS ST (SPECIALTY TIRES) TO BE OF LOWER GRADE AND COMMON TO BLOW OUTS, RESULTING IN DAMAGE AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. EVEN GOODYEAR HAS PUBLISHED A CONSUMER WARNING THAT ST TYPE TIRES ARE NOT RATED FOR SPEEDS OF 65 MPH OR GREATER. ST TIRES SHOULD HAVE TO MEET THE SAME HIGHWAY STANDARDS AS LIGHT TRUCK TIRES. I REPLACED ALL FOUR OF MY ST TIRES AFTER THIS INCIDENT WITH A LIGHT TRUCK TIRE. VENDORS RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT, THEY CALL ST TIRES (CHINA BOMBS), ADVISING THE QUESTION IS NOT IF THEY WILL FAIL BUT WHEN! MY TIRES AND TRAILER WERE JUST THREE YEARS OLD, AND THE RECOMMENDED AIR PRESSURE WAS AT 80PSI AS DIRECTED BY THE TRAILER MANUFACTURER. I HAD TIRES FILLED WITH NITROGEN TO HELP KEEP TIRES COOL AND TRAILER WAS WEIGHTED TO INSURE GVW WAS NOT EXCEEDED. GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING IS LISTED AT 12,115 LBS. AT TIME OF FAILURE THE TIRES WERE CARRYING APPROXIMATELY 9,800 LBS. THIS WEIGHT IS DISTRIBUTED OVER FOUR TIRES ON THE TRAILER. THE BRAND WAS POWER TOWING, TRAIL EXPRESS OF THE FAILED TIRE BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT BRAND DOES NOT SEEM TO BE THE ISSUE. ALL ST TIRES BY DESIGN ARE PRONE TO FAILURE. STANDARDS IN DESIGN OF THESE TIRES NEED TO CHANGE TO REDUCE THESE FAILURES AND THE RESULTING ACCIDENTS. I AM A EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL DRIVER AND POSSES THE SKILLS THAT ALLOWED ME TO REACT PROPERLY TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT AND INJURY TO MYSELF AND OTHERS. HOWEVER, OTHER CONSUMERS DO NOT HAVE SUCH SKILLS AND THE VEHICLE DEALERS DO NOT WARN BUYERS OF POSSIBLE TIRE BLOW OUTS. YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THIS MATTER WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, A INCREASE IN DESIGN STANDARDS INCLUDING LOAD, SPEED AND CONSTRUCTION PLY WOULD HELP. THANK YOU. *TT