NHTSA Complaint #10567445 — 2008 FORD F-250

TODAY I REPLACED THE SECOND TIRE FROM A SET OF FOUR LT275/70R18E1 BFG COMMERCIAL T/A A/S TIRES PURCHASED ON NOVEMBER 23, 2010. BOTH TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MILES OF WEAR BECAUSE OF TREAD SEPARATION. FORTUNATELY, IN BOTH CASES THE ISSUE WAS DISCOVERED BEFORE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. THE SEPARATION EVENTS HAPPENED ABOUT 3,000 MILES APART. BECAUSE OF THE DANGERS OF TREAD SEPARATION, I WENT AHEAD AND REPLACED THE OTHER TWO TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. BECAUSE THOSE TWO TIRES WERE NOT CURRENTLY EXHIBITING SIGNS OF SEPARATION, THE TIRE SERVICE COMPANY WAS NOT ABLE TO OBTAIN ANY WARRANTY PRORATION. I COMPLAINED IN WRITING TO THE MANUFACTURER AND ASKED FOR A FULL REPLACEMENT SET. I RECEIVED A REPLY THAT BASICALLY SAID FOR ME TO WORK WITH THE TIRE SERVICE COMPANY AND THAT THE ONLY THING THEY WOULD AGREE TO WOULD BE A PRORATION. THIS RESPONSE IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AS IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT TREAD SEPARATION IS THE RESULT OF A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, AND SINCE TWO OUT OF THE FOUR TIRES FROM THE SAME SET EXHIBITED THIS DEFECT IT IS HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT IT WAS MERELY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE OTHER TWO EXHIBITED THE DEFECT AS WELL. I ALSO FOUND THE RESPONSE TO BE TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THIS COMPANY HAS A RECALL IN PLACE FOR SIMILAR TIRES AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE FULLY AWARE OF THE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS. *TR