NHTSA Complaint #10605084 — 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA

TIRE BLOWOUT. DUE TO DEFECTIVE REAR SUSPENSION THAT CAUSED TIRES TO BE MISALIGNED. THE DEFECTIVE SPINDLES CAUSED THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR TO RIDE ON THE VERY INSIDE CORNERS OF THE REAR TIRES. 90% OF THE TIRE WEAR WAS ON 10% OF THE TIRES. THIS CAUSED THE HIDDEN INSIDE ONE INCH OF THE TIRE TO WEAR THROUGH THE TIRE SAFETY BELTS, EXPOSE THE TIRE THREADS, AND THEN BLOWOUT. BOTH REAR TIRES DID THIS. THE PICTURES ARE STUNNING TO SEE HOW MUCH OF THE TIRE TREAD LOOKS PERFECT AND HOW DEVASTATING THE WEAR WAS TO THE INNER MOST INCH. TO MOST PEOPLE LOOKING AT THE TIRES FROM THE SIDE, THEY LOOKED FINE.NO ONE EXPECTS THE DAMAGE THEY DON'T SEE HIDDEN FROM DAILY VIEW. THE TIRE WEAR IS EXTREMELY ACCELERATED ONCE IT REACHES THE SOFT MATERIAL JUST UNDER THE TREAD. IT CAN GO FROM THIN TREAD TO A HOLE IN THE SAFETY BELT MATERIAL IN 1000 MILES OF WEAR. GM ISSUED TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN IN 2008 ABOUT THIS EXACT SYMPTOM, BUT ONLY CALLED FOR REPAIR OF POLICE MODEL IMPALAS. THEY HAVE NOT CALLED FOR REPAIR OF SIMILAR GENERAL PUBLIC OWNERS MODELS. SO WE DID NOT KNOW UNTIL WE HAD A BLOWOUT. THE DEALER WOULD DO NOTHING BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A POLICE CAR COVERED IN THE TSB. WE PAID FOR 4 NEW TIMES, AND ALIGNMENT. BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE NEW TIRES ARE WEARING OUT THE SAME. THERE IS LITTLE WINTER TRACTION IN THE REAR BECAUSE OF SUCH SMALL AMOUNT OF TREAD ON THE ROAD. *TR