NHTSA Complaint #10651991 — 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX

ONE OF 4 (FOUR) HANKOOK TIRES ON MY VEHICLE, WHICH WERE PURCHASED NEW ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS AGO, SEEMS TO HAVE A DEFECT ON IT THAT PREVENTS WATER AND SHUSH FROM CHANNELING PROPERLY FROM THE INNER GROOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE TIRE. ONLY ONE OF THE TIRES SEEM TO HAVE THIS DEFECT, AND SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, AS IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MOLDED WITHOUT A CHANNEL OR A VERY SHALLOW CHANNEL COMPARED TO THE OTHER 3. THE ALIGNMENT OF THE WHEEL DOES NOT SEEM TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS ALLEGED DEFECT. THE LACK OF THE PROPER CHANNELING ON THIS TIRE MAY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT DURING WET OR SLUSHY WEATHER, AS CHANNELING OF THE FLUID IS AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF GOOD HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. IT DEFECT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN DUE TO A LARGE QUALITY PROBLEM, AS THIS TIRE MADE IT'S WAY THROUGH HANKOOK'S DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND ONTO A PERSONAL VEHICLE. THE TIRE IN QUESTION IS A HANKOOK VENTUS V4 ES . I WILL BE DEMANDING THAT THIS TIRE BE REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS IT SEEMS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN IN MY OPINION, MYSELF BEING A DEGREED MECHANICAL ENGINEER. *TR