NHTSA Complaint #10654092 — 2009 DODGE RAM 1500

GOOD MORNING, MY INCIDENT IS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE TPMS (TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM). ON THE ABOVE STATED DATE, I HAD JUST LEFT WORK AT APPROXIMATELY 8:30AM. I WAS DRIVING SOUTHBOUND ON A STATE HIGHWAY AND HAD JUST ACCELERATED TO APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN MY TPMS LIGHT FLASHED AND A CATASTROPHIC MALFUNCTION OCCURRED WITH THE VALVE STEM ON THE FROM PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO AVOID COLLISION AS I ATTEMPTED TO CONTROL MY VEHICLE AND SAFELY COME TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER AFTER MY FRONT TIRE IMMEDIATELY AND INSTANTLY BECAME FLATTENED. UPON EXITING MY VEHICLE, I STARTED TO INVESTIGATE THE REASON FOR THE SUDDEN FLAT TIRE. TO MY SURPRISE, MY VALVE STEM WAS COMPLETELY GONE. I WAS ABLE TO HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL GARAGE WHERE THEY REMOVED MY TIRE FROM ITS RIM REVEALING PIECES OF THE SENSOR ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE. THE METAL THAT THE VALVE STEM IS MADE OUT OF APPEARS TO BE SOME TYPE OF CHEAP SOFT METAL THAT HAS OBVIOUSLY BECOME CORRODED AND BRITTLE. IT APPEARED THAT THE METAL SUFFERED SOME TYPE OF OXIDATION, POSSIBLY FROM ROAD SALT HERE IN THE NORTHEAST. I IMMEDIATELY HAD THE GARAGE STAFF REMOVE MY OTHER TIRES AND FOUND THE SAME RESULTS ON THE OTHER 3 TIRES. WHEN THE VALVE WAS REMOVED, I PLACED ALL 3 IN BETWEEN 2 FINGERS AND GENTLY SQUEEZED CAUSING 2 OF THE 3 TO CRUMBLE INTO METAL FRAGMENTS. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE TO VEHICLE CONSUMERS AND ALSO A COSTLY REPAIR. I HAVE REPLACED ALL 4 OF MY VALVE STEMS WITH TRADITIONAL RUBBER STEMS UNTIL A SAFER ALTERNATIVE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. *TR