NHTSA Complaint #10671665 — 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU

ON 4-1-2014 OUR RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS EXTREMELY LOW. AT A GAS STATION THE LEAK WAS FOUND NOT FROM THE TIRE, BUT FROM A CRACK IN THE RIM. YOU COULD SEE THE BUBBLES COMING THROUGH THE CRACK UNDER WATER. WE ENDED UP REPLACING THE WHEEL. WE HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS BUT THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE. ON 12-19-2014 WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME I NOTICED THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT WAS ON AND THE CAR MADE A STRANGE SOUND. I STOPPED AT A GAS STATION AND SAW THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS VERY LOW. I INFLATED IT, THEN DROVE HOME. THE NEXT MORNING (12-20) THE TIRE WAS VERY LOW AGAIN SO WE INFLATED IT AND TOOK THE CAR TO AMERICAN TIRE IN OCEANSIDE. MY HUSBAND AND I DECIDED THAT SINCE THE TREAD WAS GETTING LOW WE WOULD GET A SET OF NEW TIRES. THE NEXT MORNING ONE TIRE WAS VERY LOW AGAIN. WE WENT BACK TO AMERICAN TIRE. THEY FOUND THAT THE LEAK WAS FROM A CRACK IN THE WHEEL. SINCE THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED WE DECIDED TO CONTACT CHEVROLET BECAUSE WE FELT IT WAS A DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING. IN THE MEANTIME I HAD AMERICAN TIRE CHECK THE OTHER WHEELS FOR CRACKS. THEY DETERMINED THAT TWO MORE WHEELS HAD CRACKS AND THEY MARKED THE SPOTS ON THE WHEELS. WE SPOKE FIRST WITH CHEVROLET, THEN DEALT WITH [XXX] AT GM FOR MORE THAN 2 WEEKS. SHE ASKED THAT WE TAKE IT TO THE CHEVROLET SERVICE DEPT FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT. I DID THAT ON JAN. 7. [XXX] AT THE SERVICE DEPT WROTE ON THE REPORT THAT THERE WAS INDEED A CRACK IN THE RIM THAT WAS LEAKING, AND THAT THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE ON THE WHEEL THAT WOULD INDICATE MISUSE. EVEN AFTER THAT CHEVROLET AND GM DECLINED TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY. [XXX] ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE VISUALLY SAW THE CRACKS ON THE OTHER TWO WHEELS BUT DID NOT SEE A LEAK. HE SAID, HOWEVER, THAT THOSE TWO WHEELS WERE ONLY IN THE WATER 5-10 MIN. I FEEL THAT THESE WHEELS ARE A HAZARD DUE TO ADVICE FROM THE FIRST SERVICE STATION THAT CRACKED WHEELS ARE UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR