NHTSA Complaint #10705293 — 2015 HEARTLAND GATEWAY

WE HAD A MAJOR TIRE BLOWOUT WHILE TRAVELING WITH OUR NEWLY PURCHASED HEARTLAND GATEWAY 5TH-WHEEL. THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE (POWER KING TOW MAX ST235/85R16) BLEW AND COMPLETELY CAME UNRAVELLED. AT THAT TIME I CONTACTED THE DEALER WE PURCHASED THE RIG FROM WHO REFERRED ME TO THE HEARTLAND REPRESENTATIVE WHO (FURTHER) REFERRED ME TO THE TIRE MANUFACTURER REPRESENTATIVE. AFTER ROAD SERVICE REPLACED THE BLOWN TIRE WITH THE SPARE, I WAS DIRECTED TO THE LOCAL TIRE REPRESENTATIVE FOR FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE TIRE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION (OF THE BLOWN TIRE) FROM THE LOCAL TIRE REPRESENTATIVE, HE DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE BLOWOUT WAS SIDEWALL COLLAPSE. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE THREE REMAINING TIRES SHOWED ABNORMAL WEAR AND THAT THEY TOO WERE WEAK AND NOT SAFE FOR FURTHER TRAVEL. I REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES WITH COMMERCIAL GRADE TIRES AND THE "TIRE REPRESENTATIVE" OFFERED AN 80% REIMBURSEMENT OF THE COST OF THE FOUR-TIRE REPLACEMENT. THIS 5TH-WHEEL IS A 2015 MODEL WITH LESS THAN 1,500 MILES ON THE TIRES. *TR