NHTSA Complaint #10748868 — 2013 KEYSTONE MONTANA

HAD 2 TIRES BLOW OUT ON RECENT TRIPS. THE GOODYEAR MARATHON ST 235/80R16-E CAME ON OUR 2013 KEYSTONE MONTANA 3100RL 5TH WHEEL WHEN IT WAS BOUGHT NEW. TIRE PRESSURES WERE VERIFIED PRIOR TO OUR TRIP. ONE TIRE BLEW (SHREDDED) ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WHILE ON RT 95 IN MARYLAND ON JUNE 17, 2015. CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO CAMPER. I ADDED A TPMS TO MONITOR THE PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE OF THE TIRES (IN REAL-TIME) SHORTLY AFTER THAT INCIDENT. ON A SUBSEQUENT TRIP, A SECOND GY MARATHON BLEW OUT ON RT. 95 IN NJ ON JULY 29, 2015, ABOUT 175 MILES INTO OUR TRIP. IT WAS ALSO ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAMPER. STARTING COLD INFLATION WAS 78 PSI (PER GY INFLATION TABLES FOR WEIGHT ON AXLES). MONITOR SHOWED APPROX. 89 PSI AND 98 DEGREES (F) AT TIME OF BLOWOUT. WE WERE ON A SMOOTH, STRAIGHT SECTION OF ROAD AT THE TIME AND DID NOT HIT ANY DEBRIS OR HAZARD. IT JUST BLEW OUT THE SIDEWALL. STEEL BELT WAS BADLY DISTORTED. IN BOTH INSTANCES I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLES. CHANGING A FLAT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE TRAILER IS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAVE SINCE REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES WITH LOAD RANGE G TIRES. I KEPT THE SECOND BLOWOUT AND TOOK IT TO GOODYEAR. THEY GAVE ME CREDIT FOR THE ONE TIRE. I HAVE THE THREE REMAINING GY MARATHONS IN MY GARAGE SHOULD A RECALL OCCUR IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IN READING THRU NUMEROUS RV AND BOAT OWNER FORUMS, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH MANY LOAD RANGE E TIRES ON TRAILERS WHERE THE WEIGHT IS AT THE UPPER END OF THE TIRE RATING.