NHTSA Complaint #10904574 — 2002 FORD F SUPER DUTY

SET OF 5 UNIROYAL LIBERATOR TIRES PURCHASED NEW, LT265-75-16 LOAD RANGE E, 2002 F-250 4X4 (OEM SIZE) *THESE TIRES ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE THRU WAL-MART WHERE THEY WERE PURCHASED AND INSTALLED. THE FOLLOWING OCCURRENCES WERE/ARE DUE TO DEFECTIVE TIRES, NOT ANY ACTIONS COMMITTED BY WAL-MART, THE INSTALLER/SELLER. OWNER OF VEHICLE IS CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND MAINTAINS VEHICLE & TIRES TO OEM SPECS. AT APPROX. 10,000 MILES ON TIRES, WE EMBARKED ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TRIP FROM FLORIDA TO IDAHO AND BACK, TRAVELING THRU UTAH, NOTICED AN IMBALANCE AT 70MPH. ENTERING IDAHO THE IMBALANCE NOW OCCURRED AT ALL SPEEDS. INSPECTION OF ALL TIRES REVEALED DRIVER-SIDE REAR TIRE TREAD HAD A PRONOUNCED BULGE A FOOT LONG IN THE CENTER OF TREAD. SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED, AND VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO WAL-MART IN BOISE. (MANAGER VERIFIED TREAD/BELT SEPARATION, TIRE STILL AT 70PSI.) REPLACED WITH GOODYEAR WRANGLER SAME SIZE. RETURNING TO FLORIDA, ANOTHER IMBALANCE OCCURRED ON THE INTERSTATE IN SOUTH-DAKOTA. INSPECTION REVEALED DRIVER-SIDE FRONT TREAD BULGED AND SEPARATING. THAT TIRE WAS REPLACED AT WAL-MART WITH A GOODYEAR WRANGLER. TRAVELING THRU WEST-MEMPHIS, THE ENTIRE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR TIRE TREAD DETACHED WITHOUT WARNING AND DEMOLISHED THE REAR QUARTER PANEL AND TAIL-LIGHT. (TIRE DID NOT BLOW-OUT/LOSE AIR PRESSURE, 80 PSI) VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN 3 MILES ON STEEL BELT TO HOTEL OFF OF INTERSTATE. SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED AND VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO WAL-MART FOR 3 GOODYEAR WRANGLERS. ALL 3 INCIDENTS HAPPENED ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. TIRES WERE AT CORRECT AIR-PRESSURE AND INSTALLED CORRECTLY. TIRES WERE NOT/HAD NOT BEEN OVERLOADED. WE SAVED THE TREAD SEPARATION TIRE CARCASS AND THE 2 REMAINING "GOOD" TIRES.