NHTSA Complaint #10909603 — 1991 DODGE RAM 2500

CONTINUING CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WITH LT235X85R16 RADIAL TIRES OF VARIOUS BRANDS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CONTINENTAL, GENERAL, ETC. WHERE TREAD PEELS OFF STEEL SOMETIMES BLOWING TIRE SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MY `1984 CHEVY K20 SUBURBAN, 1990 DODGE D250 (MULTIPLE TIMES) AND MY 1991 DODGE W350. MY FRIEND HAS EXPEREINCED SIMILAR MULITPLE FAILURESD ON HIS 1990 DODGE D250, ONE OF WHICH I WITNESSED DODGING PIECES OF RUBBER WHEN I WAS FOLLING BEHIND HIM WHEN THE TIRE SELF DESTRUCTED. ALL THESE TIRES APPEARED TO HAVE OVER HALF OF TREAD STILL LEFT AND GAVE NO INDICATION OF ANY DRY ROTTING WHEN FAILED. HAVE EXPERIENCED SIDEWALL DRY ROTTING ON GOODYEAR 235X75R16 TIRES WITH ALMOST NEW TREAD DEPTH. RUMORS FLOATING AROUND THAT ENVIROMENTALIST PUSHED FOR NEW RUBBER COMPOUND TO FORCE TIRES TO DRY ROT TO PREVENT SITTING IN JUNKYARDS WHIHC IF TRUE IS ABSURD AS MORE ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT IN THE LOSS OF OIL AND CREATED BYPRODUCTS TO KEEP REPLACING GOOD TIRES THAT NEVER SEE FULL USE THAT FAIL WITH NEW ONES. WHATEVER THE ISSUE THE CATASTOPHIC FAILURE OF THESE TIRES WITHOUT WARNING ON THE HIGHWAY HAS ALREADY CAUSED ME TO CROSS LANES PRECIPITOUSLY WITHOUT WARNING WHEN THEY FAILED. HAVE SINCE ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE WITH 265X75R16 WHEN POSSIBLE. PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN OCCURRED FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.