NHTSA Complaint #11013803 — 1998 DODGE VAN

ON AUG. 8, 2017 I WAS DRIVING A LEVEL 2 LANE SECLUDED ASPHALT ROAD IN MY 1998 DODGE CAMPER VAN. THE VAN IS DODGE 3500 EXTENDED MODEL, MODIFIED BY SPORTSMOBILE INTO A CAMPER VAN IN 1999. AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 50 MPH SUDDENLY A LOUD NOISE OCCURRED AND PIECE OF TIRE BEGAN TO FLY OFF. THE TIRES HAS BEEN RECENTLY ROTATED AND PRESSURE ADJUSTED TO ABOUT 80 PSI BY LES SCHWAB TIRES. WE HAD BEEN ON A ROAD TRIP SO I CHECKED TIRE INFLATION ABOUT EVERY DAY. THE TIRE TREAD HAD DISINTEGRATED AND PART OF IT HAD FLOWN OFF BUT THE TIRE WAS STILL INFLATED (AND STILL IS). ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE TREAD IS GONE. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC AND WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OVER AND REPLACE THE TIRE. HOWEVER UNDER NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING AND ESPECIALLY IF THE TIRE HAD BEEN IN FRONT I BELIEVE I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL AND THE VAN WOULD LIKELY ROLLED.