NHTSA Complaint #11080785 — 2005 MITSUBISHI GALANT

LAST WEEK FRI MAR. 16, 2018, I DROVE MY 2005 MITSUBISHI GALLANT ES CAR INTO WORK. ON MY WAY, I HEARD A POP SOUND FROM THE CAR. THEN A VERY LOUD CAR NOISE AND FELT RATTLING, AND THE CAR DRIVE WAS NOT A SMOOTH ONE. I FIGURED IT WAS A FLAT TIRE. I WAS ENTERING THE I75 HIGHWAY. ONCE ON THE HIGHWAY, I PULLED ACROSS 3 LANES TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. THIS WAS 7 AM AND DARK, AND ALSO DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC SO LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I DROVE ABOUT A FEW SECONDS ON THE SHOULDER, STOPPED THE CAR, AND PARKED THERE. I COULD SMELL BURNING METAL. I THEN CALLED AAA AND THE SERVICE DRIVER CAME AND CHANGED THE FLAT TIRE. THIS WAS NOT A SIMPLE PUNCTURED CAR TIRE. THE MICHELIN CAR TIRE HAD EXPLODED - THE CAR TIRE HAD COME OFF THE RIM. AFTER THIS EXPLODING CAR TIRE INCIDENT, I AM EMOTIONALLY SHAKEN AND SCARED. TO THINK THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, AND NOT BE HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF A POSSIBLE DEFECTIVE TIRE. OR I COULD HAVE SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES, OR CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT ON THE HIGHWAY. NOTE: 1.I PURCHASED THE 4 SETS OF TIRES FROM COSTCO ON DEC. 20, 2016, AND THE ODOMETER READING WAS 125,597 KM; AND RIGHT NOW, THE ODOMETER READING IS ABOUT 151,350 KM, THEREFORE THESE 4 SETS OF TIRES HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN 25,753 KM OR 25,753 KM / 1.60934 KM/MILE = 16,002 MILES OVER IN ABOUT 15 MONTHS. 2.THE VEHICLE WAS ORIGINALLY FROM CANADA, THEREFORE IT READS IN KM INSTEAD OF MILE. 3.I HAVE TAKEN PHOTOS OF THE EXPLODED TIRE WHICH COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE RIM. I CAN SEND THOSE PHOTOS TO YOU ANYTIME. 4.I WILL BE GOING TO COSTCO TO REPLACE THE TIRE THIS WEEK, I THINK COSTCO WILL WANT TO KEEP THE EXPLODED TIRE, SHOULD I GIVE IT TO COSTCO?