NHTSA Complaint #11149486 — 1995 TOYOTA TERCEL

THIS IS A RECOUNT OF EVENTS IN WHICH MY TIRE FAILED. I BEGAN MY COMMUTE TO WORK BY ENTERING ONTO A GOOD CONDITION STATE HIGHWAY AND BEGAN DRIVING 65 MPH AROUND 6:30 AM EDT. APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES INTO THE DRIVE WITH LITE TRAFFIC, I DECIDED TO CHANGE FROM THE MIDDLE LANE INTO THE RIGHT HAND LANE. DURING THIS LANE CHANGE THE CAR STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND THEN VIOLENTLY SHAKE. I APPLIED MY BREAKS TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL OVER, BUT I COULD NOT STOP NOR CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF CAR. THE CAR BEGAN TO PULLING TO THE LEFT AND STARTED TO SPIN. THE CAR IMPACTED THE GUARDRAIL TWICE WHILE IN A SPIN AND RECEIVED UNFIXABLE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE CAR BODY FRAME, AND OTHER COMPONENTS. THE WITNESSES ON SCENE, CALLED THE POLICE AND REPORTED THAT THEY SAW THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BLOW OUT CAUSING THE ACCIDENT. THE TIRE WAS BRAND NEW AND WAS PROFESSIONALLY BALANCED, INSTALLED, AND ALIGNED JUST 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED AND SET AT LESS THAN MAX MANUFACTURER TIRE PRESSURE. ALL OF MY TIRES WERE PURCHASED AT A TIRE KINGDOM STORE. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE TIRE, THE BLOWOUT OF THE TIRE OCCURRED ON THE SIDEWALL AND NO DAMAGE TO THE TREAD WAS FOUND. NO OBJECT WAS DESCRIBED AT THE SCREEN OF THE ACCIDENT OR BY WITNESSES THAT CAUSED THE TIRE TO RUPTURE. THE CAR WAS TOTALED AND I RECEIVED BODILY INJURY FROM THE ACCIDENT. THERE WERE NO OTHER ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE, EQUIPMENT, DRIVER, HIGHWAY, TRAFFIC, MAYBE A LIGHT RAIN IN THE EARLY MORNING, THAT CAN EXPLAIN THE CAUSE OF THE TIRE FAILING. THE TIRE WITH DRIVEN LESS THAN 3,000 MILES BEFORE IT FAILED. THE POLICE REPORTED THAT THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE, BUT SINCE THE TIRE IS NEW THAT THERE ARE NO CURRENT CLAIMS TO REPORT THIS DEFECTIVE TIRE. THIS TIRE WAS PURCHASED AT TIRE KINGDOM, MODEL UNIROYAL TIGER PAW AWPII WITH DOT SBXGHSTR1418 2.