NHTSA Complaint #11162131 — 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

OUR 37 YR OLD SON WHO WAS VISITING FROM OUT OF TOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS WAS DRIVING ON OUR LOCAL INTERSTATE WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE IN THE FRONT END AND WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE DRIVERS SIDE. HE KNEW HE DID NOT HIT ANYTHING IN THE ROAD OR POTHOLE. THE NEXT THING HE KNEW HE WAS QUICKLY SLIDING TO A STOP. HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. HE PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND SAW THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS MISSING, BUT OBSERVED THAT THE FIVE LUG NUTS AND THE CENTER PART OF THE ALUMINUM ALLOY CAST RIM WERE STILL TIGHT AND INTACT ON THE HUB. TWO NEW YORK STATE POLICE RESPONDED AND RETRIEVED THE TIRE, RUBBER STILL FULLY IN TACT, NO BLOW OUT, NO DAMAGE, BUT THE ENTIRE INNER RIM HAD DISINTEGRATED WAS MISSING. THE ONLY PART OF THE RIM LEFT WAS THE CIRCLE AREA THAT THE TIRE HUGS, BASICALLY THE LIP AREA. ALL THE CENTER MASS, SPOKES WERE GONE. LUG NUTS WERE TIGHT..TROOPER SAID IN HIS 28 YRS HE NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS AND WROTE IN HIS ACCIDENT REPORT AS CAUSE OF ACCIDENT "FAULTY EQUIPMENT FAILURE". THE VEHICLE STRUCK NOTHING PRIOR, DURING, OVER AFTER THIS EVENT. HAD MY WIFE BEEN DRIVING, SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE PANICKED OR WORSE. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY BECOME A MULTI CAR PILEUP WITH INJURIES AND OR FATALITIES. HAVING AN AUTOMOTIVE BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING BUILDING MY FIRST CAR ENGINE AT AGE 15 YRS OLD IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THIS WAS A FAULTY RIM BASED ON IMPURITIES IN ITS CASTING PROCESS OR A POSSIBLE STRESS CRACK. HAD THIS BEEN BILLET MACHINED ALUMINUM INSTEAD OF CAST ALUMINUM/ALLOY THIS EVENT WOULD NEVER HAD HAPPENED. MY CONCERN IS PUBLIC SAFETY IN REGARDS TO THIS FAILURE, NOT KNOWING IF THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT OR ARE THERE MILLIONS OF CARS OUT THERE THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO, WHICH I KNOW GM WOULD TRY TO SWEEP UNDER THE RUG AS IT WOULD COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR RECALLS TO REFIT CARS WITH NEWER SAFER RIMS. I HAVE SEVERAL PHOTOS/VIDEO. THANK YOU