NHTSA Complaint #11221624 — 2002 HONDA ACCORD

VERY UNUSUAL PATTERN OF TREAD BREAKDOWN ON FEDERAL FORMOZA FD1 PASSENGER CAR TIRES NOTED. NOTE THIS IS NOT THE "SUPER STEEL" MODEL INDICATED IN THE DATABASE ENTRY. THE DIALOGUE DID NOT PROVIDE "FORMOZA" MODELS FOR SELECTION. TREAD WEAR INDICATED OVER 3/4 OF TREAD LIFE REMAINING (CAR WAS RARELY USED), BUT CAR WAS PARKED OUTDOORS IN TEXAS, AND TIRES WERE 9 YEARS OLD. BREAKDOWN OF TREAD NOT LIKELY CAUSED BY WEAR, BUT RATHER MORE LIKELY RUBBER COMPOUND DETERIORATION OR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. THE TREAD DEVELOPED FISSURES LATERALLY ACROSS THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE TREAD (NOT EXTENDING INTO THE TREAD SHOULDER), EVENLY SPACED WITH A FISSURE EVERY 3/8THS OF AN INCH AROUND THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TIRES. DEPTH OF FISSURES UNKNOWN. NO EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE TIRES OR CAR CAN ACCOUNT FOR THIS BIZARRE PATTERN. THE TIRES WERE JUDGED UNSAFE AND REPLACED. PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN OF THE PATTERN OF DAMAGE TO THE TIRES, AS WELL AS THEIR IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS.