NHTSA Complaint #11246537 — 2000 CHEVROLET EXPRESS

PURCHASED 4 NEW AUTOGUARD (BCT) LT 225-75R16 TIRES, ON CLEARANCE FROM WM IN JULY 2017. INSTALLED ALL 4 ON REAR OF A 29' 2000 FOREST RIVER SUNSEEKER A WEEK LATER, PRIOR TO OUR FAMILY SUMMER ROAD TRIP IN JULY 2017. AFTER APPROX. ONLY 5000 MILES OF USAGE, THE RIGHT REAR INT. TIRE HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE ON JULY 31 2019 WHILE TRAVELLING AT ABOUT 55MPH, UP AN INCLINE, JUST BEFORE EXIT 145 ON INTERSTATE 81 SOUTH, NEAR HAZELTON PENNSILVANIA 18249. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO OTHER RR TIRE, RV WHEELWELL, RV HOLDING TANKS AND RV ELECTRICAL. REPLACED BOTH RR TIRES AT A LOCAL SHOP, INFLATED ALL 4 TO 75PSI. BELIEVING IT WAS A ONE OFF, COUNTED OUR BLESSINGS CONTINUED SOUTH ON I-81 ON OUR SUMMER ROAD TRIP TO THE OBX. ON OUR RETURN, APPROX 1000 MILES LATER, I NOTICED AN INCREASING ROUGH VIBRATION FROM THE LEFT REAR SIDE THIS TIME. VIBRATIONS INCREASED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE OVER 50MPH. I CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE OF ALL 4 REAR TIRES SEVERAL TIMES. THEY WERE ALL STILL AT 75PSI (MAX 80 PSI DUAL). I MADE 5 STOPS AT SEVERAL RIG REPAIR AND SMALLER TIRE RETAILERS OVER 2 STATES REQUESTING TO CHECK THE LR WHEEL BALANCING OF THE RV, BELIEVING I HAD LOST SOME WHEEL LEADS. NOT ONE WOULD TAKE A 29' CLASS C IN TO CHECK THE CAUSE OF THE VIBRATION. LIMPED BACK SLOWLY FOR 300 MILES, RETURNED TO THE SAME TIRE DEALER ON AUGUST 16 2019 WHO DISCOVERED THAT BOTH LEFT REAR TIRES WERE NOT ROADWORTHY, ONE WAS EXCESSIVELY WORN, DEFORMED, HAD INTERIOUR BULGING AND INTERIOR BLISTERING AND APPARENT TREAD SEPARATION. FROM THE TIRE RADIAL! 4 TECHNICIANS HAD NEVER SEEN SUCH PREMATURES DEFORMATIES. THEY BELIEVED IT WOULD BLOW IF THEY TRIED TO REINFLATE IT. I TOOK PICTURES AND VIDEOS AND KEPT THE TIRES AS EVIDENCE. I PURCHASED 2 MORE TIRES OF THE SAME MAKE AND SIZE. OBSERVATIONS: 2 OUT 4 TIRES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY WORN OUT FROM NORMAL USE. MILES DRIVEN WAS BETWEEN 5-6K MILES. TIREDOT OJ 20XB2 1113 0413 0413