NHTSA Complaint #11477347 — 2020 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA

TIRE SIZE: 275/80 R22.5 MICHELIN ENERGY LINE Z Component that failed is passenger side steer front tire. The inside edge decoupling groove/sidewall failed. Risks include potential tire blow resulting in loss of vehicle control. This failure could cause an accident putting others safety at risk. Both Freightliner Corp. and Michelin Tire Co. are aware of this failure. No one has inspected the tire. I have the tire in my possession. There are/were no warning, messages or symptoms of this problem prior to. This truck was built with a 6X4X6 front air fairing. Mileage on tire at the time of failure was 68,686 miles. This truck is a test with Con Met Corp. and Freightliner Corp. New tires were installed at 474,452 miles along with heat sensors to monitor the heat temperature under the truck. At 526,168 miles I reported the passenger side, inside edge steer was starting to wear a decoupling groove. This was very slight. Tire was not changed. Pursuant to the Michelin Technical Bulletin of 1-2-2022 the tire was inspected every Monday when truck returns to our terminal. On July 13, 2022 the tire psi was checked to verify 110 psi as recommended by Michelin Corp. At 543,148 miles the tire failed. 2 new steer tires installed and the air fairings were removed as recommended by DTNA engineers. Side wall of tire shows excessive heat. Tire was close to blowing. Please review pictures.