NHTSA Complaint #748032 — 1997 LEXUS SC300

ON JAN 4, 1999, I PURCHASED 4 COOPER TIRES AT GEX TIRE CO, 4041 WEST MERCURY BLVD, HAMPTON, VA 23666. (DOT NUMBER: UPGRCEM339 TIRESIZE: 225/55R-16). ALL 4 TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE AND APPEARED TO HAVE HAD SOME SORT OF MANUFACTURING DEFECTIVES. SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE, THE TIRES BEGAN TO CAUSE UNSTABLE DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR MY CAR WHILE TRAVELING ON LESS-THAN SMOOTH ROADS, IN CURVES, AT SPEEDS AROUND 70 MPH AND ON WET ROADS. IN ADDITION, THE TIRES CAUSED MY GAS MILEAGE TO DECREASE ABOUT 3 TO 4 MPG. AFTER REPLACING THE 4 TIRES ALL OF THE ABOVE CONDITIONS WERE ELIMINATED WITHOUT ANY OTHER REPAIRS. DUE TO ACCELERATED WEAR, 2 OF THE TIRES WERE DEEMED UNSAFE AFTER ABOUT 11,000 MILES. THE REMAINING 2 HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 14,000 MILES. THE FIRST 2 TIRES WERE RETURNED TO GEX TIRE CO WHO PROMISED TO RETURN THEM TO COOPER TIRE FOR ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM. THE REMAINING 2 TIRES WERE SHIPPED DIRECTLY TO COOPER TIRE CO IN FINLAY, OH AT THEIR REQUEST FOLLOWING A COMPLAINT THAT I SENT THEM. IN MY COMPLAINT TO COOPER TIRE, I ASKED THEM TO ANALYZE THE TIRES BASED ON THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS OUTLINED ABOVE. THEY IMMEDIATELY REFUNDED ME 75% OF MY COST BUT WOULD NOT ADMIT THAT THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. THE ALLEGED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO IMPROPER CAR ALIGNMENT AND LOW TIRE PRESSURE. NEITHER OF THEIR FINDINGS WAS VALID. ON JAN 28, 2001, I HAD THE CAR ALIGNMENT CHECKED BY THE LEXUS DEALER AND THEY VERIFIED THAT THE ALIGNMENT WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CAR MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS. THEY ALSO NOTED THE UNUSAL TIRE WEAR PATTERN AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PRESSURE WAS O.K. WHEN THE FIRST 2 TIRES WERE TURNED IN THE GEX THEY ALSO NOTED THAT THE PRESSURE WAS CORRECT BUT COULD NOT EXPLAIN THE REASONS FOR THE RAPID AND IRREGULAR WEAR. ALTHOUGH I SENT COOPER TIRE CO A COPY OF THE CAR ALIGNMENT JOB ORDER MENTIONED ABOVE, THEY STILL RULED THAT CAR MISALIGNMENT WAS THE PROBLEM. MY MAJOR CONCERN IS THAT THERE MAY BE SIMILAR COOPER TIRES IN SERVICE THAT MAY PRESENT A SERIOUS SAFETY