NHTSA Complaint #753275 — 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE

ON OCTOBER 12, 2001, I WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON INTERSTATE 95 THROUGH NORTH CAROLINA IN MY MAZADA TRIBUTE 2001. THIS WAS A SUNNY DAY SO THE ROAD WAS DRY AND I WAS TRAVELING 70 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL. I WAS APPROACHING THE EXITS FOR THE ROCKY MOUNT AREA WHEN MY ENTIRE CAR STARTED SHAKING FURIOUSLY. THEN THE WHOLE LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR SEEMED TO SUDDENLY DROP. I IMMEADIATELY PULLED OVER. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO TAKE A LOOK, I NOTICED THAT IT WAS NOT JUST A FLAT, BUT THAT THE ENTIRE TREAD HAD SEPERATED FROM THE SIDEWALLS. I TOOK THE TIRE INTO A FIRESTONE DEALER WHERE THEY PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT TIRES ALWAYS RESPOND THIS WAY WHEN THEY GO FLAT AND CHARGED ME FOR A NEW TIRE. THEY DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED AT ALL. AFTER THEY HAD FINISHED REPLACING THE TIRE, I ASKED FOR THE ORIGINAL TIRE WHICH THEY TOLD ME WAS ALREADY DESTROYED AND THAT I COULD NOT HAVE IT BACK. THIS WAS A WILDERNESS HT P235/70R16 BUT WHEN FIRESTONE REPLACED IT THEY USED A WILDERNESS HT II.*AK (TIRESIZE: P235/70R16)