NHTSA Complaint #754304 — 2000 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

WHILE DRIVING WITH MY 3 CHILDREN AND PREAGNANT WIFE WE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 80MPH, I HEARD A REPEATING THUD WHICH SOUNDED LIKE THE THUD PRODUCED WHEN DRIVING OVER EXPANSION JOINTS, HOWEVER, I NOTICED IT WAS LOUDER THAN TYPICAL AND DIDN'T COINCIDE WITH EXPENATION JOINT TIMING. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN BY COASTING. ALL THIS TRANSPIRED IN ABOUT 4 TO 10 SECONDS. THEN BANG, WE HEAR A LOUD NOISE, AND OUR VEHICLE REAR DROPS. I LOOKED BEHIND ME AND I SEE TREAD AND PEICES OF TIRE FLYING EVERYWHERE. I COASTED FOR A FEW SECONDS, NOT WANTING TO UPSET THE BALANCE OF THE VEHICLE AND THEN GENTLY APPLIED THE BRAKES. WE STOPPED. THE ONLY THING LEFT ON THE RIM WERE THE TWO SIDE WALLS. THERE WASN'T ANY TREAD LEFT. I HAVE SINCE RETRIVED THE TREAD. THE TREAD IS SEPARATED FROM THE CARCUS OF THE TIRE. I ASSUME THIS IS THE REPEATING THUD SOUND I HEARD. THEN THE TIRE CARCUS AND TREAD RIPPED COMPLETELY FROM THE SIDE WALLS. MY RIM IS SCRATCHED AND DENTED. GM SAYS THIS COST $480. TIRE IS OBVIOUSLY GONE. ABOUT 2,000 MILES EARLIER I HAD FIRESTONE, CHECK, AND ROTATE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE AND AFTER THE INCIDENT I CHECKED THE OTHER TIRES AND TIRE PRESSURES WHERE 35PSI +OR - 2PSI. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE TREAD THAT CAME OFF TIRE IT CAN BE SEEN THAT THERE IS A PUNCTURE WHICH LOOKS LIKE A NAIL OR SCREW PENETRATED THE TIRE. MY GM DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THAT THIS CAUSED THE TIRE PRESSUE TO GO DOWN AND I DROVE ON IT SO IT GOT HOT AND THIS CAUSED THE FAULURE. I BELIEVE THAT THE TIRE MAY HAVE LOST SOME PRESSURE, BUT I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY A SLOW LEAK. MY WIFE AND I DIDN'T NOTICE A LOW TIRE BY THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS HANDLING. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE LOW PRESSURE MAY HAVE PRECIPITATED THE TIRE FAILURE, BUT THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE IT SHOULDN'T HAVE FAILED SO CATASTOPHICALLY WITH ONLY A MINOR TIRE PRESSURE LOSS. IF THE TIRE WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST FLAT, THEN WE WOULD NOT HAVE FELT THE VEHICLE DROP.*AK