NHTSA Complaint #762087 — 2002 AUDI AUDI

TIRE AND CAR HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED TO MANUFACTURER SPECS, TIRES HAVE AUTOMATIC TIRE PRESSURE MONITORS. AT ABOUT 11000 MI I NOTICED SOME FEATHERING OF ALL 4 TIRES. I TOOK IT IN AT ABOUT 11700 AND DEALER AGREED ALL 4 TIRES WERE WEARING ABNORMALLY. THEIR FACTORY REP BLAMES GOODYEAR, DELAER STATED 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF. THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DATE ABOUT THE TIRES PREMATURELY WEARING. AT ABOUT 12600 MI THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR INDICATED A SUDDEN DECREASE IN PRESSURE FOR THE RR TIRE. I WAS GOING ABOUT 15 MPH AND WAS NEAR A TIRE SHOP. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE SHOP, THE TIRE WAS NEARLY FLAT. THEY REPAIRED THE TIRE, BUT INFORMED ME THAT THREE OF THE FOUR TIRES WOULD NOT PASS SAFETY INSPECTION. THE RIGHT FRONT AND RIGHT REAR HAVE NOT TREAD LEFT AND THE THE LR IS NEARLY GONE. THE LF WOULD PASS BUT IS BADLY FEATHERED FOR ONLY 12600 MILES. THE CAUSE OF THE FLAT TIRE WAS A NAIL I HAD PICKED UP IN THE NEARLY BALD RR TIRE. THE SHOP SAID IF IT HAD HAPPENED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. THEY STATED A NORMALLY TREADED TIRE WOULD NOT HAVE PICKED UP THE NAIL, BUT BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE WEAR, THE NAIL IMMEDIATLELY PUNCTURED THE TIRE. THE FACTORY REP TOLD ME THAT AUDI HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE GOODYEAR TIRE DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR THE ALLROAD MODEL AND THEY HAD NOT SEE MUCH PROBLEM WITH THE PIRELLI TIRES FOR THE SAME MODEL. I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THE MANUFACTURE AND SAFETY LEVEL OF THE GOODYEAR WRANGLER MADE ESPECIALLY FOR THE AUDI ALLROAD. PEOPLE WHO BUY THESE CARS COUNT ON THEM BEING SAFE AND ABLE TO PERFORM. TIRES SHOULD CERTAINLY LAST MORE THAN 10000 MILES AND ALL FOUR SHOULD WEAR EVENLY.*AK