2011 KEYSTONE COUGAR — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

THE SPARE TIRE HAS A COVER AND THE TRAILER HAS ALWAYS BEEN STORED IN A TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED GARAGE. THE TIRE WAS INSTALLED ON THE TRAILER (IN THE RIGHT REAR POSITION) FOR THE FIRST TIME, PRESSURE CHECKED (65 PSI), AND DRIVEN 25-30 MILES ON I-25 AT 60-62 MPH BEFORE SUFFERING A CATASTROPHIC BLOW-OUT (ACCOMPANIED BY A VERY LARGE "BANG"). THE ENTIRE TREAD AREA PEELED OFF THE TIRE AND A LARGE HOLE REMAINED IN THE TREAD AREA OF THE CARCASS WITH JAGGED STEEL BELT CORDS PROTRUDING. WHILE GETTING THE TRAILER STOPPED, THE FLAILING TIRE (VISIBLE IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR) REPEATEDLY STRUCK THE SIDE OF THE TRAILER. THE WHEEL MOLDING ON THE SIDE OF THE TRAILER ABOVE THE WHEELS WAS TORN OFF AND DISINTEGRATED. THE ALUMINUM PANEL ABOVE THE WHEELS WAS BADLY DAMAGED AND COMPACTED INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE WHEEL AND IN FRONT OF THE ACCESS STEPS. THE STEPS AND MAIN ACCESS DOOR WERE ALSO DAMAGED. THE UNDERBODY AREA WAS DAMAGED IN THAT THE BELLY COVERING AND INSULATION WERE SHREDDED. THIS TIRE WAS A POWER KING TOWMAX STR SIZE ST225/75R15 IDENTIFIED BY DOT 83B4GPB1010.

I OWN A 2011 KEYSTONE COUGAR 5TH WHEEL THAT INCORPORATES A SLIDE-OUT BUMPER / BIKE RACK THAT THE SPARE TIRE IS MOUNTED ON. THE SAME PRODUCT WAS USED IN SIMILAR 2011 KEYSTONE 5TH WHEELS THAT WERE THE SUBJECT OF A KEYSTONE RECALL #12-178 INVOLVING THE NHTSA. OUR BUMPER HAS FAILED IN THE SAME MANOR DUE TO METAL FATIGUE. THIS WAS A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION THAT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THROUGH SALT LAKE CITY ON 6 LANES OF TRAFFIC TRAVELING 80 MPH. THE BUMPER HOLDING THE SPARE TIRE & OUR 2 BIKES ON THE RACK WERE HANGING JUST ABOVE THE PAVEMENT. FORTUNATELY, SEVERAL DRIVERS ALERTED ME TO THIS & I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. WHILE DEALING WITH THIS, I WAS NEARLY KILLED BY SEVERAL LARGE TRUCKS THAT NARROWLY MISSED ME. AFTER TAKING THE SPARE TIRE & THE BIKES OFF, I SECURED THE BUMPER WITH STRAPS AS BEST I COULD & CONTINUED TO MY DESTINATION OF LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE DAMAGE & POSSIBLE DEATH THAT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED IF THE ASSEMBLY HAD FALLEN OFF. KEYSTONE MANAGEMENT MADE A DECISION TO DECLINE TO DO ANYTHING & SAID I NEEDED TO DEAL WITH LIPPERT COMPONENTS, THE SUPPLIERS OF THE ASSEMBLY. THEY ALSO DECLINED TO DO ANYTHING. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY NHTSA DID NOT REQUIRE A RECALL ON ALL 2011 KEYSTONE COUGAR PRODUCTS THAT INCORPORATED THAT EXACT SAME ASSEMBLY.

THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT (TIRES) FROM A KEYSTONE COUGAR TRAILER. IN A TWO WEEK TIME FRAME (AUGUST 2-14, 2015) WHILE ON VACATION, 4 TOWMAX TIRES ST22575R15D BLEW OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. THESE TIRES WERE APPROX. 4.5 YEARS OLD WITH LESS THAN A TOTAL OF 6,000 MILES.THE SPARE THAT BLEW HAD LESS THAN 1,000 MILES. WHEN PARKED, THE TIRES WERE COVERED AND NOT IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. I FEEL THESE TIRES WERE/ARE DEFECTIVE AND A EXAMINATION SHOULD BE DONE TO PREVENT THE POTENTIAL OF A MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAPPENING.

TIRES ARE APPROXIMATELY 1.5 YEARS OF AGE BASED ON "0111" DOT CODE AND HAVE APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES OF USE (NO SIGNS OF DRY ROT OR OTHER FAILURE PRIOR TO TREAD SEPARATION 1ST INCIDENT MAY 24TH 2013 WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON A FARM TO MARKET ROAD I HAD A POWERKING TOWMAX ST235/80R16 TIRES BLOWOUT AND TREAD SEPARATION. REPLACED TIRE AND RETURNED HOME (~150 MILES) CONTACTED DYNAMIC TIRE CORPORATION AND AFTER SHIPPING THEM THE TIRE THEY FOUND NO APPARENT DEFECT TO THE TIRE AND PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT TIRE AND THE REPAIRS TO MY TRAILER. (~$2000 IN DAMAGES) HOWEVER DID NOT PAY TO REPLACE THE OTHER 3 REMAINING TIRES. 2ND INCIDENT AUGUST 14TH 2013 UPON PICKING UP THE UNIT AFTER REPAIRS WERE MADE, I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD A SECOND BLOWOUT ON THE POWERKING TOWMAX TIRES AGAIN APPROX SPEED 60 MPH... THIS TIRE HAD THE SAME DOT CODE OF 0111 RESULTING IN ANOTHER $2000 IN DAMAGE. SHIPPED THE FAILED TIRE PLUS THE OTHER 2 UN-FAILED TIRES TO DYNAMIC TIRE IN BRAMPTON ON, CANADA ... THEY ARE NOW TELLING ME THIS IS CAUSED BY POSSIBLE UNDER INFLATION, SO ONE TIRE OF THE 4 HAS NO SIGNS OF WHY IT SHOULD FAIL. ... YET ~159 MILES LATER THE OTHER FAILED TIRE PLUS THE REMAINING 2 UN-FAILED TIRES "EXHIBIT SIGNS OF UNEVEN TREAD WEAR AND OVER DEFLECTION" TIRES WERE CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED AT 80PSI SO UNDER-INFLATION WAS NOT THE CASE. AND THESE ARE THE OE TIRES FROM KEYSTONE ... SO THEY SHOULD BE RATED FOR THAT TRAILERS WEIGHT. *TR

TIRES ARE APPROXIMATELY 1.5 YEARS OF AGE BASED ON "0111" DOT CODE AND HAVE APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES OF USE (NO SIGNS OF DRY ROT OR OTHER FAILURE PRIOR TO TREAD SEPARATION 1ST INCIDENT MAY 24TH 2013 WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON A FARM TO MARKET ROAD I HAD A POWERKING TOWMAX ST235/80R16 TIRES BLOWOUT AND TREAD SEPARATION. REPLACED TIRE AND RETURNED HOME (~150 MILES) CONTACTED DYNAMIC TIRE CORPORATION AND AFTER SHIPPING THEM THE TIRE THEY FOUND NO APPARENT DEFECT TO THE TIRE AND PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT TIRE AND THE REPAIRS TO MY TRAILER. (~$2000 IN DAMAGES) HOWEVER DID NOT PAY TO REPLACE THE OTHER 3 REMAINING TIRES. 2ND INCIDENT AUGUST 14TH 2013 UPON PICKING UP THE UNIT AFTER REPAIRS WERE MADE, I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD A SECOND BLOWOUT ON THE POWERKING TOWMAX TIRES AGAIN APPROX SPEED 60 MPH... THIS TIRE HAD THE SAME DOT CODE OF 0111 RESULTING IN ANOTHER $2000 IN DAMAGE. SHIPPED THE FAILED TIRE PLUS THE OTHER 2 UN-FAILED TIRES TO DYNAMIC TIRE IN BRAMPTON ON, CANADA ... THEY ARE NOW TELLING ME THIS IS CAUSED BY POSSIBLE UNDER INFLATION, SO ONE TIRE OF THE 4 HAS NO SIGNS OF WHY IT SHOULD FAIL. ... YET ~159 MILES LATER THE OTHER FAILED TIRE PLUS THE REMAINING 2 UN-FAILED TIRES "EXHIBIT SIGNS OF UNEVEN TREAD WEAR AND OVER DEFLECTION" TIRES WERE CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED AT 80PSI SO UNDER-INFLATION WAS NOT THE CASE. AND THESE ARE THE OE TIRES FROM KEYSTONE ... SO THEY SHOULD BE RATED FOR THAT TRAILERS WEIGHT. *TR