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Dodge Ram 2500 1996 Complaint

Complaint about TIRES : TREAD/BELT

PERKINS, OK

Consumer Complaint:
MY 1996 DODGE RAM 2500 CAME NEW WITH 5 GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S 245/75 R16 TIRES. I REPLACED 4 TIRES AT 78,000 MILES WITH 3 NEW RT/S TIRES AND ROTATED IN THE ORIGINAL SPARE. I KEPT THE BEST 2 TIRES FOR SPARES.*AK I USED AN OLD SPARE FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND NOTICED SOME VIBRATION. THE GOODYEAR DEALER INDICATED THE TREAD WAS SEPARATING. WHILE ON THE TURNPIKE, THE TREAD ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE SEPARATED CATASTROPHICALLY AT 75 MPH AND DAMAGED THE QUARTER PANEL, WHEEL WELL, LOWER PASSENGER DOORFRAME, STEERING MECHANISM (TRACK BAR), FRONT BUMPER COWLING, AND DENTED THE RIGHT REAR QUARTER PANEL. THE TIRE DIDNT GO FLAT, BUT THREW OFF ALL THE TREAD. FORTUNATELY, I RETAINED CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE TIRE THAT SEPARATED WAS THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT SPARE, MANUFACTURED IN 1996. THIS TIRE FAILED AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES. I BROUGHT THE FAILED TIRE TO THE LOCAL GOODYEAR DEALERSHIP, PERRY TIRE AND ALIGNMENT IN STILLWATER, WHERE THE OWNER FORCED ME TO SEND IT TO GOODYEAR FOR ANALYSIS. AS THE TIRE WAS OVER 4 YEARS OLD, HE CLAIMED GOODYEAR WOULD NOT WARRANTEE THE TIRE, BUT MIGHT MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENT. I STUPIDLY DID THIS, ACTING IN GOOD FAITH AND TRUSTING THE INTEGRITY OF BOTH COMPANIES. ITS ONE YEAR LATER, AND GUESS WHAT: I HAVE RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION FROM EITHER COMPANY, PERRY TIRE HAS CHANGED OWNERSHIP, AND GOODYEAR HAS "LOST" MY TIRE. BY THE WAY, GOODYEAR'S REPRESENTATIVE SAID THEY NEVER DEAL DIRECTLY WITH THE CUSTOMER - DEALERS DO THAT, THEN GOODYEAR DEALS WITH THEM. AT ABOUT 55,000 MILES, ONE OF THE NEWER TIRES HAD TREAD SEPARATION; ANOTHER HAS WORN UNEVENLY TO SHOW THE BELT. BOTH WERE DETECTED BEFORE FAILURE ON THE ROAD. THE BOTTOM LINE: 3 OF 8 OF MY GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S TIRES FAILED DUE TO TREAD SEPARATION, ONE PROVIDING SIGNIFICANT RISK TO MY FAMILY AND OTHERS. I AM WITHOUT THE TIRE THAT DISINTEGRATED, AND AM CONSIDERING SEEKING LEGAL ACTION. I UNDERSTAND TIRES WEAR OUT, BUT THEY SHOULD NOT FAIL IN THIS MANNER EVEN IF WORN DOWN TO THE BELTS.

Date of Incident:
20020907