Complaint 2117456

Complaint Summary

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

Owner Narrative

GT Radial Adventuro AT3, 275/70R-18 Load Range E The tire exploded at 65mph while pulling a trailer. I still have what is left of it. The debris flying off the vehicle into traffic and the need to pull completely off the road. The sharp reduction of speed in traffic on a 4 lane divided highway. The tire has not been inspected by any official or company. I had purchased hazard insurance from Walmart when I bought the tires. They refused to honor the coverage due to the tire having no tread. The 2nd tire, purchased at the same time, was on the drivers side, but they refused to consider the tread remaining on that tire as an example of the blowouts previous tread. I have an active TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) on the truck and no alarms went off prior to the explosion. It did alarm after the explosion. It is also mounted, where I as the driver, can monitor it. The blowout severely damaged my truck. My insurance indicates they will cover the cost of repairs after my deductible, but not replacement of the tires. My 2 million miles operating my own semi causes me to believe the tire was manufactured in a defective manner. I have never seen, or recall a non-retread tire shedding ALL of it's tread. Recaps generally will. I have contacted Walmart Corporate and Giti Tire. Neither has responded. Lucky only my truck was damaged and the highway scattered with debris for other travelers to encounter!

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.