Complaint 779628

Complaint Summary

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

Owner Narrative

COMPLETE SUDDEN TIRE FAILURE SIGMA TIRE STAMPEDE RADIAL AS LT265R75/16, DOT UPW8 TWT 3206 CP G04L THE TIRE HAD ABOUT 28000 MILES ON IT WHILE MOUNTED ON MY CHEVROLET 2500 FOUR WHEEL DRIVE CREW CAB TRUCK RIGHT FRONT WHEEL, AND HAD 1/3 TO 1/2 OF THE ORIGINAL TREAD REMAINING. I WAS ON I-26 IN SOUTH CAROLINA TRAVELING AT ABOUT 70 MPH. I FELT A VERY SLIGHT VIBRATION, JUST SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN NORMAL ROAD VIBRATION AND ABOUT 15 SECONDS LATER, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE COMPLETELY DISASSEMBLED. THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE BODY BETWEEN THE TWO STEEL BELTS. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE IN LIGHT TRAFFIC, AND WAS ABLE TO BRING THE TRUCK UNDER CONTROL WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING, OR ROLLING OVER. THE TIRE WAS INFLATED TO MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATIONS, AND I HAD HIT NOTHING THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE TREAD SEPARATION. I HAD STOPPED FOR FUEL ABOUT 20 MINUTES EARLIER, AND THE TIRES LOOKED NORMAL AT THAT TIME. I WAS NOT HAULING A LOAD, OR PULLING A TRAILER AT THE TIME. IN ROUGHLY A MILLION MILES OR DRIVING I HAVE NEVER HAD A TIRE FAIL LIKE THIS, AND DON'T EVER WANT ANOTHER FAILURE LIKE IT. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD SOME SORT OF WARNING OF AN INCIPIENT FAILURE. THE TIRES WERE ON THE TRUCK WHEN I BOUGHT IT ABOUT ONE AND ONE-HALF YEARS AGO, SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE PURCHASED. I HAD THE TRUCK ALIGNED TWICE, AND THE TIRES ROTATED AS PART OF NORMAL MAINTENANCE. THE SEPARATED TREAD CAUSED ABOUT $4000 DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. I HAVE CONTACTED SIGMA PRODUCT LIABILITY AND FILED A REPORT WITH THEM. *TR

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