On [XXX], I rented a Class C motorhome from Cruise America at their Duluth, Georgia branch (Reservation #[XXX]). When I picked up the vehicle, the Cruise America employee pointed to a handwritten note taped over the tire pressure warning light on the dashboard that said: “ignore tire sensor.” The note was already in place before I arrived, suggesting that other renters may have used the vehicle in that same unsafe condition. Three days later, while traveling northbound on [XXX] near Memphis, Tennessee, the RV suffered a sudden tire blowout at highway speed. We narrowly avoided a collision while maneuvering to the shoulder. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident was extremely dangerous and could easily have resulted in fatalities. Cruise America knowingly rented out a vehicle with an active tire pressure warning covered and concealed, depriving the driver of critical safety information. The company did not repair or document the issue, instead instructing renters to “ignore” the tire warning. This conduct may violate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 138 (49 C.F.R. § 571.138) and 49 U.S.C. § 30122, which prohibit making safety equipment inoperative or misleading drivers about safety system status. While TPMS sensors can fail naturally, covering the warning light constitutes deliberate concealment and undermines the system’s purpose. I am concerned that Cruise America may be circulating other rental vehicles in similar unsafe condition. Please investigate whether Cruise America, Inc. is in compliance with federal vehicle-safety laws governing TPMS functionality and rental-vehicle maintenance standards. Specifically, whether any branch locations are renting vehicles with disabled, covered, or ignored tire-pressure monitoring systems or other concealed safety warnings. Reported to Cruise America Customer Relations (Case #[XXX]). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Ford F-350 tire blowout problems
227 of the 2,894 owner complaints about the Ford F-350 describe tire blowout or tread separation, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 227
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 59,999
By model year
Often reported together
Pulling 3Shudder 3Overheating 2Fire or smoke 2Adaptive cruise 2Won't start 1Transmission failure 1
What owners say
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!
[XXX] tire on driver's rear began to have significant vibration while towing 16,000 lb. fifth-wheel RV. Stopped and visually/tactilely determined unusual wear pattern so went to commercial tire shop in Pahrump, NV. Their inspection determined tread separation rendering the tire unusable so we replaced it with a different brand. This is the second of three tires installed at the same time that have suffered tread separation failure. The first was in July 2023 and was not reported to the federal safety agency, but when two more tires failed at the same time, I decided to report. Because this type of failure does not produce TPMS warnings, it could have been a catastrophic failure that might have resulted in damage to our vehicles and/or a crash with significant injury to us or other motorists. With three failures from the same batch of tires on our vehicle, I believe there is a serious problem with this batch of tires and they should be recalled. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
[XXX] tire on passenger’s rear began to have significant vibration while towing 16,000 lb. fifth-wheel RV. Stopped and visually/tactilely determined unusual wear pattern so went to commercial tire shop in Pahrump, NV. Their inspection determined tread separation rendering the tire unusable so we replaced it with a different brand. This is the third of three tires installed at the same time that have suffered tread separation failure. The first was in July 2023 and was not reported to the federal safety agency, but when two more tires failed at the same time, I decided to report. Because this type of failure does not produce TPMS warnings, it could have been a catastrophic failure that might have resulted in damage to our vehicles and/or a crash with significant injury to us or other motorists. With three failures from the same batch of tires on our vehicle, I believe there is a serious problem with this batch of tires and they should be recalled. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I had purchesed a set of Dick Cepek Extreme Country LT315/75/R16. The tires have 9/32nd left with approximately 15,000 miles. While driving on the highway the sidewall of the tire peeled off in one strip causing the tire to no longer hold its shape and blow out. Had it been a steer tire the incident could have been much worse. Twenty minutes prior to the failure all tires were inspected and confirmed to be inflated to the proper psi and without damage.
[XXX] who performs automotive work out of his residence [XXX] and [XXX] of [XXX] have worked on this vehicle to spite the customer and to gouge the customer in unnecessary fraudulent repairs. They have deliberately set this vehicle up to fail with the braking system, the 6.0 engine being rebuilt to no avail, and constant driving problems such as pulling to the right and the left when brakes applied, constant overheating, constant oil temperature overheating, shuttering at highway speed, transmission failure, air conditioning failure, coolant system failure, electrical system failure, and every system that they have repaired, continues to fail. They specifically performed work on the electrical wiring and truck keeps blowing fuses. They performed work on the transmission and the transmission failed shortly after. They performed work on the engine and deleted illegally all the emissions EGR pollutant controls. They installed faulty wiring for the electric trailer brake controls and the electronic speed controls. They tampered with the air conditioning system causing the compressor to blow out, send metal through the a/c lines, and the belt stopped turning causing the serpentine belt to break, tear the fan shroud apart and shred. They also installed a trailer brake controller that was aftermarket and it caused brake loss and intermittent failure with the service brake system and speed control. Domingo also tuned the computer to make the truck output 550 horsepower which caused the new engine to fail prematurely and the transmission to fail as well. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-350 equipped with Cooper Tires, Tire Line: Discover AT3, Tire size: 265/75/R16, DOT Number: UPWM1M11718M16L. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the rear driver’s side tire had a sidewall blowout. The contact stated that all four tires had sidewall blowouts months apart. The tire blowouts had damaged the rims. The contact replaced the front driver’s, passenger’s, and rear driver’s side tire with the spare after each blowout. The dealer was made aware of the failure and replaced the rear passenger’s side tire. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the rear driver’s side rim, rear driver’s and front passenger’s side tire were sent to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was not available.
The contact owns a 2007 Ford F-350 equipped with Nitto tires, Tire Line: Dura Grappler, Tire Size: 275/65/18, DOT number: EAW2215. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. Upon inspection it was discovered that the driver’s side rear tire had experienced tread separation. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the tires were not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14T014000 (Tires) due to the manufacturing date of the tire. The contact indicated that the tire had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The manufacture was not yet notified. The failure mileage was 30,000. Consumer stated thread separation happened with the second tire 2 weeks later. Manufacture was notified and all 4 tires have now been replaced prematurely.
While driving on the n.y thruway. My michelin mlx tires tread separated for the tire causing a blow out and tearing off the rear passenger dually fender of my f350 . Pieces of the fend and tire flew all over the n.y thruway
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford f-350 equipped with firestone tires, tire line: trans force at, tire size: lt 265/75r16, and dot number: 8xw8tr7. The contact stated that while the vehicle was beening service for an oil change, the technician noticed the tread was separated from the rear driver side tire. The tire was not replaced and was not taken to a dealer. The contact called firestone complete auto care, (1439 s washington st, grand forks, nd 58201, (701) 203-558) and was informed that there was no warranty on the tires. The contact stated that there was a defect in the tire that could lead to a blowout. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage of the vehicle was 271,374 and tire was 42,200.
Related recalls
Tires
- What is wrong
- Certain lariat and king ranch model pickup trucks fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars." some trucks were inadvertently equipped with an incorrect load range tire. This would result in incorrect tire load ratings for the stated vehicle axle gross axle weight rating. Also, the tire may be inflated above the dot listed inflation pressure.
- Risk
- If a tire was operated in an over-loaded or over-inflated condition, the tire may rupture resulting in a rapid air loss, which can cause a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace any incorrect load range tires. Additionally, if any tire required replacement, it is recommended that the wheel lug nut torque be checked within 500 miles after any tire replacement. Owner notification began on may 21, 2004. Owners should contact. Ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 04V229000 · Recall details
Tires: bead
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and chassis. The tires on these vehicles were damaged during mounting onto the wheels. Only trucks produced at the cuautitlan, mexico plant between september 1, 1996, and july 17, 1997, were affected by the defect.
- Risk
- The bead area of the tire was cut which could result in air loss. Sudden air loss could occur resulting in a loss of vehicle control.
- Remedy
- Due to the age of the vehicles and this recall affecting original equipment tires only, ford will no longer accept claims for this campaign.
Recall number 97V187000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-350 tire blowout
Which Ford F-350 years have tire blowout or tread separation problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (62 complaints), 1999 (50 complaints) and 1997 (17 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix tire blowout or tread separation on the Ford F-350?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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