2003 Dodge Dakota

TO WHOM IT CONCERNS: I AM REQUESTING THAT THE DOT NHTSA INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A TIRE SIDEWALL SEPARATION OR SIDEWALL DELAMINATION OF COOPER TIRES (COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY) MODEL DISCOVERER RTX, SIZE P245/70R16, DOT UT9H 2BM 1818. I PURCHASED A SET OF 4 TIRES (DISCOVERER RTX, 245/70R16) ON NOVEMBER 14, 2018 FOR MY 2003 DODGE DAKOTA. ON DECEMBER 9, 2018, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE PURCHASING THE COOPER TIRES. I SUDDENLY HEARD A NOISE SIMILAR TO DRIVING ON GROOVED PAYMENT OR RUMBLE-STRIPS. HOWEVER, THE ROADWAY WAS SMOOTH AND CLEAR. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND CHECKED THE TIRES. THE RIGHT-REAR TIRE WAS TORN (SHREDDED) ALL-AROUND BETWEEN THE TIRE SHOULDER AND TREAD, RESULTING IN TWO SEPARATE PIECES. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, I FOUND A PORTION OF THE SIDE WALL WHERE THE OUTER AND INNER SECTIONS WERE NOT ADHERED (OR NOT GLUED) TOGETHER LIKE THE REST OF THE TIRE. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT THE OTHER 3 TIRES MAY ALSO BE AFFECTED. CAN YOU LOOK INTO THIS TO SEE IF THIS TIRE SHOULD BE RECALLED? I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THESE TIRES. THANK YOU

ON SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2014, DURING A TRIP FROM SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA TO LARAMIE, WYOMING, WE SUFFERED TWO BLOWOUTS OF GOODYEAR WRANGLER TIRES IN SIZE P265 70 R16. IN EACH INSTANCE THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE TIRES WERE WELL MAINTAINED AND PROPERLY INFLATED. AT 10:00AM, TRAVELING 65MPH ON INTERSTATE 35, NORTH OF DES MOINES, IOWA WE SUFFERED THE FIRST BLOWOUT. THERE WAS A LOUD WHUP, WHUP, WHUP NOISE AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. WE WERE ABLE TO SAFELY REDUCE SPEED AND PULL OVER. WE DISCOVERED THAT THE RIGHT REAR TIRE TREAD HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALL. WE HAD THE DAMAGED TIRE REPLACED IN AMES, IOWA AT A GOODYEAR DEALER. AT OUR NEXT STOP, I CHECKED THE AIR PRESSURE IN ALL 4 TIRES. THE LEFT REAR TIRE WAS AT 32 PSI. I INFLATED THE LEFT REAR TIRE TO 40 PSI TO MATCH THE OTHER 3 TIRES. WHILE TRAVELING 75 MPH ON INTERSTATE 80, EAST OF LARAMIE AT 11:00PM WE SUFFERED THE SECOND BLOWOUT. AGAIN THERE WAS A LOUD WHUP, WHUP, WHUP NOISE AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. I REDUCED SPEED AND ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE WHICH SENT THE TRUCK INTO A WILD FISHTAIL SKID. WE CRASHED INTO THE GUARDRAIL AND THE VEHICLE WAS RENDERED INOPERABLE. WE GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK AND SURVEYED THE DAMAGE. IT WAS THEN WE DISCOVERED THAT A PORTION OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE INNER TUBE OF THE TIRE WAS EXPOSED BUT STILL INFLATED. AFTER THE CRASH I WAS MADE AWARE OF A RECALL BY GOODYEAR OF THEIR WRANGLER TIRES. WHILE THE TIRES DESCRIBED ABOVE DO NOT FALL INTO THE DOT NUMBERS OF THE RECALL, I WOULD ASK THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE FURTHER AND BROADEN THE RANGE OF RECALL AS THE BLOWOUT THAT CAUSED OUR CRASH APPEARS TO BE THE SAME AS THE BLOWOUT THAT CAUSED A CRASH IN TEXAS THAT RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF TWO COLLEGE STUDENTS ON AUGUST 01, 2011. *TR

ORIGINAL DATE OF PURCHASE 9/18/2010 ORIGINAL TIRE: DUNLOP ROVERS LT 265/70R16 LOAD RANGE C DA8D633V2709 GOODYEAR/MR. TIRE AUTO CEDAR BRIDGE AVE STORE # 1014 BRICK NJ 08723 (732)477-3480. CUSTOMER ID# [XXX] $892.82 ON JULY 14, 2011 I WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN ONTO MAIN STREET IN TOMS RIVER WHEN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE EXPLODED, AND A FEW SECONDS LATER THE RIGHT TIRE ALSO EXPLODED. I DROVE ABOUT 100 FEET TO A PARKING LOT TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE. ON THE INSIDE OF BOTH TIRES THERE WAS A LARGE GASH ABOUT 5 INCHES LONG ON ONE TIRE AND ON THE OTHER TIRE THERE WERE 2 DIFFERENT GASHES ABOUT 4 AND 5 INCHES LONG. I PUT A SPARE ON ONE WHEEL AND HAD A HARD TIME GETTING THE 2ND WHEEL OFF SO I HIT IT WITH THE LUG WRENCH. I TOOK THAT TIRE TO A NEARBY STS AND BOUGHT A CHEAP TIRE $171.00 AND PUT IT ON AND DROVE HOME. TWO DAYS LATER, SATURDAY JULY 16, 2011, I TOOK THE TRUCK TO GOODYEAR WHERE I PURCHASED THE TIRES LESS THEN A YEAR AGO. THEY TOLD ME BECAUSE THE BACK OF THE RIM WAS SCORED IT MUST NOT HAVE EXPLODED, IT MUST HAVE BEEN CUT IN A CARWASH. THEY CHARGED US $85.41 FOR 2 NEW TIRES. THEY TOLD US THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE ROAD IT HAD TO HAVE HAPPENED AT A CAR WASH. THIS TRUCK HAS NEVER BEEN TO A CAR WASH SINCE I HAVE HAD IT SEVERAL YEARS. I HAD THEM REPLACE THE 2 BAD TIRES WITH GOODYEAR WRANGLER SR-A?S BUT I STILL HAVE 2 DUNLOP TIRES ON THE BACK OF MY TRUCK. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY, AND MY FAMILY?S SAFETY, DRIVING ON THESE TIRES. I HAVE A PICTURE OF ONE TIRE AND I HAVE PICTURES OF THE INSIDE OF THE RIMS. GOODYEAR KEPT BOTH TIRES. I AM A FORMER MECHANIC, FRONT END SPECIALIST, FOR 22 YEARS, I AM A RETIRES US ARMY VET, AND CURRENTLY WORKING AS SHERIFF'S OFFICER, AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN TIRES THAT LOOKED LIKE THIS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA WITH BF GOODRICH TIRES, LONG TRAIL, DOT# AP72F821, SIZE P265/70/R16. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES FAILED STATE INSPECTION DUE TO ABNORMAL TREAD WEAR. PREMATURE TREAD WEAR ON THE TIRES INCREASED THE RISK OF A TIRE BLOW-OUT. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 14,721. UPDATED 10/21/09. *LJ UPDATED 10/20/09*JB

IN LATE FEBRUARY 2009 I HAD A SLIPPED BELT ON ONE OF MY GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S TIRES ON MY 2003 DODGE DAKOTA. THIS WAS PARTICULARLY ANNOYING ESPECIALLY SINCE THE TIRES ONLY HAD 33K MILES ON THEM. THE SPARE HAD NEVER BEEN USED SO WE PUT THE SPARE TIRE ON. THAT WAS FIND FOR A FEW WEEKS BUT THEN THE OTHER TIRES STARTED SLIPPING BELTS. AFTER THE INITIAL TIRE I CONTACTED GOODYEAR TO INFORM THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THEIR GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S TIRE AND THEY INDICATED THAT SULLIVAN TIRE IN STRATHAM NEW HAMPSIRE COULD REVIEW THE SITUATION FOR THEM SINCE THEY WERE A TRUSTED DEALERSHIP. TODAY I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO SULLIVAN TIRE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE BELTS ON THE OTHER TIRES HAD SLIPPED AND WERE ACTUALLY DANGEROUS AND I SHOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT DRIVING ON THEM. AS A RESULT I HAD THEM REPLACE THE TIRES AND WAS SO MAD ABOUT THIS THAT I HAD THEM PUT DUNLOP TIRES INSTEAD OF GOODYEAR ON THEM. I REALIZE THAT THESE WERE THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON MY 2003 TRUCK ( SULLIVAN TIRE INDICATED THAT THE SERIAL NUMBERS INDICATED THIS) BUT THE TIRES HAD IN EXCESS OF 50% TREADWARE ON THEM. SULLIVAN TIRE TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE THE TIRES WERE ABOUT 7 YEARS OLD THAT GOODYEAR WOULD NO DO ANYTHING. AFTER LEAVING I CHECKED THE TIRE WARRANTY DOCUMENT THAT CAME WITH THE CAR AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THERE WAS ANY TIME LIMIT ON THE WARRANTY - ONLY TREADWEAR. I AM OUT $587 AND SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN. I FEEL THAT THESE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE AND SOMETHING SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BECAUSE OF THIS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SORT OF THING. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO ME. I AM 62 AND HAVE BEEN DRIVING SINCE I WAS 16 AND AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH CARS SINCE MY DAD WAS A MECHANIC. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2003 DAKOTA QUAD CAB 2WD IN EARLY JANUARY OF 2004. IT HAS APPROXIMATELY 21K. SIGNS OF THE STEERING MAKING A CREAKING SOUND WHEN BEING TURNED WERE FIRST NOTICED AT APPROXIMATELY 8000. IT IS MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN ENTERING AN ELEVATED STREET OR A DRIVEWAY, WHILE MAKING THE TURN. I BELIEVE THE SAME DEFECTIVE STEERING COMPONENTS UTILIZED IN THE 4X4 DAKOTA ALSO APPLY TO THE 2WD VERSIONS. I WOULD LIKE THE INITIATIVE BE TAKEN TO INCLUDE THE 2WD DODGE DAKOTAS IN THE RECALL AS WELL. MY TRUCK HAS NOT YET BEEN SERVICED, BUT IF STUDY INFORMATION IS REQUIRED, SUCH AS AN ANALYSIS OF THE JOINT, I AM WILLING TO VOLUNTEER MY VEHICLE FOR SUCH A STUDY IF IT WOULD HELP IN MOVING FORWARD WITH THE RECALL.*AK

WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 DODGE DAKOTA PICK-UP ON THE EXPRESSWAY MY REAR LEFT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE HAD A BLOWOUT. UPON STOPPING AND INSPECTION, THE TIRE HAD A SIDE BLOWOUT WITH ONLY 15,775 MILES OF WEAR. THIS TIRE CAME WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN I PURCHASED IT NEW IN APRIL 2004. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING ON THE ROADWAY AND WAS DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT OF 55MPH. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES ON THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN THE BLOWOUT OCCURRED. I STILL HAVE THE TIRE AND AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECT WHICH CAUSED THE SIDE TIRE BLOWOUT*AK