1999 Honda Civic

THIS LETTER IS IN REFERENCE TO A SET OF 4 COOPER GLS TOURING TIRES PURCHASED FROM NTB, CLOVER, SC. TIRE INFORMATION (COOPER GLS TOURING, 185/65R 14 86T, U96L1DR0917, 1 EACH AND U96L1DR1116, 3 EACH) WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF PURCHASING THE TIRES, THE DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE DEVELOPED A SLOW LEAK TAKING SEVERAL DAYS TO DEFLATE. ON 12/16/2018, I WAS IN HAMPTON, VA WHEN THE TIRE DEVELOPED A MORE SERIOUS LEAK AND DEFLATED WITHIN A FEW HOURS. I WAS UNABLE TO RETURN TO THE CLOVER, SC LOCATION ON THIS TIRE AND TOOK IT TO THE HAMPTON, VA LOCATION WHERE THE TIRE WAS PATCHED. HOWEVER, WITHIN A FEW WEEKS THE SLOW LEAK RETURNED WHICH PROGRESSED INTO A FASTER LEAK OVER TIME. I RETURNED THE TIRE TO THE CLOVER, SC LOCATION WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME THE TIRE BALANCING WEIGHT HAD BROKEN THE BEAD AND THAT WAS THE LOCATION OF THE LEAK. AT THIS TIME IT SEEMED THAT THE TIRE PROBLEMS HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ADDRESSED. HOWEVER, ON 6/16/2019 THIS TIRE SUFFERED A SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC DEFLATION WHILE PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT OF WALMART IN OSAGE BEACH, MO. I REMOVED THE TIRE AND WALKED INSIDE THE TIRE CENTER OF WALMART WHERE IT WAS REPLACED. NOTE THAT THE TIRE WAS EXAMINED AND NO EXTERNAL PUNCTURE OR SIDE WALL DAMAGE WAS PRESENT. THIS TIRE SUFFERED SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC DEFLATION WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED AND WITHOUT ANY EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE TIRE. ON 7/11/2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:00 PM, THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT TIRE SUFFERED A SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC DEFLATION WHEN THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN NORTH ON I-77 NEAR ELKIN, NC. AT THIS TIME THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY. NTB IN CHRISTIANSBURG, VA WOULD NOT WARRANTY THE TIRE AND I PURCHASED ANOTHER. DURING THIS VISIT THE NTB TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME A THIRD TIRE HAS AN INTERNAL DEFECT (BUSTED BELT). AT THIS TIME 3 OF THE 4 TIRES HAVE EITHER FAILED OR HAVE AN INTERNAL DEFECT.

TWO MONTHS AGO MY SON'S 1999 HONDA CIVIC EXPERIENCED A FLAT TIRE. THE TIRE SHOP SAID THE VALVE STEM WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED THE STEM AT A COST OF $26. ON APRIL 16, 2009, MY SON EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF AIR PRESSURE ON A DIFFERENT TIRE, LEFT FRONT TIRE, WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. HE SAID THE CAR SUDDENLY PULLED STRONGLY TO THE LEFT AND HE ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I REMEMBERED SEEING INFORMATION ON A VALVE STEM RECALL LAST SUMMER AND GAVE MY SON INFORMATION ABOUT THE DILL VALVE STEM RECALL. THE VALVE STEMS WERE THE ONES MANUFACTURED AND RECALLED BY DILL, REF. ODI DEFECT INVESTIGATION EA08022. THE TIRE SHOP DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE RECALL AND THE HONDA DEALER THAT INSTALLED THE TIRES 2 YEARS AGO ALSO PLEADED IGNORANCE. AFTER FURTHER PERSISTENCE, MY SON WAS ABLE TO GET THE HONDA DEALER TO REPLACE ALL OF THE DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS AND REPLACE THE TIRE THAT WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. HE IS STILL OUT $26 DUE TO THE FIRST VALVE STEM FAILURE WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY THE TIRE SHOP IF THE SPIRIT AND INTENT OF THE DILL VALVE STEM VOLUNTARY RECALL WAS BEING FOLLOWED. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE VOLUNTARY RECALL BY DILL IS INADEQUATE AND NOT ACCOMPLISHING ITS INTENDED PURPOSE. ODI DEFECT INVESTIGATION EA08022 WAS PREMATURELY CLOSED. THE RECALL SHOULD BE MANDATED BY NHTSA AND BACKED UP BY THE LAW! THE TIRE COMPANIES ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT AND INTENT OF THE DILL VOLUNTARY RECALL. THIS IS RESULTING IN UNNECESSARY EXPENSES TO THE PUBLIC AND A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. I FEEL IT IS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY NOT KNOWING IF ONCOMING TRAFFIC WILL SUDDENLY SWERVE INTO ME BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE VALVE STEM. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS IN SERVICE. SOMETHING MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE. *TR

MY 1999 HONDA CIVIC CAUGHT ON FIRE NOVEMBER 11 IT WAS 11:45 PM MY CAR WAS PARKED WITHIN 6 FEET OF MY HOUSE MY DOG ALERTED ME BY BARKING AND GOING CRAZY I WAS ASLEEP SO GOT UP AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM, AND NOTICED A BRIGHT FLICKERING LIGHT WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT WAS CAUSING THIS AND SAW MY CAR ON FIRE: DRIVERS SIDE. IT LOOKED TO ME THE FIRE WAS RIGHT ABOVE THE TIRE, AND ALSO THE FIRE DEPT. CONFIRMED THAT DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS THE TIRE, OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM I OWNED THE CAR FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS I HAD NO INSURANCE SO WAS OUT $4,000. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 HONDA CIVIC LX 4 DOOR VEHICLE ON A RETURN TRIP FROM BIRMINGHAM, AL TO ATLANTA, GA AND ABOUT 45 MINUTES INTO MY RETURN TRIP THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE OF MY VEHICLE. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT THAT ALTHOUGH THE 1/3 OF THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE IT DID NOT BLOW OUT AND I WAS ABLE TO GET TO AN EXIT SAFELY. I THEN PROCEEDED TO A WALMART TIRE REPLACEMENT CENTER WHERE I ASKED THE TECHNICIAN IF THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME HE HAD SEEN THIS HAPPEN. THE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME HE HAD SEEN THIS ISSUE WITHIN THE PAST 2 MONTHS AND THAT THE OTHER TIRE THAT WAS BROUGHT IN FOR REPLACEMENT HAD ONLY BEEN ON THE CAR FOR A FEW WEEKS (MY TIRE WAS ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD). I CONTACTED FIRESTONE TO INFORM THEM OF THE ISSUE AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD ONLY TAKE ACTION IF I COULD MAIL THEM THE TIRE. I PROVIDED FIRESTONE THE CONTACT NUMBER FOR THE TIRE SHOP WHERE THEY COULD OBTAIN THE TIRE IF NEEDED FOR ANALYSIS (FIRESTONE WAS NOT INTERESTED IN OBTAINING THE TIRE). THE TIRE THAT WAS INVOLVED WAS AN FR 680.

INSURED STATED WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HWY HER RT REAR TIRE BLEW AND CAUSED HER TO LOSE CONTROL OF IV. THE TIRE SHREDS HIT THE REAR BUMPER AND TORE IT OFF OR PARTIALLY OFF. THE IV THEN SPUN ACROSS TRAFFIC AND HIT THE MEDIAN WITH LEFT REAR END. CLAIMS ADJUSTER LOOKED AT THE PHOTOS OF THE TIRE, AND IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE A NORMAL BLOW OUT. THE TREAD APPEARS TO HAVE JUST FALLEN OFF THE TIRE. WHAT TREAD WAS LEFT ON TIRE IS IN GOOD SHAPE. SO WE ARE NOT LOOKING AT LACK OF CARE ON INSURED'S PART. INSD HAS THE PHYSICAL TIRE IN HER POSSESSION.