2010 Volkswagen Routan

WHILE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 50 MPH ON A RURAL ROAD, THE FRONT DRIVER-SIDE TIRE INSTANTLY DEFLATED. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE WAS SAFELY PULLED OVER AWAY FROM TRAFFIC. UPON EXAMINATION IT WAS FOUND THAT THE VALVE STEM HAD BROKEN OFF, AND THE TIRE HAD DEFLATED AS A RESULT. THE REST OF THE TIRE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. IN THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) IS PART OF THE VALVE STEM, AND THAT IS WHAT HAD BROKEN OFF. A SECOND SIMILAR INCIDENT HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS LATER WITH THE REAR DRIVER-SIDE TIRE OF THE VEHICLE, WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH. *TR

THREE WEEKS PRIOR, I'D INSTALLED 4 NEW TIRES. RETURNING HOME FROM DR'S. OFFICE THIS DAY, I HEARD A SMALL 'POP', THEN BEGAN HEARING RUMBLING, THEN REALIZED CAR BEING PULLED TO EDGE OF ROAD. FLAT TIRE? ON A 3 WK OLD TIRE? SURE ENOUGH THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS FLAT. VERY FORTUNATE FOR LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE, SPEED ZONE, AND DISTANCE TO THE VERY PLACE I'D PURCHASED THE TIRES. THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH TPMS. THE SENSOR STEM IS HELD TIGHT TO THE EXTERIOR OF THE RIM WITH A METAL NUT. THE NUT HAD POPPED OFF WHILE DRIVING, THUS THE STEM RETRACTED TOWARDS THE INSIDE THE RIM / WHEEL AND RELEASED ALL THE AIR IN THE TIRE. THE THREADS ON THE STEM WERE CORRODED AWAY AND COULD NO LONGER HOLD THE NUT IN PLACE. I HAD TO PURCHASE A NEW TIRE. I DECIDED TO HAVE THE TIRE STORE LOOK AT THE OTHER 3 STEMS / NUTS ON THE OUTSIDE. ONLY ONE OF THE THREE REMAINING NUTS COULD BE LOOSENED. THE OTHER TWO WERE FUSED IN PLACED DUE TO CORROSION. I DECIDED TO HAVE REMOVE THE OTHER 3 STEMS REMOVED AS I DID NOT TRUST THEM ENOUGH TO PUT MY WIFE OR GRANDSONS, OR ANY PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME AFTER SEEING WHAT HAPPENED. HAD I BEEN SEEING ONE OF MY OTHER DOCTORS, TAKING ROUTE 531 AT THE 65MPH LIMIT, AND THIS HAD HAPPENED ON ONE OF THE SEVERAL SEVERE CURVES, I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED. THE SENSORS ACTUALLY ARE LABELED AS 'CHRYSLER' PRODUCT. I HAVE CALLED BOTH VWCARES AND CHRYSLER AND BROUGHT THIS TO THEIR ATTENTION. I HAVE WARNED AS MANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THESE TPMS SENSORS AND STEMS, AND ADVISED THEM ALL TO INSPECT THEIRS REGULARLY. OUR SON IS A GM TECHNICIAN AND ADVISED US THAT GM ACTUALLY RECOGNIZED THEY NEEDED TO UPGRADE THEIR VALVE STEMS A FEW YEARS AGO TO PROTECT SUCH AN OCCURRENCE. *TR

FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE RAPIDLY DEFLATED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO PULL RIGHT INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. THE NEAR MISS COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. UPON INVESTIGATION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE WAS CORROSION OF THE TPMS VALVE. I DID A QUICK INTERNET INVESTIGATION AND LEARNED THAT THE CORROSION AND RESULTING TIRE FAILURE ARE COMMON INCIDENTS. WHY HAVEN'T THESE FAULTY TPMS VALVES BEEN RECALLED? THIS ISSUE WILL SURELY RESULT IN DEATHS WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THESE TPMS SENSORS ARE FOR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH THE LEFT REAR TIRE SENSOR THAT WAS LOCATED INSIDE THE TIRE CAME LOOSE CAUSING THE TIRE TO BECOME FLAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TIRE SHOP WHERE THEY INSTALLED THE SPARE TIRE AND INFORMED HIM OF THE LOOSE SENSOR WITHIN THE TIRE. THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,300.