NHTSA complaint: GOODYEAR WRANGLER — TIRES:TREAD/BELT
WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM JACKSON,MS ON INTERSTATE 20 ON SAT. JULY8,2000, OUR CAR STARTED VIBRATING AND MAKING A NOISE. MY DAUGHTER ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG AND WHAT TO DO. I TOLD HER THAT I THOUGHT WE HAD A BLOW OUT. I INSTRUCTED HER TO BRAKE AND SLOW DOWN AS MUCH AND AS FAST AS POSSIBLE AND TRY TO KEEP THE CAR ON THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWING DOWN AND SHE WAS MAINTAINING CONTROL UNTIL SOMETHING STOPPED THE CAR FROM ROLLING AND SHE LOST CONTROL AS IF SOMETHING WAS PHYSICALLY PULLING THE WHEEL HARD TO THE RIGHT. SHE THEN LOST COMPLETE CONTROL AND THE CAR STARTED TURNING TO THE RIGHT. WE THEN HIT A BRIDGE ABUTMENT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, THE CAR SPINNED COMPLETELY AROUND FROM THE FIRST IMPACT WITH THE BRIDGE AND THEN WE HIT THE BRIDGE ON THE PASSENGER'S FRONT SIDE, WE WERE KNOCKED CLEAR OF THE BRIDGE AND HEADED DOWN AN EMBANKMENT TOWARD A LARGE STAND OF PINES AND THE CAR CAME TO REST JUST PAST THE DRIVING LANE ON THE HIGHWAY. WE HAD A WITNESSES FROM DALLAS, TEXAS, ALSO DRIVING AN SUV, WHO TOLD US THAT THEY SAW THE ENTIRE ACCIDENT AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING MY DAUGHTER COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE THEY COULD SEE THE STEEL BELT OF THE TIRE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE MECHANISM UNDER THE CAR AND THEN SHE LOST TOTAL CONTROL. WE WERE TOLD BY THE STATE TROOPER WHO ACCOMPANIED US TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM THAT HE WAS GLAD WE HIT THE BRIDGE LIKE WE DID BECAUSE IF WE HAD NOT WE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY ROLLED OR HIT THE STAND OF PINES AFTER GOING AIRBORNE HEAD ON. HE STATED THAT HE HAD S
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation