NHTSA complaint: GENERAL AMERI-TRAC — TIRES:TREAD/BELT
FORD FACTORY INSTALLED LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD TREAD SEPERATION AT ~70MPH IN APACHE COUNTY ROUTE 15 IN ARIZONA, A TWO LANE ROAD. FORTUNATE THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC OR COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL, TOOK ENTIRE ROAD TO REGAIN CONTROL. CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO MY 2003 F250 EST >$1000, FLAIL TYPE DAMAGE TO FENDER (IT RIPPED THE BOTTOM OF THE FENDER FROM THE BOLTS AND ROLLED THE STEEL FENDER UP INTO THE WELL), DAMAGED THE BUMPER, WELL, ETC. EASILY COULD HAVE CUT BRAKE LINES AND SENSORS, AND COULD HAVE REACHED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT COMPONENTS INCLUDING STEERING. POSSIBLY COULD HAVE HIT DRIVER WITH OPEN WINDOW. TIRE IS STILL INFLATED, HALF OF TREAD APPEARS INTACT, HALF IS IN SEVERAL PARALLELAGRAM TYPE PIECES. TIRE IS A GENERAL AMERITRAC, M+S 235/85 R16, LOAD RANGE E, 120/1160, 4 PLY 2 STEEL 2 POLYESTER, DK73916 32622, E4 009113
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation