NHTSA complaint: 2005 FORD FOCUS — TIRES:TREAD/BELT
I WAS WESTBOUND ON 5TH ST. IN OLIVEHURST, CA, AND HEADED TO OLIVEHURST DRIVE. THE CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND COOL, AND THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 25 MPH. I HAD NOT YET COME UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT (BELOW 10 MPH) WHEN MY FRONT END BEGAN TO SHAKE. SECONDS LATER, MY PASSENGER AND I HEARD A LOUD BANG, AND THE FRONT END SWERVED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. I TRIED TO CORRECT TO THE LEFT, AND ENDED UP CLIPPING A POLE (ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD) INSTEAD OF HITTING IT HEAD ON. MY PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BLOW TO HIS KNEE. NO OTHER INJURIES OCCURRED, AND WE DID NOT FEEL IT NECESSARY TO CALL AN AMBULANCE. AS THERE WAS MINIMAL SCRAPES ON THE POWER POLE, AND MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED FOR COLLISION DAMAGE, I DID NOT NOTIFY THE AUTHORITIES. MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS BENT INWARD, AND THE TIRE WAS BLOWN DOWN THE CENTER OF THE TREAD. UPON REPLACING THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE, WE FOUND THAT THE A ARM HAD SEPARATED FROM THE ROTOR, AND THE RIGHT CV AXLE HAD PULLED AWAY FROM THE TRANSMISSION, EFFECTIVELY DISABLING MY CAR. THE TIRE IN QUESTION IS A GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A P195/60R15; THE ORIGINAL TIRE FROM THE PURCHASE DATE OF 9/13/05, AND WITH LESS THAN 27,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE TIRES WERE CLOSE TO BALD PRIOR TO THE BLOWOUT, AND I HAD BEEN CONSIDERING TAKING THEM IN FOR A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT DUE TO THEIR SHORT LIFESPAN. I HAVE HAD PRIOR TIRE ROTATIONS DONE AT LARRY GEWEKE FORD IN YUBA CITY, AND THEY HAD NOT INFORMED ME OF ANY TREAD WEAR PROBLEMS AT THE TIME FOR THIS PARTICULAR TIRE. THIS TYPE OF DEFECT CO
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation