You just had a tire failure. Did you take appropriate action to prevent a reoccurrence?
If someone has a problem with a tire, it would help us all if some effort was made to learn the real root cause. Then, if the root cause is a manufacturing problem, it should be reported to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). If enough complaints are received, there is the possibility of a recall. The threat and costs associated with recalls can be enough incentive for a manufacturer to change and improve the durability of their tires.
It is also possible that external conditions such as road impacts caused the failure. Another possibility is a combination of overload and underinflation. Tires, like any other product, have a limit in their ability to tolerate loads greater than their design limit. One thing about tires, unlike items made of metal such as a length of chain, is that tires can tolerate overload for a short time. But the structural damage is cumulative and eventually they will fail. Metal items, like a piece of chain, also have a rated load. As long as you never exceed that load, the chain retains its strength.
It helps to learn the reason for a tire failure
If you have a failure, it is sometimes possible to do an inspection and learn the reason for the failure. However, a detailed inspection requires a close inspection by a trained and knowledgeable specialist. If you had a tire fail and it looked like this tire, how many people do you think could identify the evidence of the reason for the failure?
The multiple pictures of this tire (well-lit and in focus) provided the physical evidence to allow the root cause of the failure to be identified with a high level of probability as the act of checking tire inflation occurred about 50 miles earlier in the day. This is an example of why it is important to get a number of pictures of the failed tire and to have the tire inspected by a knowledgeable Tire Adjustment Engineer. Each of the major tire companies have a team of experienced tire engineers available to inspect tires that have been presented to a tire dealership run by the tire manufacturer, for an “adjustment” and a request for compensation for the failure.
What did you do after a tire failure?
If you have ever had a tire failure, did you just dispose of it as soon as possible and just claim it failed because of the color the tire plant was painted, or the zip code where the tire was made? Or did you make a real effort to learn the actual cause of the failure so you could take appropriate action to improve your chances of avoiding a repeat?
Just so you know, I have identified three different and distinct locations of different evidence of the cause and reasons for this tire failure. All of these have been identified in one or more of my blog posts. Here is one, if you are interested.
Have a tire question? Ask Roger on his new RV Tires Forum here. It’s hosted by RVtravel.com and moderated by Roger. He’ll be happy to help you.
Read more from Roger Marble on his blog at RVtiresafety.net or on RVtravel.com.
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Back in the day I changed and repair far more than my share of tires. Often a customer would ask for a repair, when it was clear they drove on the tire under inflated. The discolored rubber inner liner was all I needed to see.
Would inform the customer that the tire was damaged and our shop would not be repairing it. I’m sure you can imagine how often we were called crooks, and that all we were interested in was selling new tires.
Nice photo update Roger. Much more professional! Thanks for your lengthy photo explanation of a tire fail. Interesting and informative.
Much better pic Roger. Thumbs up. Where are the emojis when you need them. Hang in there.