When should you file a complaint about a tire failure?

I have previously strongly suggested that when people experience a tire failure, they should file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That is the part of the Department of Transportation that is responsible for vehicle safety regulations, including tires. Here is a link to the form.

I received this question on this topic: “Thanks, Tireman. My next question is, when is it appropriate to report to the NHTSA? After any flat? Or are there specific indicators?”

Excellent question, as we don’t need to be “crying wolf.”

Reporting process

If we look at the process, I think it will help us understand when and why we would want to contribute to the database of tire failures.

I think we can sum up the primary objective for NHTSA is to decrease the number and severity of injuries or accident costs due to a failure of an automotive system or component. One way to achieve that goal would be to hold the manufacturer responsible for providing parts that deliver reliable service for normal and expected operating conditions.

One way to hold a manufacturer accountable and maybe “hold their feet to the fire” is to order and require a manufacturer to replace a part that has been found to have an abnormally high failure rate due to either design or manufacturing problems.

Deciding if investigation is justified

Based on data submitted to NHTSA, that agency decides if an investigation should be started. The investigation could be limited to a review of test and manufacturing data, or it could involve NHTSA conducting its own tests.

So what data does NHTSA use to decide if an investigation is justified? There is supposed to be a combination of warranty data from the part manufacturer, plus a review of complaints filed by individuals.

This presents a problem for NHTSA. How should they judge consumer complaints when they know that consumers seldom have the technical knowledge to do a proper or thorough evaluation of a product failure?

So, the question really is… Should the tire manufacturer be held responsible for a tire losing air due to a puncture or a leaking valve? It may be difficult or nearly impossible for the consumer to do the proper investigation to learn the root cause of the failure.

It is well-documented that more than half of RVs on the road have one or more tires in an overload and or under-inflated condition. Should the tire company be held accountable for an overload or low inflation?

Bottom line

If you believe the RV company or the tire manufacturer should be held responsible for the tire failure, then you probably should file a complaint.

If you take a few minutes, you might even decide the failure was not the fault of the tire company but of the RV company that selected a tire with no margin for any loss of air or load variation.

You still need to provide complete tire information. However, in the case of poor tire selection, I would be sure to include a statement with actual measured loads and the small reserve load the tire selected provided.

Roger Marble

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If you have tire questions, check out Roger’s posts on RVtravel.com. There are hundreds of posts covering everything to do with tires.

If you still have a question for Roger after searching the above posts, send your inquiries to him using the form below.

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