DUNLOP GRAND TREK TIRES Complaints

DUNLOP GRAND TREK TIRE P256 /70/ R16 THE REAR RIGHT BLOWOUT @ 72 MPH ON I-75 IN MIAMI, FLA. PARTIALLY LOSE CONTROL. 90% OF THE ENTIRE TIRE SEPARATED BELT/THREAD/STEEL. IT WAS THE ORIGINAL TIRE ON A 2002 TACOMA WITH 27053 MILES. *NLM

CONSUMER REQUESTED INFORMATION REGARDING THE PROPER TIRE PRESSURE TO SAFELY CARRY A 1940 LB LOAD.(TOYOTA TUNDRA/UNKNOWN YEAR. DUNLOP GRANDTEK TG27 SCC. *JB

IN OCTOBER '02 I WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS TURNING FROM SOUTH TO WEST AS I WAS TRAVELLING NORTH. MY VEHICLE ENDED UP COLLIDING WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE AT ITS PASSENGER FRONT AXLE AND MY DRIVER SIDE FRONT END. AS CONTACT OCCURRED, I HAD MY WHEELS TURNED HARD TO THE RIGHT THUSLY CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO GRADUALLY WHIP THE BACK END AROUND CAUSING A SIDE IMPACT AS WELL. THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS PUSHED NORTHWARD APPROX. 15-25 FEET BEFORE THE COLLISION CAME TO AN END. BOTH VEHICLES WERE DISABLED IN THIS OCCURRENCE WITH DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE AND FRONT ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE OPPOSING VEHICLE. AND, DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END, BOTH SIDES, LEFT REAR WHEEL, AND FRONT ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF MY VEHICLE. THE OPPOSING VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED OUT AND MY VEHICLE HAS INITIAL ESTIMATES IN THE $16,000-$17,000 PRICE RANGE. TO MY COMPLAINT, THREE THINGS HAPPENED THAT BROUGHT ME GREAT CONCERN. FIRST, AS I WAS TRYING TO AVOID THE COLLISION WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE BY APPLYING MY BRAKES AND TURNING MY WHEELS, THE LEFT REAR TIRE SLIPPED OFF OF THE FRAME OF THE WHEEL INSTANTLY DEFLATING LEAVING ME WITH ONLY ONE GOOD TIRE TO BRAKE ON. SECOND, UPON CONTACT WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE, MY SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK OUT CAUSING ME TO BE JETTISONED UP OUT OF MY SEAT AND FORWARD INTO THE FRAMEWORK WHERE THE ROOF, FRONT WINDSHIELD, AND DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW COME TOGETHER. HEAD, NECK, AND HIGH SPINAL INJURIES OCCURRED. THIRDLY, THE AIR BAGS AT NO TIME DEPLOYED. SPEED ESTIMATES UPON IMPACT WERE APPROX. 30MPH. UPON DOING RESEARCH, I HAVE COME TO FIND THAT MOST AIR BAGS ARE SET TO DEPLOY IN ACCIDENTS WHERE MORE THAN 50% OF THE FRONT END HAS DAMAGE AND THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 12-18MPH. I THOUGHT GOING INTO THE PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE I WAS MAKING A WISE DECISION BOTH IN TERMS OF VALUE AND SAFETY PERFORMANCE. I THOUGHT WRONG!

DUNLOP GRAND TREK TG35 TIRE BLEWOUT LOOSING ITS TREAD WHICH CAUSED CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *TT *JB

WHEN DRIVING 75 MPH ON A HIGHWAY IN ALABAMA. THE CAR SUDDENLY FELT VERY BUMPY (AS WE WERE DRIVING ON THE TIRE RIM) AND THEN IN A MATTER OF SECONDS THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL BUT MANAGED TO STEER THE CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AFTER LETTING IT SLOW DOWN ON ITS OWN AND TAKE ITS COURSE. AFTER EXAMINING THE TIRE, WE SAW THAT THE TREAD HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE, ALL THE WAY AROUND THE ENTIRE TIRE. IT REMAINED HELD TOGETHER BY A FEW STEEL THREADS, BUT 90% OF THE STEEL THREADS ARE STICKING OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE TIRE AND THE TIRE IS COMPLETELY TORN APART AT THE TREAD SEPARATION POINTS. THIS IS AN ORIGINAL TIRE THAT CAME WITH THE CAR WHEN IT WAS PURCHASED. IT IS THE ORIGINAL EXTRA TIRE (STORED ON THE BACK OF THE CAR AS A SPARE), THAT WAS PUT ON THE CAR IN JULY OF 1999 AFTER A FLAT IN ONE OF THE OTHER TIRES. THE 2 FRONT TIRES ON THE CAR ARE ALSO OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL (DUNLOP GRANDTREK TG35 P265/70R15), AND WE ARE VERY AFRAID THAT THERE IS A CHANCE THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN AND WE WON'T BE AS LUCKY AS WE WERE TO WALK AWAY FROM THIS. DT *TS

ON 2 OCCASIONS THE TIRES EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, THE SECOND SEPARATION CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE TIRE REMAINED INFLATED.*JB

CONSUMER STATES THAT VEHICLE VIBRATES. THE LEFT REAR AND THE RIGHT FRONT TIRES WAS SHOWING SIGN OF TREAD SEPARATION. ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, TIRE SIZE P265/70R16 AND DOT# EULJ2K3409. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *MR

DUNLP, GRAND TREK, P265/70R15, DOT UNKNOWN, REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT WITH 40005-50000 MILES ON A 1988, NISSAN, PATHFINDER. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION.*AK

A TIRE PICKED UP A SCREW WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE TAKEN TO A TIRE CENTER, AND TECHNICIAN INFORMED CONSUMER THAT TIRE WAS UNABLE TO BE REPAIRED DUE TO BLISTERS AROUND SIDEWALL ON INSIDE OF TIRE. DUNLOP WAS NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

VIBRATION IN FRONT ENT 55-64 MPH TIRES AND RIMS REPACED AT LEAST 3 TIMES. DEALER AND TOYOTA UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM. VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL VARIES WITH TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS. WORSE IN TEMPERATURES ABOVE 70 F. DEALER AND TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM. THIS VIBRATION WAS EVIDENT DURING INITIAL ROAD TEST AND APPEARED TO BE TIRE BALANCING ISSUE. ADDITIONALLY, TOYOTA IS REQUIRING UNDER INFLATED PRESSURIZATION OF TIRES AGAINST MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATION WHICH MAY BE HIDING A MORE SIGNIFICANT ISSUE WITH THE FRONTEND CONDITION OF THIS MODEL TRUCK. WHEN DEALER REPRESENTATIVE FROM TOYAOTA TEST DROVE MY VEHICLE THIS WEEK, HE STATED THAT THE VIBRATION WAS WITHIN TOYAOTAS SPECIFICATION. BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO PRODUCE THE DETAILS OF SUCH SPECIFICATION. I URGE YOU TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE WITH THESE TIRES AND TOYOTAS RECOMMENDATION FOR UNDERINFLATION. I THINK IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED. *AK (DOT NUMBER: DB72G14 TIRESIZE: P265/70R16)