LES SCHWAB TIRES Complaints

Tire size275/55/R20 Back Country AT2 had complete sidewall detachment while going 75 on free-way. Tires appeared to be in good condition prior to incident. There were no potholes or road conditions that contributed to incident. This nearly resulted in a freeway speed rollover.

[XXX] tire on passenger’s rear began to have significant vibration while towing 16,000 lb. fifth-wheel RV. Stopped and visually/tactilely determined unusual wear pattern so went to commercial tire shop in Pahrump, NV. Their inspection determined tread separation rendering the tire unusable so we replaced it with a different brand. This is the third of three tires installed at the same time that have suffered tread separation failure. The first was in July 2023 and was not reported to NHTSA, but when two more tires failed at the same time, I decided to report. Because this type of failure does not produce TPMS warnings, it could have been a catastrophic failure that might have resulted in damage to our vehicles and/or a crash with significant injury to us or other motorists. With three failures from the same batch of tires on our vehicle, I believe there is a serious problem with this batch of tires and they should be recalled. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

[XXX] tire on driver's rear began to have significant vibration while towing 16,000 lb. fifth-wheel RV. Stopped and visually/tactilely determined unusual wear pattern so went to commercial tire shop in Pahrump, NV. Their inspection determined tread separation rendering the tire unusable so we replaced it with a different brand. This is the second of three tires installed at the same time that have suffered tread separation failure. The first was in July 2023 and was not reported to NHTSA, but when two more tires failed at the same time, I decided to report. Because this type of failure does not produce TPMS warnings, it could have been a catastrophic failure that might have resulted in damage to our vehicles and/or a crash with significant injury to us or other motorists. With three failures from the same batch of tires on our vehicle, I believe there is a serious problem with this batch of tires and they should be recalled. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2017 Acura MDX equipped with Les Schwab Tires, Tire Line: Back Country Touring, Tire Size: 245/50/R20, DOT Number: UP76 DRW. The contact stated that while making a left turn, the front passenger’s side tire rolled over a plastic lane divider. The contact then heard air being released from the tire and immediately pulled over into a parking lot. The contact discovered side wall separation on the front passenger’s side tire and pulled into gas station to replace the tire with the spare. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21T002000 (Tires) which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the tire size was not included in the recall. The tire was not replaced. The vehicle and tire failure mileages were not provided.

The contact owns a 2009 GMC Acadia equipped with Dean tires, Tire Line: Back Country Touring H/T, Tire Size: 255/65/R19, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the tire retailer for snow tire replacement, the technician informed the contact that the rear driver's side tire had three slashes along the sidewall. The technician confirmed that the tires could not be replaced due to the tires no longer being manufactured. The tires were not replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,712.

I PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES FROM LES SCHWAB ON 11-29-17 (102T ROAD CONTROL NW3 ALL SEASONS BW TIRES). SEVEN MONTHS LATER, ON 6-20-18, ONE OF THE TIRES BLEW OUT. I HAD DRIVEN FOR 1-1/2 HOURS IN 80 DEGREE WEATHER, AND WAS IDLING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THE TIRE BLEW (LOUD EXPLOSION). I DIDN'T HAVE ANY WARNING. THE TIRE WAS SPLIT OR SEPARATED NEAR THE RIM. THE TIRE HAD BEEN INFLATED CORRECTLY AND WAS OTHERWISE IN GOOD CONDITION. THERE HADN'T BEEN ANY CASES OF IMPACT TO THE TIRE OR AN OVERLOADED CAR. I DIDN'T SUFFER ANY DAMAGE, BECAUSE I WAS VERY LUCKY TO NOT BE ON THE FREEWAY. LES SCHWAB REPLACED THE TIRE FOR FREE, AS IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I ASKED WHAT THEY THINK HAPPENED TO THE TIRE, BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I MIGHT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE REMAINING 3 TIRES, AND THEY DIDN'T RESPOND.