Problems with 2002 Dodge Dakota TIRES

The left rear original goodyear wrangler rt/s p265/70r16 tire on my 2002 dodge dakota 4wd pick-up truck has belt separation. the truck has only 17,685 miles on it. the truck is used throughout the year primarily as a spare vehicle when the car is being used. i was unable to locate the dot number. *tr

Spare tire fell off vehicle while vehicle was in motion. no redundancy in the mechanism that holds the spare tire in place. metal clip that fits in the center bore of the wheel is the only thing holding the spare tire in place. in the case of my vehicle the clip had rusted and failed allowing the spare tire to fall off the vehicle. if this had occurred on a busy road at speed it could have been very dangerous. *tr

Dt: the contact has a pickup truck that has original factory goodyear wrangler st tires, p215/75r15. when the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop for maintenance the technician noticed slits up to three inches long on the sidewall above the bead running with the circumference of the tire down to the inner fabric on all four tires. there have been no previous problems with the tires. because the tires were no longer covered by warranty he replaced all four tires with a different brands. he experienced no further problems after the tire replacement. *ak there were cracks on 3 of the 4 tires. updated 11/29/05. *jb

The right rear tire had a blowout while driving 70 mph ( original equipment, tire size p265/70r16, dot# 25.4 0ffset) *jb

Consumer heard a noise in the front end when the brake pedal was depressed, when making right turns and when down hill. upon inspection of the front end by a mechanic it was determined that front driver side tire and front upper ball joint were loose. vehicle was then taken to a dealership who indicated that the ball joints were not loose enough to be replaced.*ak *nm

My husband's truck was struck on the rear driver's side. almost @ the bumper. police report stated damage to the other vehicle "negligible". my husband was killed. he was partially ejected. the truck rolled over on him. great road/weather conditions. light traffic-just the 2 vehicles. 45 mph speed limit. his back tires were both ripped from the vehicle. all he ever hit was a curb. he was killed instantly. *nm

When turning left the passengers side tire produced a thumping noise. consumer was concerned that the tire will separate from the rim. *ak

While driving 25 mph, the consumer heard a noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. a few seconds later the vehicle went to one side and collided with a tree. the consumer was knocked unconscious in the collision. the cause of the collision was the spindle and the wheel separated from the vehicle. the manufacturer and the dealer were aware of the problem. *jb *mr

2002 dodge dakota 4x2 pickup has premature failure of upper ball joints and severe tire wear. 32,000 miles having to replace upper ball joints, bad front end suspension and handling.*ak

While driving the rear passenger side tire blew out without warning . the dealer was notified ( size#p26570r16 and dot#pk72wdwr4001). *nlm

Goodyear tires: i purchased a 2002 dodge dakota in june, 2002. from day 1, i had trouble steering. after 3 trips to the dealer, i learned today that the goodyear tires were defective. i was told to immediately get new tires. the goodyear dealer was unresponsive to my need. it was obvious that he did not want to deal with defective tires. i went immediately to a michelin (sp) dealer and purchased 4 new tires. the michelin folks could insert a car key fully inside splits that were in my tires. i found news reports of abc investigating goodyear but obviously this is not getting to the public, either through the media or dealers. no incident but only because i took the truck in for an oil change and again complained about difficulty keeping the truck on the road. this complaint is sent in hopes that an investigation will start. i was told that the tires were from a "bad batch". how many tires are in a batch and where are the other tires? please respond and let me know the appropriate actions to take. i was most fortunate because i drive 70 mph on interstate-10 daily. the oil change may have prevented an accident and perhaps my life. respectfully, patricia hunter

Purchased a new truck and four days later had a blow out on the right rear tire. i went to a local goodyear dealer and he said the tire was cut (appeared to from loading or unloading during transit). i am absolutely certain i did not run over anything large enough to leave a gash of that size. there was a four inch section that blew out of the tire and goodyear would only offer a discount on a new tire. it appears that goodyear is not concerned about the welfare of their customers, because they will not stand behind their product.*ak

Rt rear tire exploded at highway speed of 65 mph, dealer in lakewood nj said it was caused by puncture in tread, i disagree but can not proof otherwise.*ak