Tires & wheels
Filed Oct 29, 2014
WE PURCHASED FOUR (4) NEW MICHELIN TIRES FOR THE REAR OF OUR 2006 ITASCA SUN CRUISER IN JUNE, 2014. THESE ARE THE MICHELIN XRV TIRES (235/80R22.5). WHILE DRIVING ON I-24 IN MANCHESTER, TN, WE HAD A BLOW OUT ON ONE OF THE NEW TIRES (REAR, OUTSIDE TIRE BUT THE DAMAGE WAS ON THE INSIDE NEXT TO THE AXLE TIRE). LUCKILY, WE CARRY A SPARE TIRE ON A RIM. CONTACTING THREE DIFFERENT DEALERS IN THE AREA, TO GET NO HELP, WE DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITHOUT A SPARE TIRE TO OUR FLORIDA LOCATION. UPON ARRIVING IN FL, WE ARE NOT GETTING ANY SATISFACTION FROM THE LOCAL MICHELIN DEALER OR THE MICHELIN CORPORATE NUMBER. WE HAD LESS THAN 500 MILES ON THESE NEW TIRES. THEY WERE INFLATED CORRECTLY AND CHECKED DAILY. WE STILL HAVE THE OLD TIRE FOR INSPECTION. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, THESE TIRES NOW ARE ON A NATIONAL BACK ORDER AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE ANYTIME SOON. *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 10651257
- Incident
- Oct 14, 2014
- Mileage
- 500 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed Nov 28, 2010
I HAVE A 2006, 39 FOOT ITASCA COACH THAT CAME WITH A VALLEY INDUSTRIES TRAILER HITCH. THIS HITCH IS RATED FOR A MAXIMUM PULL OF 5000 POUNDS AND A MAXIMUM TONGUE WEIGHT OF 500 POUNDS. WHILE THE HITCH IS NOW FOUR YEARS OLD, IT ONLY HAS BEEN USED FOR APPROXIMATELY 17,000 MILES TO HAUL MY GMC ENVOY. THE ENVOY WEIGHS APPROXIMATELY 4700 POUNDS AND THE TONGUE WEIGHT, WHICH IS THE WEIGHT OF MY BLUE OX TOW BAR, IS APPROXIMATELY 35 POUNDS. MOST OF THE MILEAGE USED WAS TRIPS BETWEEN MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA. NONE OF THE TOWING INVOLVED STEEP GRADES, SUDDEN STOPS OR TRAFFIC CRASHES. I ALSO HAVE ANY ACTIVE TOW VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM. PARTS OF MY HITCH ARE ACTUALLY MISSING. RATHER THAN BENDING, THE METAL SIMPLY BROKE APART. FYI, WINNEBAGO/ITASCA REPORTEDLY NO LONGER USES VALLEY INDUSTRY HITCHES. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PICTURES INCLUDED IN THIS E-MAIL, THIS VALLEY INDUSTRY HITCH SIMPLY FELL APART. WINNEBAGO INDUSTRIES ADVISED THAT THE DEFECTIVE HITCH IS OUT OF THEIR WARRANTY. IN TALKING WITH VALLEY INDUSTRY FROM ROCHESTER HILLS MICHIGAN, THEY CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS HITCH FAILURE IN THAT THEY PRODUCED IT FOR WINNEBAGO. WHILE VALLEY INDUSTRY HITCHES ARE SOLD WITH A LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY, THEY CLAIM THAT SINCE THEY SOLD MY HITCH TO WINNEBAGO/ITASCA, THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO STAND BEHIND IT. THE INDIVIDUAL THAT I SPOKE WITH WAS NOT EVEN INTERESTED IN SEEING THE STATE OF THE FAILURE OF THIS HITCH, NOR DID HE APPEAR TO BE INTERESTED IN THE CONSEQUENCES OF A BREAKAWAY TOW VEHICLE. SEE PICTURES OF FAILED VALLEY INDUSTRIES HITCH AT: HTTP://PICASAWEB.GOOGLE.COM/DRBRYDE/VALLEYINDUSTRIES#. *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 10368002
- Incident
- Nov 17, 2010
- Mileage
- 17,400 mi