2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Tires & Wheels Problems

THE FRONT TIRE ON THE VAN STARTED LOSING AIR. I CHECKED TO SEE WHERE THE LEAK WAS AND FOUND TWO CRACKS IN THE WHEEL THAT WERE LEAKING. THERE IS NO SIGN OF IMPACT ON THE WHEEL AND THE CRACKS ARE NOT PARALLEL TO THE BEAD. THE CRACKS RUN 90 DEGREES FROM THE WHEEL BEAD. THESE ARE THE 17 INCH CHROME WHEELS. NO DAMAGE CAUSED BUT I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHEEL AT A QUOTED COST OF $625.00. I HAVE NOT CHECKED THE OTHER WHEELS YET.*JB

I HAVE HAD TWO FLAT TIRES ON MY MINI VAN IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. THE VAN IS 4.5 YEARS OLD AND I REPLACED THE TIRES WITH THE MANUFACTURES RECOMMENDED TIRES A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO. IN BOTH OF THE CASES MY TIRES HAD RIM LEAKS WHICH I HAVE NOW DISCOVERED OCCUR ON MANY CHRYSLER/DODGE VEHICLES. THESE LEAKS ARE A RESULT OF CORROSION ON THE RIM (AND IN THIS LAST CASE MY RIM WAS CRACKED) THIS DEFECT IN THE RIM DESIGN IS SERIOUS AS IT LEADS TO UNDER INFLATED TIRES WHICH THE DRIVER MAY BE UNAWARE OF. BECAUSE THE LEAKAGE IS SLOW IN NATURE AND THERE IS NO WARNING IN THE HANDBOOK THAT RIMS NEED TO BE REPLACED/INSPECTED REGULARLY THERE MAY BE LITTLE OR NO WARNING. MANY OF THESE VEHICLES ARE MINI VANS AND CARRY MANY CHILDREN TO AND FROM PLACES. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS TO CHRYSLERS ATTENTION THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS. THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE WITH THE ISSUE OTHER THAN TO SELL ME A NEW SET OF RIMS FOR OVER $2000. THIS VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD AND SHOULD NOT NEED NEW RIMS...AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THERE ARE THOUSAND/MILLIONS OF THESE VEHICLES ON THE ROADS THAT MAY HAVE CORRODING RIMS AND UNDER INFLATED TIRES. CAN YOU HELP? GIVEN WHAT WE LEARNED IN THE FORD EXPLORER INVESTIGATION I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE WISE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATES THERE WAS A FAILURE ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE THAT CAUSED COMPLETE LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE. THE TIRE WAS A GOODYEAR INTEGRITY. HE HAD THE TIRE REPLACED WITH THE EXACT BRAND OF TIRE. DURING THE SAME MONTH, ANOTHER TIRE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE REPLACEMENT AGAIN, WAS THE SAME BRAND OF TIRE. THE TIRE DEALER SAID THE FAILURES WERE NOT DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE TIRES. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 7 MONTHS ONE OF THE NEW TIRES STARTED EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. *NM

DT: CONSUMER OBSERVED DEEP IMPRESSIONS ON THE TREAD ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE. THE TIRE DEFLATED BECAUSE OF A NAIL IN THE EDGE OF THE TIRE. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE TIRE TO VEHICLE DEALER AND BOUGHT A NEW TIRE AND RECEIVED AN ADJUSTMENT OF $30 FROM GOODYEAR FOR THE DEFECT. THERE WAS ABOUT 25-30,000 MILES ON THE TIRE WHEN THE DEFECT OCCURRED. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE PASSENGER FRONT. THE TIRE DEVELOPED A LARGE BULGE ON THE SIDEWALL. CONSUMER STOPPED DRIVING THE SECOND IT WAS NOTICED. AND OVERNIGHT IT WENT FLAT. THIS WAS DISCOVERED AFTER EXPERIENCING STEERING DIFFICULTIES AND AN ABNORMAL SHIMMY IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY PAVED ROAD IN RAINY CONDITIONS. THE MILEAGE ON TIRE AT THIS TIME 30-35,00 0. CONSUMER TOOK THE TIRE OFF VEHICLE AND TOOK IT TO THE VEHICLE DEALER. THE DEALER DID NOT ANOTHER TIRE TO REPLACE IT WITH SO VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AWAITING A SPARE, THIS HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME AS WELL. NO REPLACEMENTS AT THIS TIME. GOODYEAR MAKE, MODEL EAGLE, SIZE 215/65/R16. EAGLE MS. *JB *TT

DT: THE CONSUMER OBSERVED DEEP IMPRESSIONS ON THE TREAD OF TIRE LOCATED ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE. THE TIRE DEFLATED BECASUE OF A NAIL. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER TO BUY A NEW TIRE. GOODYEAR DID ALLOW A $30 ADJUSTMENT FOR THE DEFECT. THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE TIRE HAD 25000-30,000 MILES ON IT. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE PASSENGER FRONT TIRE. THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A PAVED HIGHWAY ROAD IN RAINY CONDITIONS WHEN SHE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE STEERING DIFFICULTIES AND A SHIMMY IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONSUMER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTED THERE WAS A LARGE BULGE ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVEN AFTER THIS WAS NOTICED. OVERNIGHT THE TIRE WENT FLAT. THERE WAS 30-35,000 MILES ON THE TIRE AT TIME OF FAILURE. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE TIRE OFF THE VEHICLE AND TOOK THE TIRE TO DEALER. DEALER DID NOT HAVE ANOTHER TIRE TO REPLACE WITH SO THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AWAITING A SPARE. CONSUMER HAD TO AWAIT FOR A TIRE FOR THE FIRST FAILURE AS WELL. GOODYEAR, EAGLE, SIZE 215/65R16. EAGLE LS. THESE TIRES WERE PURCHASED THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. *AK *JB

MICHELIN MX4 TIRES ON 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SPORT, VEHICLE HAS ONLY 31,840 MILES ON IT AND TIRES THREAD ARE WORN SEVERELY AND METAL FROM RADIAL IS EXPOSED. I ALREADY HAD TO REPLACE 1 TIRES BECAUSE OF SIDE THREAD WORN, THIS NOW MAKES 3 (1ST TIRE REPLACED UNDER 25,000 MILES. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE FOR OUR FAMILY VEHICLE AND ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN. *JB