[Jim W]

My spare tire failed in Aug of 2011 after I had rotated the tires before our trip to Yellowstone Park. The trailer was bought new in Feb of 10 with us taking delivery in April of 10. I do carry the spare tire on the bumper mounted post on the camper. The tire is cover and also protected with a sun block product, air pressure is checked at every trip to insure it is 80PSI, unless it is in the garage during the winter for storage this is where my spare tire is kept.

Now my tire failure to me cannot be explained that easily, since we had just left the camp ground at 8:00AM and I was just getting up to speed (60-to 65MPH). I was on interstate 80 when the tire failed, 5 miles from the entrance ramp we had used to get on. This was after I had checked the air pressure and wheel lug nut torque before leaving the camp ground, my daily ritual when pulling the 5er.

My tire failure was a catastrophic failure taking out the driver side of the trailer from the front tire back. I did hear an explosion and my wife asked what was that! I was all ready looking in the driver side mirror and said the trailer tire failed. I was able to pull over immediately and stop the truck and trailer on the shoulder of the road.

I have had other flat tires on my other 5er but they were easily caught when checking either in the morning before we left the camp ground or on the road at a rest stop from overheating. The spare tire on this 5er was also bumper mounted. The spare tire would then stay on the trailer and the failed tire that was replaced would now become the spare tire.

I have never had a tire failure like this one on the Cougar before. To me this failure was just a tire defect from not being caught during the inspection process when the tire was manufactured in China.

Jim W.