Table 1 shows three common tire related problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Tire Pressure Monitoring System problems | |
| Spare Tire problems | |
| Tire Blowout problems |
As I was driving down interstate 85 in my hometown of thomasville north carolina in my 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe which had exactly 1,320 miles on it, on 12/13/10 at approximately 1:00 pm, my passenger side front tire blew out. I was traveling at roughly 60-65 mph and the speed limit was 70 mph. I was cruising along, paying attention to the road as I always do being mindful of other drivers and my surroundings when I heard a loud pop or bang which I would consider similar to a rifle or shotgun blast. Immediately after hearing this loud noise, I slowed my speed trying to find out what caused the loud noise. About that time my tire pressure monitoring system on the instrument panel came on and began to chime and light up signaling that my right front tire pressure was low. I slowed down even more and began to feel the vehicle pull and drag and felt the front right of the vehicle beginning to drop. I made it safely to the side of the road on an off ramp. I got out to inspect what had happened and what I saw was a tire that was completely deflated and was smoking. I then got back in the vehicle and called onstar and notified them what had happened and they then called for roadside assistance to come and change my tire which they did in a timely fashion.
Gm/Chevrolet customer service will not correct safety issue with spare tire. Gm/Chevrolet customer service will not put response in writing. Gm/Chevrolet customer service will not discuss mixing of bridgestone and goodyear belt designs. The spare is not a "dummy tire" and is not a "fully operational spare" per gm. The spare cannot be used in 4wd, if spare used in 4wd warranty is voided. Gm/Chevrolet mixes tire mfg, tire design, tire # belts on drive tires and "spare". This is an unsafe act. The four drive tires are bridgestone dueller hl alenza p275-55r20 (2poly/2steel/1nylon belt). The spare tire is a goodyear wrangler hp p265-70r17 (2poly/2steel belt) (mfg design is fully operational) spare. Gm/Chevrolet had no disclosure about the odd spare category prior to purchase and not noted in window sticker. Owner manual is unclear about the spare and avoids any facts about the spare being goodyear and drive tires are bridgestone design. Gm/Chevrolet has created a third category for a spare: "bobo". Type 1 is fully operational spare, type 2 is a dummy spare (not fully operation), and type 3 is new and is a bobo spare, appears to be a fully operational tire but gm states not fully operational (and not a dummy tire too). There is absolutely no reason for gm to not have a bridgestone dueller hl alenza p265-70r17 tire on the spare rim, instead of a goodyear wrangler hpp265-70r17 tire. This would make all tires on the Tahoe bridgestone dueller hl alenza design/belts.
Nexen tire's separation. I purchased a set of (4) nexen tires. To date 3 of the 4 have had to be replaced due to tread separation. Nexen refused to replace the first (2) even though they were almost brand new. Last week, a 3rd tire went bad. I had to pay for a new tire, but kept the defective tire in my possession. I'm concerned that the 4th remaining tire will blow-out at highway speeds causing an accident. Will no longer let my wife drive my truck.