Tire Valve problems of the 1999 Honda Civic

Two months ago my sons 1999 Honda Civic experienced a flat tire. The tire shop said the valve stem was defective and replaced the stem at a cost of $26. On April 16, 2009, my son experienced a sudden loss of air pressure on a different tire, left front tire, while driving on an interstate highway. He said the car suddenly pulled strongly to the left and he almost lost control of the vehicle. I remembered seeing information on a valve stem recall last summer and gave my son information about the dill valve stem recall. The valve stems were the ones manufactured and recalled by dill, ref. Odi defect investigation ea08022. The tire shop denied any knowledge of the recall and the Honda dealer that installed the tires 2 years ago also pleaded ignorance. After further persistence, my son was able to get the Honda dealer to replace all of the defective valve stems and replace the tire that was damaged beyond repair. He is still out $26 due to the first valve stem failure which should have been covered by the tire shop if the spirit and intent of the dill valve stem voluntary recall was being followed. My complaint is that the voluntary recall by dill is inadequate and not accomplishing its intended purpose. Odi defect investigation ea08022 was prematurely closed. The recall should be mandated by NHTSA and backed up by the law! the tire companies are not following the spirit and intent of the dill voluntary recall. This is resulting in unnecessary expenses to the public and a very dangerous condition. I feel it is very unsafe to drive on a two lane highway not knowing if oncoming traffic will suddenly swerve into me because of a defective valve stem. There are millions of defective valve stems in service. Something more needs to be done.

Valve stem failure on three tires resulting in flat tires that needed to be replaced.