2012 HEARTLAND Cyclone Problems & Complaints

9/21 WHILE HEADING HOME FROM A WEEKEND OUTING I GOT TO EXPERIENCE NOT ONE, BUT TWO OCCURRENCES OF POWERKING TOWMAX TIRE FAILURES. FIRST SETTING THE SCENE: TIRES AT PROPER PRESSURE (80LB), SPEED UNDER 65MPH, TRAILER WEIGHT BELOW 14,000LBS, MILES ON TIRES TOTAL LESS THAN 1,000, ROAD CONDITION DRY AND SMOOTH. TIRE #1: BLEW OUT THE CENTER OF THE TREAD, NO COACH DAMAGE AFTER ~70 MILES OF TRAVEL; TIRE #2: FAILED SPECTACULARLY WHERE THE TREAD CAP CAME COMPLETELY OFF THE TIRE CARCASS (AFTER ONLY 30 MILES) TAKING OUT THE FENDER SKIRT, THE HEATER COVER, REAR STEP PLASTIC FRAME, AND LOTS OF SIDE PANEL. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON I-5 THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW ON MY FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER. AMBIENT TEMP WAS ABOUT 102 WE WARE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 58 M.P.H. THE TIRES HAVE LESS THAN 3000 MILES ON THEM. THE FAILURE CAUSED APPROXIMATELY $2800 DAMAGE TO THE TRAILER. THE TIRE WAS A 235X80X16 POWER KING TOW MAX TIRE. THE DOT # 83B54111 DY. DUE TO THE UNRELIABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE TIRES ALL ARE BEING REPLACED. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE TRAILER WAS EMPTY,ALL HOLDING TANKS AND FUEL TANKS. THE TRAILER IS A 2012 HEARTLAND CYCLONE 300C. *TR

WE WERE TOWING A 2012 HEARTLAND CYCLONE 300C 5TH WHEEL TOY HAULER TRAILER EQUIPPED WITH TOW MAX 235/80 R16 TRAILER TIRES IN APRIL, 2013 ON CA HWY 60 NEAR RIVERSIDE, CA WHEN THE LEFT REAR TRAILER TIRE BLEW. THERE WAS NO SIGN THAT I STRUCK AN OBJECT OR RAN OVER ANYTHING. LUCKILY I HAD EXITED FREEWAY AND CAUGHT FLAT BEFORE ANY DAMAGE OCCURRED. ALL 4 TRAILER TIRES HAD 80 PSI AND TRAILER WAS NOT OVER LOADED. I CHANGED FLAT TIRE WITH SPARE UNTIL REPLACING IT WITH A GOODYEAR MARATHON OF THE SAME SIZE. IN NOVEMBER, 2013, WHILE TOWING THE SAME TOY HAULER TRAILER MY WIFE AND SON WERE FOLLOWING ME IN HER CAR ON CA HWY 395 HEADING TO RIDGECREST, CA WHEN SHE NOTICED MY RIGHT REAR TRAILER TIRE GOING FLAT. MY SON CALLED ME ON MY CELL PHONE TO ADVISE ME OF THIS SITUATION. I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO THE NEXT SMALL TOWN AND FOUND BOTH TOW MAX TRAILER TIRES ON THE RIGHT SIDE COMPLETELY FLAT. AGAIN, THE TRAILER WAS NOT OVER LOADED AND I DID NOT STRIKE OR RUN OVER ANYTHING AND HELD 80 PSI. THE STEEL BELTS WERE PROTRUDING THROUGH THE CORNERS OF THE TREAD ON BOTH TIRES. WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT THERE WAS A TIRE REPAIR SHOP NEARBY THAT WAS ABLE TO SELL US TWO NEW TRAILER TIRES (NOT TOW MAX) AND HAVE US BACK ON THE ROAD WITHIN AN HOUR AND A HALF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET DURAMAX HAULING A 2012 HEARTLAND CYCLONE. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE FRAME FRACTURED. WHILE FUELING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT LOCATED A CRACK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE RV. THE CONTACT CALLED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT FRAME NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN.*DT*JB

ON A RECENT TRIP TO BIG BEND TEXAS WE EXPERIENCED 3 BLOWOUTS ON OUR HEARTLAND TOYHAULER. WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AND DID NOT HAVE CELL SERVICE. FORTUNATELY WE WERE TRAVELING WITH CLOSE FRIENDS THAT HAD THEIR 5TH WHEEL. WITH NO HELP IN SIGHT THE MEN CHANGED THE TIRES THEMSELVES TWICE WITHIN 100 MILES. WE HAD TO USE OUR SPARE AND OUR FRIENDS SPARE TO MAKE IT TO A TOWN WHERE WE COULD GET BOTH BLOWOUTS REPLACED. LET ME ADD THAT BEFORE WE LEFT TOWN WE HAD TO REPLACE A TIRE BECAUSE OF A BLOWOUT FROM ANOTHER TRIP. SO WE'RE HEADED HOME WITH 2NEW TIRES AND A RECENTLY REPLACED TIRE. SON OF A GUN IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ANOTHER BLOWOUT ON THE NEXT DAY. SO NOW ALL 4 TOW MAX P230 85R16 TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED. WE CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE EACH DAY AND WE'RE EMPTY IN THE TOY HAULER AREA. ALL THREE BLOWOUTS OCCURRED ON A PAVED ROAD WITH NO POT HOLES OR OTHER OBSTACLES IN SIGHT. OUR SPEED NEVER EXCEED 60. NEEDLESS TO SAY OUR RV IS STILL IN THE SHOP GETTING THE DAMAGE REPAIRED. WE ARE NOW IN THE MARKET FOR 4 NEW AMERICAN MADE TIRES AND WILL GO TO A LARGER 14PLY TIRE. *TR

TOWMAX 235/80/R16 TIRE HAD TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATE CAUSING BLOWOUT. TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM INSTALLED. NO PRESSURE LOSS PRIOR TO BLOWOUT. DID SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO TRAILER AND LEFT TREAD AND PARTS ON HIGHWAY. *TR

TOWMAX 235/80/R16 TIRE HAD BELT SEPARATION CAUSING BLOWOUT. TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM INSTALLED. NO PRESSURE LOSS PRIOR TO BLOWOUT. *TR

DEFECTIVE POWER KING TOWMAX STR TRAILER TIRES. I PURCHASED A 2012 HEARTLAND CYCLONE NEW IN JUNE OF 2012(FIFTH WHEEL TOY HAULER). THE RV MANUFACTURER INSTALLED TOWMAX STR TIRES AT THE FACTORY. WITHIN 2 YEARS AND LESS THAN 5,000 MILES THREE OF MY TIRES BURST SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY. THESE TIRES WERE COLLECTED AND WARRANTIED BY POWER KING. WITHIN THE NEXT 1,000 MILES OF TOWING THE OTHER 3 ORIGINAL TIRES WERE SUFFERING THE SAME FATE AS THE FIRST THREE WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN TOW THIS TIME AND IT RIPPED OFF THE SIDE OF MY CAMPER. VERY LITTLE COMPENSATION WAS GIVEN TO FIX THE CAMPER AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TIRES. $500 WAS THE TOTAL FOR EVERYTHING. THE FIRST THREE WERE REPLACED WITH THE SAME TIRES AND THE NEXT THREE WERE REPLACED WITH A TIRE OF MY CHOICE. NOW THE TIRES THAT WERE ORIGINALLY REPLACED WITH AN EXACT REPLACEMENT IS THE REASON FOR THIS COMPLAINT. THE TIRES ARE 2.5 YEARS OLD WITH ROUGHLY 6,000 MILES OF TOWING ON THEM AND I HAVE BECOME THE VICTIM OF YET ANOTHER ROUND OF TIRE FAILURES. SO IN FIVE YEARS I HAVE HAD A TOTAL OF 9 TOWMAX STR'S FAIL FROM TREAD SEPARATION WHILE EITHER SITTING STILL OR IN TOW. THE PREVIOUS TIRES THAT I HAVE HAD FAIL WERE RECOVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER AND WERE NEVER SEEN AGAIN EVEN WITH MY CONCERNS OF A MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE TIRES. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS SPECIFIC TIRE AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THEM TO FAIL AND THE MANUFACTURER TO PROVIDE LITTLE ASSISTANCE IN REPAIRING OR REPLACING DAMAGED EQUIPMENT . THIS FAILURE HAS HAPPENED SITTING STILL AND IN TOW MULTIPLE TIMES. I BELIEVE THAT A SERIOUS RECALL IS NEEDED BEFORE OTHER INDIVIDUALS SUFFER THE SAME DAMAGE OR POSSIBLY WORSE WHEN CAMPERS OR TRAILERS ARE IN TOW. PICTURES CAN BE PROVIDED AT A LATER TIME.

ON AUGUST 30 2013 WHILE MERGING WESTBOUND ONTO INTERSTATE 40 FROM EXIT 196 IN MORIARTY NM AT 7:35 PM I SAW (FROM MY RIGHT SIDE MIRROR) A HUGE PIECE OF TREAD FLYING OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CAMPER. SINCE I WAS ONLY MERGING ONTO I40, MY SPEED NEVER EXCEEDED 45 MPH. WHEN THE TREAD FLEW OUT FROM THE WHEEL, IT JETTISONED APPROXIMATELY 6 FEET INTO THE AIR. A TRACTOR-TRAILER WAS IN THE LEFT LANE AND MADE A HARD LEFT ONTO THE ROAD?S SHOULDER TO AVOID THE FLYING TREAD. HAD THIS BEEN A CAR AND THE DRIVER NOT NOTICED THE TIRE COMING APART, IT COULD HAVE HIT THE CAR?S SIDE OR WINDSHIELD. AFTER THE ROADSIDE SERVICE CHANGED THE TIRE OUT BY PUTTING ON THE SPARE, WE DID AN INSPECTION ON THE REMAINING FOUR OEM TIRES STILL IN SERVICE. WE DISCOVERED ONE TIRE THAT WAS EXCESSIVELY OVERSIZED AND ROUNDED OUT, INDICATING IT TOO WAS ABOUT TO GIVE WAY, (MOUNTED ON THE RIGHT, REAR AXLE). LUCKILY, THE ROADSIDE SERVICE HAD A TRAILER TIRE (SAME TIRE TYPE THAT I PURCHASED AT DISCOUNT TIRE AFTER THE FIRST TIRE FAILURE) AND A TIRE CHANGER IN HIS VEHICLE. I PURCHASED IT FOR $172.15, THE ROADSIDE SERVICE TOOK THE SECOND FAILED TIRE OFF THE RIM AND REPLACED IT WITH THE NEW TIRE. THE TOY HAULER HAS A18,000-POUND GVW AND AT NO TIME WAS THE WEIGHT ANYWHERE NEAR THIS MARK. I DID NOT HAVE A ?TOY? OR SMALL CAR IN THE GARAGE AREA. ADDITIONALLY, PRIOR TO PULLING THE TOY HAULER, I EMPTIED BOTH GRAY TANKS, BLACK TANK, AND KEEP ONLY A FEW GALLONS OF FRESH WATER ON-BOARD. HEARTLAND AND TBC?S ENGINEERS SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO SEE IF THESE 10 PLY TIRES ARE ADEQUATE FOR THE TOY HAULER?S DESIGN. SHANDONG HENGDENG RUBBER AND PLASTIC CO. LTD LOCATED IN CHINA MANUFACTURED THE TIRES BETWEEN MARCH ? APRIL 2011. THE TIRE SEPARATED AND A HUGE PIECE OF TREAD JETTISONED FROM UNDER MY TOY HAULER COULD HAVE CAUSED A GRAVE BODILY INJURY/DEATH ACCIDENT MUCH LESS INVOLVING YEARS OF COST AND LITIGATION TO ALL PARTIES INVOLVED. *TR

BLOWOUT POWER KING TOW MAX ST 235/80R/16 TRAILER TIRE NO OVER LOADING OF TRAILER 80 LBS OF AIR IN TIRE AS REQUIRED BY MANUFACTURE SPEED AT 60 MPH OR LESS TIRE WAS GOOD AT FUEL STOP AND SAFETY INSPECTION 2 HOURS PREVIOUS. RESULTING BLOWOUT CAUSED DAMAGE TO FENDER AND SKIRTING ON TRAILER DOT: 83B5GPB DATE: 3611 TRAILER IS A 2012 HEARTLAND CYCLONE. I USED 2011 AS 2012 IS NOT AN OPTION. *TR