2013 VOLVO VNL

BRIDGESTONE GREATEC M885 SUPER SINGLE TIRES.ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THROUGHOUT OUR FLEET THER HAVE BEEN MANY INCIDENTS OF THESE TIRES LOSING TRACTION AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DRIVING CONDITIONS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLVO VNL. WHILE DRIVING 40 TO 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY SWERVED OUT OF CONTROL. FORCE HAD TO BE APPLIED TO THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE TIE RODS AND TIRES, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 276,000.

EXHAUST FLEX PIPE DEVELOPED A HOLE CAUSING AN EXHAUST LEAK WHICH IN TURN PREVENTED THE TRUCK FROM CLEANING THE PARTICULATE FILTER. THIS IN TURN CREATED EXTRA WORK ON THE TURBO WHICH BECAME HEATED BEYOND NORMAL TEMPERATURES WHICH CAUSED THE PLASTIC WHEEL WELL TO MELT. VITAL COMPONENTS IN THE AREA OF THE EXTREME HEAT WERE AT RISK OF FAILURE DUE TO THIS EXTREME HEAT CAUSE BY THE BACKUP IN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. *TR

THE WEST COAST MIRRORS DON'T EXTEND FAR ENOUGH FROM THE SIDES OF THE TRUCK. A DRIVER CAN'T ADJUST THESE MIRROR ARMS TO SUFFICIENTLY OBSERVE TRAFFIC IN THE LANE IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE TRUCK. I HAVE OVER 45 YRS EXPERIENCE & KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY ADJUST MIRRORS. IF ADJUSTED TO OBSERVE FAR ENOUGH BACK IN THE ADJACENT LANE, 1/2 THE MIRROR SPACE IS THE NOSE OF THE TRAILER AND SIDE OF THE CAB. AT THIS POSITION YOU CAN'T SEE THE REAR MARKER LIGHT OF THE TRAILER! TO FIND THE REAR TRAILER MARKER LIGHT THE DRIVER MUST LEAN HARD TO THE LEFT WHEN LOOKING IN THE MIRROR. A DISTRACTION THAT CONSUMES SECONDS OF FOCUSING FROM DRIVING. SERIOUS PROBLEM DRIVING IN HARD RAIN/SNOW BECAUSE YOU DON'T WHERE THE BACK OF THE TRAILER IS. IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE WHEN YOU DO FIND THE TRAILER REAR THE TRAILER IT IS AT AN ANGLE AND APPEARS TO BE ALREADY JACKNIFING! A TENNESSEE HIGHWAY PATROL WAS BEHIND ME JUST WANTING TO PERFORM A RANDOM ROADSIDE INSPECTION. HE REMARKED "WELL IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH TO PULL OVER". I EXPLAINED TO HIM WITH THE NEW VOLVO I CAN'T SEE YOU BACK THERE WHEN PERFORMING NORMAL MIRROR SCANNING WITHOUT PURPOSELY LEANING OVER TO SEE ANYONE BEHIND ME EVEN WITH FLASHING LIGHTS. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT DURING OUR CONSTANT MIRROR SCANNING (SMITH SYSTEM ADVISE THIS ABOUT EVERY 7 SECONDS) OTHER DAYS I START TO MAKE A LANE CHANGE AND ANOTHER CAR OR TRUCK WILL SUDDENLY APPEAR ATTEMPTING TO PASS ME WANTING TO DO THE SAME. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THAT CAR OR TRUCK BUT BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED MIRROR ARM ADJUSTMENTS ON THESE TRUCKS I CAN'T DETERMINE THEIR PRESENCE THROUGH TYPICAL MIRROR SCANNING. WHEN STARTING A PASS I CAN'T BE SURE WHERE THE BACK END OF MY TRAILER IS BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE THE REAR SIDE MARKER LIGHT. AM SURE I HAVE PULLED IN FRONT OF OTHERS MAYBE TOO CLOSE. OR TAKE MY EYES OFF FORWARD DRIVING TO BE SURE. A CAUSE OF LANE CHANGE ACCIDENTS? YES. *TR

THERE IS FABRIC COVER TO COVER UP AN OVERHEAD WINDOW TOWARDS THE TOP INTERIOR OF CAB COMPARTMENT. IT IS ONLY HELD IN PLACE BY A SMALL SUCTION CUP. NUMEROUS TIMES THIS HAS FALLEN ON ME WHILE I'M DRIVING. I HAVE TRIED TAPING IT AND EVEN THE TAPE WON'T STICK BECAUSE OF THE HEAT/COLD FROM THE WINDOW. AT THE WRONG MOMENT A DRIVER WILL HAVE THIS FALLING AND INTERFERING WITH HIS CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE! *TR

VEHICLE BEGAN THROWING BRAKE ECU CODE 136 66 7 AND TCS LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED. WHEN THIS CODE IS ACTIVE AND TCS LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED VEHICLE SEEMS TO REQUIRE MORE BRAKING DISTANCE, AND MORE BRAKE AIR PRESSURE APPLIED TO GET THE SAME BRAKING RESULTS AS WHEN THE CODE IS NOT ACTIVE NOR IS THE LIGHT. UNDER ACCELERATION DURING CORNING (WHILE CODE ACTIVE AND LIGHT ILLUMINATED) DRIVE WHEELS WILL SPIN AND TRACTION CONTROL WILL NOT KICK IN TO AVOID WHEEL SPIN (COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE JACK KNIFE). WHEN SERVICE BRAKES APPLIED (WHILE CODE IS ACTIVE AND LIGHT ILLUMINATED) TRAILER ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATES THE ENTIRE DURATION SERVICE BRAKES ARE APPLIED (VARIOUS TRAILERS, VARIOUS MAKES, VARIOUS YEARS). HAVE HAD THE VALVE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CODE REPLACED FIRST TEMPORARY FIX APPROX. 1 WEEK, HAD BRAKE ECU FLASHED TEMPORARY FIX LASTED APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, HAD BRAKE ECU REPLACED APPROX 1 MONTH FIX, AND NOW SAME BRAKE ECU CODE AND TCS LIGHT ARE ILLUMINATED VEHICLE NOW HAS 90,000+ MILES ON IT. *TR

THE OWNER STATES THAT HIS DRIVERS EXPERIENCED TWO SEPARATE TIRE FAILURES ON SAME VOLVO 430 AUTO HAULER (MODEL 2013 VNL64T). THE TIRES INVOLVED IN THE FAILURES WERE MICHELIN XZA2 ENERGY 295/60 R22.5. THE FIRST TIRE FAILED ON 6/19/2012 WITH APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES ON IT. THE TIRE WAS A STEER TIRE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE SECOND TIRE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON 8/7/2012 WITH APPROXIMATELY 18,000 MILES ON IT. THE OWNER CLAIMS THAT WHEN THE SECOND TIRE FAILED (ON THE PASSENGER SIDE), THAT THE REPLACEMENT TIRE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE (THAT HAD RECENTLY BEEN INSTALLED) SHOWED SIGNS OF SEVERE WEAR AND WAS COMING APART. THE OWNER STATES THAT THE TIRES WERE PROPERLY INFLATED AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURES AND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WEIGHED SHORTLY AFTER THE FAILURE AND WAS FOUND NOT TO BE OVER LOADED. THERE WAS AN APPROXIMATE 1,000 POUND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT TIRES. THE OWNER CLAIMS THAT HE USES THESE SAME TIRES ON OTHER VEHICLES WITHOUT PROBLEMS. THE OWNER FEELS THAT THE SPRINGS ON THE TRUCK ARE OVERLOADED AND AS A RESULT THE TRUCK BOUNCES AS IT TRAVELS DOWN THE ROAD. THE OWNER FEELS THAT THIS BOUNCE MAY OVER LOAD THE TIRES AND ALONG WITH THE HEAT FROM THE REGION OF THE COUNTRY THE VEHICLES OPERATE CAUSE THE TIRES TO FAIL. THE OWNERS STATED THAT IN BOTH TIRE FAILURE INSTANCES, THE DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER HAD RECENTLY EXPERIENCED A REGENERATIVE CYCLE THAT PRODUCES A LOT OF HEAT. THE THREE TIRES (TWO FAILED AND ONE SEVERE WEAR) ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.