2016 Heartland Gateway

Defect. Heartland Recreational Vehicles, LLC (Heartland) is recalling certain trailers of various models and model years. Click on "All Products Associated With This Recall" for a complete list. The tire certification labels applied to the vehicles may contain inaccurate tire sizing and/or inflation information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Risk. An owner or operator could rely on the inaccurate information in inflating the tires which could cause under or over inflation which, in turn, could lead to a tire failure or crash.

Remedy. Heartland will notify owners, and dealers will send a replacement label with the correct information, free of charge. The recall began on September 29, 2015. Owners may contact Heartland customer service at 1-574-266-3988.

I EXPERIENCED TWO TREAD SEPARATIONS ON TOW MAX STR TRAILER TIRES, ST235 80R16 LOAD RANGE E. ONE FAILURE OCCURRED FIVE MINUTES AFTER ENTERING THE FREEWAY ON THE LEFT FORWARD TIRE. THIS TIRE WAS REMOVED AND THE SPARE WAS INSTALLED. APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS ALTER AND 110 MILES DOWN THE ROAD I EXPERIENCED A VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TREAD SEPARATION FAILURE ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. ALL TIRES ON THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN VISUALLY INSPECTED THAT MORNING AND SHOWED NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF DISTRESS, TIRE PRESSURE WAS VERIFIED COLD WITH A TIRE PRESSURE GATE TO BE 80 PSI. AFTER THE FIRST FAILURE THE REMAINING THREE TIRES WERE EXAMINED AND PRESSURE WAS VERIFIED, AT THIS TIME THE REMAINING TIRES ALSO SHOWED NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF DISTRESS. BOTH TREAD SEPARATIONS CAUSED EXTENSIVE VEHICLE DAMAGE. BOTH FAILURES OCCURRED WITH NO PRIOR WARNING OF AN ISSUE.

TRAVELING AT ABOUT 60 TO 65 MPH ON NEVADA HIGHWAY 93, 20 MILES SOUTH OF CALIENTE, NV THE RIGHT FRONT TANDEM TIRE OF THE FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER HAD A BLOWOUT CAUSING BODY DAMAGE AND THE STEEL BELTS OF THE BLOWN TIRE WHIPPED THE SIDE WALLS OF THE REAR TIRE CAUSING IT TO GO FLAT ALSO. MY CONCERN IS THE MANNER IN WHICH THIS TIRE BLEW OUT AND THE PERPENDICULAR SPLIT ACROSS THE TIRE AND THE WAY THIS TIRE WENT TO PIECES. THIS DOESN'T SEEM NORMAL TO ME AND IN THE 45 + YEARS THAT I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AND I HAVE POSSESSED A CDL LICENSE BEFORE, I HAVE DEALT WITH PROBABLY A DOZEN TIRE BLOW OUTS WITH EQUIPMENT LOADED ON TRAILERS, ON THE TRACTOR AND ON PERSONAL TRUCKS, CARS, MOTORHOMES AND TRAILERS. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO KEEP IT UP RIGHT, SLOW DOWN AND GET IT OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN. TIRE PRESSURES WERE AT 80 PSI AS RECOMMENDED BY THE TRAILER MANUFACTURER AND THE TIRE MANUFACTURER, THE REASON I KNOW IS THE I TOLD THE DEALER OF A PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES LOOSING AIR EXCESSIVELY SO I CHECK THEM EACH TIME BEFORE I GET ON THE HIGHWAY. THE TIRES ARE TOWMAX STR, POWER KING, ST 235/85R16 LOAD RANGE E. I HAVE A WITNESS WITH ME THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000 FEET BEHIND ME WHEN THE TIRE BLEW AND WE WENT BACK TO LOOK AND THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTION ON THE HIGHWAY, OF COARSE IF THERE WERE I WOULD HAVE HIT IT WITH MY TRUCK FIRST. I FEEL THAT THESE TIRES NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED. I DON'T SEEM TO BE MAKING ANY HEADWAY WITH THE TIRE REP (TREDIT TIRE) AND THESE ARE THE TIRES INSTA