[joshuthomas]

I had bought my new Ford Figo on 28th Feb 2012 and in this time I have clocked 9K kilometers long happy driving. During my last 500 KM long drive from Hyderabad to Nagarjun Sagar dam and nearby areas, on the way back the back tyre of my car blew up. I did not really know until there was an unusual smell from outside of the car and luckily the balance of the car was so good that it did not even let me know during the incident.
Stopped the car to check the tyres and to my surprise, found that the tyre was completely burnt and gone. There is no sign of a puncture on the tyre but not sure what might have caused such huge damage. I am attaching a picture of the impact on the tyre, kindly advice if I should forget the tyre and purchase a new one or approach MRF for help.


New R14 Tyre would cost about 4300 rupees and it’s a huge hit comparing the condition of the tyre and car (new), please advice on the same.
thanks and warm regards
Josh

Mod team note: Removing [Font] tags, please avoid copy paste from external font editors. Also do a Preview before Submitting new posts. Thanks

[thumpingheart]

Oh my god!! That is some blow out! Thank god you are alright. I suggest contact MRF and as the tire must still be under warranty, see if they replace the tire for you. I don't think they will but its worth a try and they might be able to give you some insight on what happened. But ultimately I guess you are gonna have to change the tire.

But really god bless nothing happened to you and for the amazing Figo chassis and suspension that you were safe.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by joshuthomas

I am attaching a picture kindly advice if I should forget the tyre and purchase a new one or approach MRF for help.

Hi joshuthomas,

By the looks of it, the tyre has lost air, and run flat for quite long. Resulting in the sidewalls flexing too much and deteriorating and hence ending up in this situation.

And, regarding approaching MRF, I dont think that will yeild results, however, its worth a shot.

- Dhanush

[SmartCat]

As Dhanush said, it does look like you have travelled quite a distance at highway speeds on a punctured tyre.

Detecting a puncture on the rear tyres while driving is a bit difficult. But had it been the front tyres, you could have easily detected the puncture.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

I think the tyre pressure was less in the Rear Left tyre. Did you drive the car at very high speeds for long time? If yes, that leaded to develop unbearable heat in the tyre which resulted in burning of tyre.

Keep the speed of car within the rated speed for the tyre.

[joshuthomas]

Dear all,

Since am writing from TBHP mobile, unable to quote all but thanks for all your responses.

Yes, you are right this happened at a speed of 120 and have been driving at that speed on highway for more than an hour and the whole stretch of drive was a couple of hours. The heat could certainly have been a factor and since it's the rear tyre it was very difficult to judge he puncture or burn out early. Even though I can't see a puncture that could be a reason as the punctured part might also have been burnt out. Anyways getting it checked at the MRF customer service hoping for their attention on this as its a new tyre and run in the same condition as the other three tyres.

Regards
Joshu

[gkrishn]

can you detail, what exactly you mean by "blow out"? was that a explosion of some sort? did you hear any sound of the tyre blowing out?
a blow out or such explosion can happen only if there is enough air pressure inside the tyre.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by joshuthomas

Even though I can't see a puncture that could be a reason as the punctured part might also have been burnt out.

Hi,

How did you check for puncture on a blown out tyre?

Also, air loss could be not only of puncture, but also due to a bad valve/neck etc..

Also, rear tyre punctures are hard to detect while driving. The only way to detect it while driving is, the vehicle will start oversteering. In your case, if you do a hard right, then the vehicle will have a tendency to over steer more than normal.

[mayankjha1806]

I am not so sure about the puncture or loss of air theory. Whenever i have had puncture or loss of air the car always felt heavy and was not easy to drive (forget doing a 120, it was difficult to do a 50).

Although i am also not very sure, so what @dhanushs, says might be right as well. Worthwhile checking it out.

Either way, doesn't it look like a manufacturing defect on the tire?

[joshuthomas]

Originally Posted by gkrishn

can you detail, what exactly you mean by "blow out"? was that a explosion of some sort? did you hear any sound of the tyre blowing out?
a blow out or such explosion can happen only if there is enough air pressure inside the tyre.

@gkrishn
It was not a blowout or explosion. I just did not feel anything wrong but little smoke and the smell of burnt rubber caught my attention and i stopped to find this. I strongly believe that it might be caused to to little over running on a cut or punctured tyre but not sure yet, also the tyre pressure or heat within might have also caused the issue.

regards
Josh

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Either way, doesn't it look like a manufacturing defect on the tire?

Hoping the MRF engineers let me know what it really was about. If its a manifacturing defect, we get it. Else i am really keen to understand such extent of damage. Ideally MRF is considered to be durable.

regards
Josh

[mayankk]

Seen this quite often.
Rear wheel, driver not aware, high-medium speed drive(even a short stint to get to a pump can do this).
The flat could have been due to anything, puncture or valve.

Any tyre would be looking the same.

[black_rider]

Many a times, punctures are not really visible in the tread if foreign body is dislodged. It could have been a puncture, and the driver ignored the extra throttle needed to maintain speed.

Even if this was a sidewall failure/puncture, as a result of pushing the tire even when it had deflated, you will not be able to prove it, as there is no sidewall left. Better buy a new one, and thank your lucky stars. No tire company will entertain the claim on this one.

[joshuthomas]

Originally Posted by black_rider

Many a times, punctures are not really visible in the tread if foreign body is dislodged. It could have been a puncture, and the driver ignored the extra throttle needed to maintain speed.

Even if this was a sidewall failure/puncture, as a result of pushing the tire even when it had deflated, you will not be able to prove it, as there is no sidewall left. Better buy a new one, and thank your lucky stars. No tire company will entertain the claim on this one.

Dear all,
Thanks for the recommendation, I will try checking it out and all options with the MRF team and then if all fails will go ahead with the purchase of a new tyre. Thanks a lot for your valuable inputs and comments.
Warm regards
Joshu

[joshuthomas]

Dear all,

update: The final story is that MRF people informed that the tyre cannot be replaced. Hence since i did not want to invest a huge amount (4.5K) on a new tyre, purchased a 15K run tyre for 1000 rupees from ashoka tyres at Hyderabad.

regards
Joshu

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by joshuthomas

update: The final story is that MRF people informed that the tyre cannot be replaced. Hence since i did not want to invest a huge amount (4.5K) on a new tyre, purchased a 15K run tyre for 1000 rupees from ashoka tyres at Hyderabad.

Seeing the photo and your post I am not surprised MRF declined the claim. Tyre warranty doesn't cover punctures and physical/structural damage caused by driving on an under inflated tyre. In case you have a puncture you need to stop ASAP within a km.

Buying a 15K run tyre is not advisable Joshu...but since you have already bought it, I do hope it was checked properly. A 15K run tyre could have internal damage. It can be dangerous at high speeds. IMHO, it's not worth the savings as your new car and its passengers ride on that patch of rubber.