A Gilroy man bought a Land Rover because of its quiet handling. But the serenity he counted on didn't last very long. Lew Colon described it as a loud noise that gradually got worse. He invited us along for a ride and a listen. The noise happens when he accelerates his Land Rover LR3.
Lew Colon, Gilroy: “The best way I can describe it is I'm driving a four wheel drive truck with snow tires.”
It's a noise he sais is being caused by uneven tire wear. To see for ourselves 7 On Your Side used a small stick to measure the tread on various parts of Colon's tire, and compared it with another tire.
Dozens of similar complaints about uneven tire wear on the vehicle populate a forum on Edmonds.com. Colon first noticed the situation after driving just 5,000 miles on his new 2005 model. The company declined to help him immediately, but eventually agreed to buy him three new tires. Colon would have to pay for one.
But 6,000 miles later, he noticed the same pattern on his new tire.
Lew Colon: “In the tread design you can truly see it was wearing — every other one was wearing.”
Colon again complained to Land Rover, but 25,000 miles have passed. The company so far hasn't offered to replace the second set. Land Rover did however issue a technical service bulletin acknowledging concerns about uneven tire wear. The company's suggested fix — readjust the alignment to new settings. But Land Rover has so far not issued a recall — saying “it hasn't been confirmed that there is a larger concern.”
Attorney Mark Anderson recently filed a class action suit on behalf of Colon and all other 2004 and 2005 LR3 owners in California covered by the technical service bulletin.
Mark Anderson: “These vehicles are covered by the Land Rover factory warranty and when the problem is a defect in the vehicle, they're obligated to take care of the problem and pay for the repairs.”
