Our 2002 VW Eurovan was purchased used at the end of July, 2009 from pacific VW in hawthorne, ca. I was told the van went through an extensive test and repair process and I also understand that it is a used vehicle. I did purchase a 'silver' 2 year/24,000 mile warranty for $1,800. I am concerned that the tires that were on the vehicle when sold to me, which seemed to be brand new, do not meet the manufacturers standards of 225/60R16/rf 102H and were instead 225/60R16/rf 97T. After doing some research, I learned that the tires on the vehicle are literally not strong enough to hold the weight of the vehicle. Costco and other tire facilities will not service these tires as they are not the right ones for the vehicle. We have since purchased the appropriate load rated tires for the vehicle, but are concerned that a dealer like pacific VW is selling vehicles with tires that might cause serious damage or death to those that purchase from them. VW clearly marks the required load rating on the vehicle and the in the owners manual as well. My family and I are lucky we figured out the error before a serious accident. Thank you, -todd warden

- Fullerton, CA, USA

I was driving on I-94 North of detroit when I experienced a major shaking of the vehicle. I was able to maintain control and as I hit the brakes the vehicle the shaking decreased. It was a scary experience but after the initial shock I was able to maintain control. Had the tire blown out the outcome might have been catastrophic. Upon investigation it was found that the rear right tire had a major distortion. In one area of the tread, one side of the tread protruded by about one inch. A tire dealer later diagnosed it as a 'broken belt'. the tire which is rated at 70# psi for maximum load was inflated to 65# (the vehicle manufacturer recommends 60#). a photo of the tire is at: www.reesphotos.com/temp/091003tire04web.jpg the tire dealer measured 8/32" tread and said it was 25% worn.

- Blacklick, OH, USA