CLEVELAND -- Imagine having three flat tires, one after another. That's what happened to a Lorain man who called NewsChannel5 to investigate.

The 5 On Your Side station found a nationwide problem.

Tom Carter said three tires went flat on his 2-year-old Ford.

Carter said, "I've been driving 50 years and never had leaking valve stems. And now I've had three in a row. So, there's definitely something wrong."

NewsChannel5 found at least 1 million cars could have tires that mysteriously go flat, all because of a tiny piece of plastic.

They checked complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and found a defect investigation into tire valves.

Tire valves are the plastic and rubber device that lets air in and out of your tire.

"I had no idea there were valve stem problems," Carter said.

Consumers from around the country first reported cracked and leaking valve stems to government investigators more than a year ago. A Chinese supplier has already recalled 1.8 million of them.

"That's a potentially dangerous situation," Carter said.

NewsChannel5 found valve stem problems are being blamed for a fatal accident in Florida.

"One day we were shopping for strollers and baby beds. The next day I'm sitting in a room with strangers and they're asking me whether I know whether my husband wanted to be buried or cremated," Sara Monk said. "I mean it was just terrible."

Monk's husband was killed when their SUV flipped over on a Florida highway just outside Tampa.

Monk said, "I just remember thinking this isn't happening to me. This isn't real. I mean, even now I think, this isn't real."

We found a second investigation has just concluded. This investigation involved more than 1 million Ford vehicles.

This letter (hyperlink) from Ford to government investigators admits that some tire valves:

• "May exhibit surface cracks"
and
• "May result in a slow tire air loss"

Sean Kane is an auto safety expert who said it's not enough.

"Frankly I think it falls short," Kane said. "This is a problem that should ultimately have led to a recall. And Ford should have stepped up and done a formal recall to replace these valve stems."

Ford says it will now begin notifying owners like Carter.

"The thing that worried me most was my wife driving the car. That's the love of my life and I don't want anything to happen to her," Carter said.

Ford owners should receive letters from Ford around the middle of May and the tire valves will be replaced free of charge if there is a problem.

Related Links: Ford Letter
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration