FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES Complaints

FIRESTONE, WILDERNESS AT, P265 75 R15, REPLACEMENT TIRES MOUNTED ON A 1994, TOYOTA, 4 RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH BACK LEFT HAD SOME TIRE SEPARATION. TIRE WAS NOT FLAT, JUST TREAD WAS GONE. IT WAS A HOT DAY. *AK

WAS TRAVELING 50MPH WHEN ALL 4 TIRES HAD BLOWN AT DIFFERENT TIMES, WITHIN SAME WEEK. MANAGED TO STOP VEHICLE AND CHECKED TIRES EACH TIME. TIRES HAD LOST TREAD. PART OF TREAD HAD PEELED OFF, BUT STILL REMAINED ATTACHED. OTHER TIMES TREAD HAD SEPARATED, BUT WAS STILL ATTACHED TO TIRE. HAD ROADSIDE EMERGENCY SERVICE REPLACED THE FIRST TIRE. HAD TAKEN OTHERS TO TIRE RETAILER & TIRES REPLACED WITH A DIFFERENT TIRES. 1997, FORD, EXPLORER P235/75P15 WITH 25,000 MILES.*AK

FORD, EXPLORER, 1999, ORIGINAL TIRES, 25570/16 . PASSENGER'S REAR SIDE STARTED TO MAKE A LOUD SOUND LIKE MUFFLER HAD COME OFF. VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOWDOWN, AND STOPPED CAR. CONSUMER GOT OUT OF CAR, AND NOTICED THAT TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE.*AK

TRAVELLING SOUTHBOUND ON I-35 AT MILEMARKER 20 NEAR CLARKS GROVE MN WHEN LEFT REAR TIRE BLOWOUT OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING, COMPLETELY SEPARATING TREAD. VEHICLE BROUGHT TO A SAFE STOP ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER WHERE SPARE WAS INSTALLED.*AK (DOT NUMBER: W2HL TIRESIZE: P235-75R15)

ON 6/30/01 THE TIRE TREAD ON THE LEFT (DRIVER SIDE) REAR TIRE OF OUR 1997 FORD EXPLORER SPORT SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN BODY OF THE TIRE. THIS RESULTED IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER WERE INJURED WHILE THE VEHICLE VIOLENTLY SHOOK AND CHANGED DIRECTION MULTIPLE TIMES. BOTH PEOPLE WERE IN THE FRONT SEATS AND WERE WEARING THEIR SEAT BELTS. ONE PERSON HIT HER HEAD ON THE SIDE WINDOW AND IS NOW EXPERIENCING NUMBNESS IN ONE OF HER HANDS AND OTHER AREAS. BOTH PEOPLE SUFFERED WHIPLASH AND SPRAIN TYPE OF INJURIES. THERE WAS NO IMPACT WITH OTHER VEHICLES OR OBJECTS DUE ONLY TO THE LOCATION OF THE ROAD AND THE TIME AT WHICH THE TREAD SEPERATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL. IF THE TREAD HAD COME OFF THE TIRE 5 SEC. EARLIER MUCH MORE SERIOUS INJURY AND PROBABLY DEATH WOULD HAVE RESULTED AS THE VEHICLE WAS CROSSING A BRIDGE WITH A LOW GUARD RAIL. IF THE TIRE FAILURE HAD OCCURRED ON A RAOD WITH ANY HEAVIER TRAFFIC PRESENT A COLLISION WOULD HAVE BEEN UNAVOIDABLE AS THE VEHICLE JUMPED FROM LANE TO LANE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WHEN THE TREAD SEPERATED FROM THE TIRE IT CAME OFF IN ESSENTIALLY 1 PIECE AND IN 1 ROTATION OF THE TIRE. THE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL WAS NEARLY INSTANTANEOS. THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR WAS A RESULT OF THE TREAD SEVERING CABLES, BENDING THE BODY AND UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR AS WELL AS SHATTERING THE TAIL LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN FROM LAS VEGAS, NV TO VISIT REALITIVES NEAR TEHACHAPI, CA. THE TIRE FAILURE HAPPENED AS THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ON HWY. 58 APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES OUTSIDE OF TEHACHAPI, CA. THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED ON THE VEHICLE BEFORE IT LEFT LAS VEGAS. UPON STOPPING, IT WAS NOTICED THAT THE TREAD WAS BEGINING TO SEPERATE FROM THE LEFT FRONT TIRE AS WELL. IF IT HAD BEEN THE FRONT RATHER THAN THE REAR TIRE THAT FAILED FIRST, OR IF BOTH HAD FAILED AT THE SAME TIME, A ROLLOVER AND VERY SERIOUS INJURY OR FATALITY WOULD HAVE ALMOST CERTAINLY HAPPENED.*AK (TIRESIZE: 235/75/R15)

REPLACEMENT REAR PASSENGER SIDE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRE WITH 1,000 MILES EXPLODED FROM SIDEWALL. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED.PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NOTICED BELT PROTRUDING OUT OF LEFT FRONT TIRE. TOOK VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE DEALER. THEY TOLD ME MY TIRES WERE NOT UNDER ANY KIND OF WARRANTY BECAUSE, THEY CAME AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON MY VEHICLE. I THEN SHOWED THE MANAGER THE WARRANTY THAT CAME WITH THE VEHICLE. HE SAID NOWHERE DID HE SEE THAT THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE TIRES. ALL THE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO REPLACING THE TIRES WAS THERE ON THE FIRST PAGE. THEY THEN TRIED TO TELL ME THAT THE TIRE DAMAGE WAS DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND I HAD AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. I TOLD HIM I WANT FIRESTONE TO HONOR THE WARRANTY AND REPLACE IT ON A PRORATED BASIS. THE MANAGER THEN TOLD ME THAT HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT TIRES BECAUSE HE WAS NOT A TIRE MANAGER. HE THEN TOLD ME SEVERAL OTHER LOCATIONS WHERE THE FACILITIES HAD TIRE MANAGERS. HE THEN LET ME DRIVE OFF WITH A DAMAGED TIRE. NOT EVEN OFFERING TO PUT ON THE SPARE TIRE.*AK (TIRESIZE: 265/75/16)

WHILE DRIVING 20MPH ON DRY ROAD CONDITIONS CONSUMERS REAR PASSENGER SIDE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS HT TIRE SIZE P20575R15, DOT#0217704 EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

VEHICLE WAS PARKED. WAS INFORMED CRACKS AROUND TIRE, NEAR THE TREAD AND CASING. TREAD WAS STARTING TO SEPARATE. TREAD WAS STILL GOOD. NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. HAS 10,000 MILES ON TIRES. 1996, CHEVROLET, SUBURBAN, FT LTEX A/T TUOLPS 245/75R16. *AK

ALL FOUR FIRESTONE TIRES WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, AND REPLACEMENT TIRES SIZE P23575R15, DOT#N/A WERE EXPERIENCING TREAD SEPARATION. DEALER HAD BEEN CONTACTED FOR REIMBURSEMENT. BUT, NO DETERMINATION HAS BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME. CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK