FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES Complaints

THE TIRE HAD A CRACK ALL AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE BELT. MY REGULAR TIRE STORE INDICATED THAT THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF A TREAD SEPARATION. THE TIRE WAS BUILT IN WILSON NORTH CAROLINA. THE AUTHORIZED FIRESTONE TIRE STORE REPLACED IT WITH NO CHARGE. *AK (TIRESIZE: P23575R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P23575R15 )

P235/75R15, DOT VN, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 1997, FORD, EXPLORER; ALL 4 TIRES SHOWED TREAD SEPARATION CLOSE TO SIDEWALL, ON TWO TIRES BELT WAS COMING THROUGH. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING 50-55 MPH STRAIGHT ON SMOOTH HIGHWAY RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT. NO ACCIDENT OR INJURIES OCCURRED, ONLY DRIVER WAS IN THE CAR. TIRE WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPEMENT ON VEHICLE. *AK

HAVE A SPLIT LOCATED BETWEEN THE CENTER TREAD THAT IS VERTICAL BETWEEN THE TREAD BUT NOT IN THE THICK PART OF THE TREAD. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2HL TIRESIZE: P23575R15)

PE00020, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON 1997, FORD, EXPLORER, TIRE P23575R15, MADE IN CANADA. ALL FOUR TIRES HAVE A CRACK WHICH MAY CAUSE TREAD TO SEPARATE. FIRESTONE IS NOT WILLING TO ASSIST CONSUMER BECAUSE IT IS NOT PART OF RECALL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

TIRES BUILT IN JOLIETE QUEBEC NOT SUBJECT TO RECALL BUT ALL 4 SHOWED TREAD SEPARATION AT TREAD/SIDEWALL MEETING POINT. FORD DEALER DETERMINED TIRES UNSAFE AND REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES W/O CHARGE AFTER FIRESTONE REFUSED.*AK (DOT NUMBER: VN TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)

IN TODAY'S NEWSPAPER FIRESTONE SAYS THAT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE WILDERNESS AT TIRE (DECATUR PLANT) FAILED IS BEACUS OF CRACKING ON THE SHOULDER. I HAD NOTED SHOULDER CRACKING ON THIS VEHICLE WHEN THE DECATUR TIRES (AND I HAD LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON THE TIRES) WERE RECALLED. BUT, TOOK THIS NOT TO BE A PROBLEM SINCE THE CANADIAN VERSION OF THE TIRES WERE NOT RECALLED. WHEN I CONTACTED FIRESTONE BY E-MAIL THEY REFUSED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. IT DOES NOT SEEM THAT THESE TIRES WOULD BE SAFE IF THEY WERE CRACKING THE SAME AS THE DECATUR TIRES BUT MAYBE THEY ARE. HOW DO I ADDRESS THIS? *AK (TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY, I NOTICED A SLIGHT VIBRATION. A SHORT TIME LATER, I FELT THE VIBRATION AGAIN AND THE TIRE BLEW. I WAS TRAVELING AT 60MPH. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS INJURED. I CONTACTED FORD ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THEY CAME TO EXCHANGE THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE. I THEN DROVE THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALER NEAR WHERE I WORK (MAGIC FORD, VALENCIA, CA). I REQUESTED THAT ALL FIVE TIRES BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE RIM ON WHICH THE TIRE BLEW. IT WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. I HAVE RECEIVED A BILL FOR $1,020.00 FROM MAGIC FORD, AND DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE OBLIGATED TO HAVE TO PAY. ALTHOUGH THE EXACT MODEL OF TIRE IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. I AM IN POSSESSION OF THE TIRE AND ALL SURROUNDING PAPERWORK. *AK (DOT NUMBER: VNCU1PX080 TIRESIZE: P255/70R16)

TREAD ON THIS TIRE CAME COMEPLETELY OFF TIRE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. TIRES WERE INFLATED TO PROPER LEVEL AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75 DEGREES. ONLY REASON THERE WERE NO SERIOUS INJURIES WAS THE FACT THAT TIRE CONTINUED TO HOLD AIR UNTIL I COULD SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. I CONSIDER MYSELF EXTREMELY FORTUNATE TO HAVE WALKED AWAY FROM THIS. *AK (TIRESIZE: P235/R7016)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/R7016 )

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON 1999, EXPLORER, P235/75R15 SIZE . TREAD ON RIGHT REAR SEPARATED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK