FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES Complaints

1995, FORD, EXPLORER WITH ORIGINAL TIRES, TIRES SIZE P235/75R15 WITH 76,000 MILES. CONSUMER HAD TO MAKE A SUUDEN STOP AND FRONT PASSENGER'S TIRE BLEWOUT, SKIDDED INTO CURB. LEFT DRIVER'S TIRE BLEWOUT & VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER. CONSUMER HAD NO INJURY. THE CONSUMER JUST RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM FIRESTONE, BUT ALREADY GOT RID OF TIRES.*AK

RIGHT REAR LIFTGATE DOOR SEAL HAS A GAP OF 1/4 INCH ABOUT 3 INCHES LONG AS DELIVERED FROM MANUFACTURER. SERVICE MANAGER SAYS IT IS ACCEPTABLE. MY CONCERN IS THE EXHAUST PIPE IS ON THE SAME SIDE. EXHAUST GASSES COULD ENTER THE VEHICLE. SERVICE MANAGER AND I CHECKED A NEW VEHICLE DELIVERED TO DEALERSHIP, SAME CONDITION. (TIRESIZE: P265/70R16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P265/70R16 )

TIRES ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF CATOSTROPHIC FAILURE. THE TIRES ARE SPLITTING AT THE TREAD /SIDEWALL INTERFACE. ADDITIONALLY THE TIRES STARTED TO "THUMP / VIBRATE, AND CAUSE A STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY, AND ALSO CAUSED A LOW SPEED ROCKING OF THE VEHICLE". I CONTACTED TWO FIRESTONE DEALERS, AND A FORD DEALER, BUT THEY REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TIRES. I PURCHASED NEW TIRES (MICHELIN LTX) AND THAT ELIMINATED THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED PROBLEMS.*AK (DOT NUMBER: W2 TIRESIZE: P235-75R15)

TIRES: DEVELOPED A VIBRATION AS THOUGH THERE WAS A BUMP ON A TIRE ON THE VEHICLE. I HAD THIS CHECKED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AT THE DELERSHIP AND AT THE FIRESTONE STORE IN OUR AREA. THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME EVERYTIME I TAKE IT IN THAT THE TIRES NEED ROTATED. THESE TIRES MUST HAVE BEEN ROTATED ON 10 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS BY EITHER MYSELF OR THE DEALERSHIP. THIS DOES NOT CHANGE THE BUMPING BUT DID SEEM TO ALTER THE ORIGINATION POINT OF THE VIBRATION. BRAKES: THE BRAKES CONTINUE TO SQUEEL AND ON TWO OCCASIONS FADED AS THOUGH THERE WERE NO BRAKES. THE DEALERSHIP STATES THEY CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. THIS WAS CHECKED SEVERAL TIMES. 4WD: THE COMPUTER WOULD THROW THE 4WD IN AND OUT OF OPERATION WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT ANY SPEED. AT FIRST THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. LATER THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS THE COMPUTER. IT STILL APPEARS TO DO THIS ON OCCASION BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO TELL WITH THE OTHER BUMPS AND VIBRATIONS CAUSED BY THE TIRES. BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND FIRESTONE HAVE LOOKED AT THE TIRES WHICH STILL HAVE GOOD TREAD AND STATED THEY WERE FINE. ALL OF THESE HAVE BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW AND HAVE BEEN CHECKED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THROUGHOUT OUR OWNERSHIP. THIS IS A LEASED VEHICLE. OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE GONE! *AK (TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

NOTICED HAIRLINE CRACK CIRCLING TIRE AT BOTTOM OF TREAD. I CONTACTED FIRESTONE, INITIALLY I WAS OFFERED 1 REPLACEMENT TIRE OF THE SAME TYPE AS THE FAILED TIRE IF AN INSPECTION OF THE PROBLEM TIRE VERIFIED MY CONCERN REGARDING THE BEGINNING OF TREAD SEPARATION PROBLEM. I INFORMED THE FIRESTONE HOTLINE AND DEALER REP THAT THIS WAS UNACCEPTABLE, I WANTED ALL TIRES REPLACED EVEN THOUGH THESE WERE NOT UNDER RECALL. I INFORMED THEM THAT IT WAS LUDICROUS TO BE PUT IN A SITUATION WHERE I WOULD BE FORCED TO CONTINUE CHECKING ALL TIRES EVERY THREE DAYS. I WOULD NOT BE PUT IN THAT SITUATION. BEING PERSISTANT, I WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT DIST MGR. NO TOLL FREE #, AT MY OWN EXPENSE (PHONE) I CONTACTED DIST MGR. HE APPROVED ALL REPLACEMENT, WHEN CONFIRMED. CONFIRMED BY COMPANY OWNED TIRE STORE 11/13/00. ALL FIVE REPLACED 11/14/00 WITH BRIDGESTONE DUELER AT. I AM SATISFIED AT THIS TIME. I SIMPLY WANTED TO REPORT FAILURE OF TIRE MADE IN WILSON, NC. AFTER BEING PUSHED, BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE DID THE RIGHT THING, ALTHOUGH THEY HAD TO BE PUSHED, AFTER THE FIRST LINE OF CONTACT TRIED TO MINIMIZE AND DEFLECT. I PRAISE FIRESTONE FOR EVENTUALLY DOING THE RIGHT THING. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2HLIPYL08 TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)

PE 00 020/TIRE TREAD SEPARATION: WHILE TRAVELING WITH DRIVER ONLY IN A 1997 FORD, EXPLORER, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, P235/75R15, DOT# UNAVAILABLE. RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT WHILE TRAVELING AT 35-40 MPH. FIRESTONE NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT TIRES WERE OUT OF ITS WARRANTY IN WEAR, AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER.*AK

DURING APRIL WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED I NOTICED AND HEARD A THUMPING NOISE IN MY FRONT WHEEL. I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL SERVICE GARAGE THAT I TRUST AND THEY DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WAS WITH A TIRE. THIS GARAGE ROTATED THE TIRES. IT WAS AFTER THIS THAT I LEARNED OF THE FIRESTONE RECALL. I HAD THE TIRES INSPECTED AGAIN BY THIS SERVICE GARAGE AND THEY GAVE ME THE TIRE NUMBERS SO I COULD GO TO THE FIRESTONE DEALER. AT THE FIRESTONE STORE I EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM OF THE "THUMPING TIRE" AND GAVE THEM THE TIRE NUMBERS. THEY TOLD ME THAT MY TIRES WERE NOT PART OF THE RECALL AND THEY DID NOT OFFER TO INSPECT THE TIRES. STILL HAVING CONCERN I WENT BACK TO MY TRUSTED SERVICE STATION IN MARTINSBURG WV AND THEY INSPECTED THE TIRES AGAIN. NOTED SMALL CRACKS AORUND THE RIM AND ALONG THE EDGE OF THE TREAD ON ALL TIRES. NOTING THE POTENTIAL RISK OF TIRE FAILURE I PURCHASE 5 NEW TIRES ON 9/20/2000 FOR $ 420.82. PLEASE NOTE I COULD NOT FIND TIRES AVAILABLE EVEN THOUGH I WENT TO MORE THEN ONE PLACE, E.G., COSTCO - PRICE CLUB. I THEN WENT BACK TO FIRESTONE AND THEY THEN INSPECTED THE TIRES. THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE THE MARKED UP WILDERNESS AT TIRES AND CRACKS. HOWEVER, THEY TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE THESE WERE NOT PART OF THE RECALL THEY COULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I CURRENTLY HAVE ALL 5 TIRES IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THEM. I DONOT BELIEVE FIRESTONE ACTED IN GOOD FAITH. ONE FINAL COMMENT, FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS NOT BLAMELESS IN THAT THEY PUT A C GRADE TEMPERTURE TIRE ON A VEHICLE THAT IS KNOWN TO BE USE OFF ROAD IN SAND AND UNDERINFLATED. WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT??? I WOULD WELCOME A RESPONSE FROM ANY INTERESTED PARTY.*AK (DOT NUMBER: W2HL1PY127 TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)

COMPLETE TIRE TREAD SEPARATION AROUND OUTER PORTION OF TIRE RESULTING IN LOSS OF AUTOMOBILE CONTROL. *AK (TIRESIZE: P25570R16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P25570R16 )

ALL FOUR OF MY FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES ON MY '97 EXPLORER SPORT HAVE CRACKS ON THE SIDEWALLS ABOUT 1/2 INCH FROM THE TOP OF THE TIRES THAT RUN THE FULL CIRCUMFERENCE OF EACH TIRE. (DOT NUMBER: BM07459-3 TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)

PE 00 020/TIRE TREAD SEPARATION: RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPERIENCED A TREAD SEPARATION WHILE STILL INFLATED. WHENTRAVELING AT 65 MPH VEHICLE COMMENCED TO VIBRATE. DRIVER, WITH ONE PASSENGER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER THE 1994, FORD, EXPLORER; AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT INSTALLED AT 73,848 MILES, TIRE SIZE 30X.5LT, DOT# VD66AW2248, AND NOTICED TREAD SEPARATING FROM TIRE. FIRESTONE NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT TIRE WAS NOT ON RECALL. TIRE WAS AVAILABLE FOR ANALYSIS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK