STARFIRE TIRES Complaints

WHEN I ATTEMPT TO FILL MY GAS TANK, THE GAS COMES BACK OUT OF THE TANK. I HAVE TRIED THIS BY GOING SLOW & WHEN THE GAS SHUTS OFF, I SHAKE THE JEEP TO GET THE AIR OUT OF THE TANK - WHEN I DO THIS THE AIR POCKET PUSHES GAS BACK OUT OF THE TANK EVEN WHEN I DON'T HAVE THE FUEL NOZZLE STILL IN THE TANK. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED - I PURCHASED THE JEEP IN ST. AUGUSTINE, FL IN JAN., 2011 & I HAD TO GET GAS RIGHT AFTER PURCHASING IT. THE FIRST TIME I HAD THE AUTO SHUT-OFF ON THE GAS FILLER - IT CLICKED OFF & GAS STARTED FLOWING BACK OUT OF THE TANK. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THAT THE GAS FILLER NOZZLE WAS DEFECTIVE, & NOTIFIED THE CONVENIENCE STORE ABOUT THE OVERFLOW - I ASKED FOR SOME "DRY AGENT" TO CAPTURE THE GAS THAT HAD SPILLED OVER. THE ATTENDANT SHUT THE PUMP STATION DOWN, & SAID THEY WOULD CALL SOMEONE TO CHECK OUT THE FILLER NOZZLE. THE NEXT TIME THAT I NEEDED GAS (BACK IN ORLANDO, FL) THE JEEP WAS BACK NEAR EMPTY (FUEL LIGHT "ON"). I USED THE AUTO CLICK-OFF ON THE FILLER - SAME[XXX], DIFFERENT DAY! I HEARD THE "CLICK" OF THE AUTO-SHUT OFF & WITHIN A SECOND, GAS WAS POURING BACK OUT OF THE FUEL NECK OF THE JEEP. PEOPLE WHO WERE PUMPING THEIR OWN GAS HEARD THE FUEL COME OUT OF THE TANK (AND HEARD ME CURSE, LOL!) THEY COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAW. I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH FUEL POURED BACK OUT OF THE FUEL NECK OF THE JEEP (AND THE TANK FOR THAT MATTER), BUT THERE WAS A POOL OF FUEL ON THE GROUND. I NOTIFIED THE FUEL ATTENDANT OF THE SITUATION & THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY DRY-SORB CHEMICAL TO ABSORB THE FUEL. I USED PAPER TOWELS TO CLEAN IT UP. NOW I HAVE TO RESORT TO FILL THE JEEP WITH NO MORE THAN 12 GALLONS (NO MORE SHAKING OR THE FUEL MAY COME BACK OUT). I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE INTERNAL VALVE IS DEFECTIVE OR THAT THE USE OF ETHANOL IN THE JEEP HAS DESTROYED THE INTERNAL VALVE. I DON'T GIVE A [XXX] WHAT HAS CAUSED IT - THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF JEEPS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM - DO YOUR JOB NHTSA.GOV!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDO

I PURCHASED FOUR USED SX 5000 STARFIRE (COOPER) 255/70-15 TIRES FOR MY 1981 FORD F-150 IN MARCH OF 2010. THE TIRES WERE MOUNTED TO WHAT I BELIEVE ARE 15X8 STEEL WHEELS BY THE INDEPENDENT TIRE SHOP THAT I PURCHASED THE TIRES FROM. I THEN DROVE FROM SAINT PETERSBURG, FL TO AUSTIN, TX ON THE TIRES WITH NO PROBLEMS. OVER THE NEXT TWO OR THREE MONTHS, I DROVE ABOUT 500 MILES ON THE TIRES WITH NO ISSUES, UNTIL ONE DAY ONE OF THE FRONT TIRES WAS FLAT IN MY DRIVEWAY, WITH THE TREAD SEPARATED IN ONE AREA. I REPLACED BOTH FRONT WHEELS WITH SPARE WHEELS AND TIRES (UNKNOWN EXACT SPECIFICATIONS, BUT SMALLER), AND WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, ONE OF THE REAR TIRES (AGAIN, IN MY DRIVEWAY) WAS FLAT, WITH THE TREAD SEPARATED. I PLACED TWO OTHER SPARE WHEELS/TIRES ON THE REAR AND PLACED THE SX 5000S IN MY GARAGE. WITHIN A WEEK, THE TWO SX5000S THAT HAD AIR IN THEM HAD BLOWN, AGAIN WITH THE TREAD SEPARATED. THE FAILURES OCCURRED WHEN THE WEATHER OUTSIDE TURNED HOT (SUMMER). TIRE PRESSURES WERE MAINTAINED NEAR (UNDER) THE MAXIMUM SIDEWALL SPECIFICATIONS, AND THE F-150 WAS NEVER OVERLOADED. THE TRUCK IS PRIMARILY USED FOR FAMILY TRANSPORTATION. I CALLED COOPER AT 1-800-854-6288 BECAUSE RECALL # 147 CLOSELY MATCHED THE PROBLEMS I EXPERIENCED, BUT I WAS TOLD MY TIRES WERE MANUFACTURED IN 2003 AND WERE NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. THE TIRE INFORMATION IS: DOT 3DM2 B7W3903 C14R. I WAS ADMONISHED BY THE COOPER REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT PURCHASING AND USING USED TIRES, BUT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ALL FOUR TIRES ESSENTIALLY BLOWING OUT WITH TREAD SEPARATION IN UNEXPECTED FASHION WITHIN A FEW WEEKS (OF SUMMER TEMPERATURES), I FEEL THAT THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IS THE DESIGN OF THE TIRES, AND NOT THAT THE TIRES WERE ABUSED. UNTIL THE FAILURES, THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TIRES DID NOT FALL OR RISE EXCEPT DUE TO AIR TEMPERATURES AND DRIVING FORCES, AND THE TREAD LIFE WAS AT LEAST 50%. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD WINDSTAR WITH STAR FIRE FLITE LINE IV ALL WHEEL DRIVE TIRES SIZE 215 /70 R15. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TREAD PEELED OFF OF ALL FOUR TIRES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITH LESS THAN 18000 MILES ON THE TIRES. THE TIRE DISTRIBUTOR TOLD THE CONTACT THAT TIRES ONLY LAST FIVE YEARS AND SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

P2355R15 ON HORSE TRAILER MADE BY PONDEROSA 3/2007. TREAD SEPARATED AT 65 MPH. TREAD WRAPPED AROUND AXEL. NO INJURIES. TIRE DID NOT LOSE AIR. REPLACED WITH SPARE TIRE AND NO MISHAP. I STILL HAVE TIRE AND MOST OF TREAD, THE PART THAT WRAPPED AROUND AXEL IS IN 2 LARGE PIECES. PULLED WIRES LOOSE FOR BRAKES. REPAIRED WIRE AND BRAKES WORK. DO NOT KNOW IF THERE IS DAMAGE TO AXEL AT THIS TIME. ONLY DAMAGE THAT I CAN TELL IS A FEW DINGS TO TRAILER AND LOST PAINT. *TR

TREAD IS SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE , COOPER TIRE CO WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT REPLACING THE TIRE. *TR

REFERENCE: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 06T016000. COOPER TIRE RECALL# 147 A STARFIRE FLITELINE IV TIRE CAN APART ON MY CAR DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. I TOOK TIRE AND CAR TO A COOPER TIRE STORE (CORNER TIRE STORE PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA) AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL (COOPER RECALL# 147). I FEEL THAT THE SCOPE OF THE RECALL NEEDS TO BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE OTHER STARFIRE FLITELINE IV TIRES. THIS TIRE IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS, IF IT HAD COME APART AT HIGH SPEED, NO ONE WOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS TIRE. *TR

I DROVE FROM MY HOME TO OXON HILL, MD, A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES AND THE STEERING WAS BUMPY. WHEN I REACHED MY DESTINATION, I DID A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE TIRES AND NOTHING APPEARED UNUSUAL. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES, I RESUMED DRIVING. ABOUT 11 MILES LATER AT EXIT 15 (214/CENTRAL AVENUE EAST) ON 95/495 NORTHBOUND, THE SIDEWALL OF THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT. I WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 65 MPH. I PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE AND LOOKED AT THE TIRE. THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALL AND WAS APPROXIMATELY 3/4 DETACHED. I GOT OFF AT THE 214/CENTRAL AVENUE EAST RAMP AND PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. BY THIS TIME, THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED COMPLETELY FROM THE SIDEWALL. THE TIRE HAD 20,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS A STARFIRE FLITE-LINE IV P21560R16. WE WILL GO BACK TO THE RETAILER WHO SOLD US THE FOUR TIRES AND PLAN TO GET ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED. *AK