1997 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

PE00 020;CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO A FIRESTONE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE TIRES INSPECTED. MECHANIC AT DEALERSHIP TOLD HIM THAT THERE WERE STRESS MARKS ON TIRES, BUT THESE TIRES WERE NOT THE ONES ON RECALL. FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT#, P23575 R15 DOT#W2HL. *AK *SLC

PE 00020:; WHILE DRIVING 70MPH IN A LIGHT SNOW IN NEBRASKA LEFT REAR TIRE BLEW. TIRE & TREAD BECAME MANGLED & SHREDDED. WAS ABLE TO CONTROL VEHICLE. DOES NOT HAVE TIRE AFTER HAVING SPARE REPLACED. FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT, SIZE P235/75R15 WITH 28,000 MILES ON IT. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 20 MP VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING,AND WHEN INCREASING THE SPEED STEERING WHEEL WILL STOP SHAKING. THEN, TOOK VEHICLE TO A TECHNICIAN. TECHNICIAN FOUND OUT THAT TIRES TREAD WAS SEPARATING, AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK

PE 00020: WHILE DRIVING 75MPH VEHICLE STARTED TO VIBRATE. WAS PULLING TO SIDE WHEN A LOUD EXPLOSION WAS HEARD. LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE, WENT TOWARDS MEDIAN & HIT GUARDRAIL. AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. WHEN VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED, GOT OUT & CHECKED. NOTICED NO TREAD ON LEFT REAR TIRE. NO SERIOUS INJURY. FIRESTONE WILDERNESS, SIZE P235/75R15 WITH 61,000 MILES ON IT. DID NOT HAVE THE TIRE.*AK

PE00020; TIRE TREAD SEPARATION: WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH TREAD ON THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE PEELED OFF. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CONTROL VEHICLE. ONE OTHER PASSENGER WAS IN THE TRUCK. NO ONE WAS INJURED. TIRE WAS A WILDERNESS AT, NOT SURE IF TIRE WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. OWNER THOUGHT TIRE WAS A RETREAD TIRE ,AND DID NOT CONTACT FIRESTONE. *AK

WE PURCHASED THE 97 EXPLORER IN 1999 - AS A NEW VEHICLE - WITH 9,000 MILES ON IT. WE ORIGINALLY NOTICED THAT THE TIRES HAD A PROBLEM IN APRIL OF 2000 AND EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE PULLING TO THE RIGHT. WE TOOK TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A FRONT END ALIGNMENT THAT DID NOT HELP. THEY ROTATED THE TIRES THAT HELPED WITH THE STEERING PROBLEM, HOWEVER, THE TIRES HAD ALREADY BEGAN TO SHOW SIGNED OF TREADWEAR CRACKING AND SIDEWALL CRACKING. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 26,000 MILES AND WE SHOULD NOT BE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH OUR TIRES AT THIS TIME. AFTER THE RECALL NOTICE, WE TOOK BACK TO THE DEALER WHO REFERRED US BACK TO FIRESTONE. FIRESTONE STATED THEY ARE NOT RECALLING OUR DOT NUMBER TIRE AT THIS TIME, BUT WE FEEL THAT THIS TIRE IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD IN HAULING OUR FAMILY AND FEEL FIRESTONE NEEDS TO RECALL THESE TIRES AS WELL. WE HAVE ALWAYS USED FIRESTONE TIRES AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED OR SEEN THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM BEFORE AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE FIRESTONE RECALL THESE TIRES AS WELL, IN ORDER TO SAVE OUR LIVES AS WELL AS THE LIVES OF MANY OTHERS! THAT COULD VERY WELL BE PREVENTED NOW!( DOT NUMBER: VNHL TIRE SIZE: P2357515 )

TIRE IS STARTING TO SEPARATE. DEALERS ARE BEING SLOW TO REPLACE IT. THE OTHER THREE TIRES ARE ALSO SHOWING SIGNS OF SEPARATION.*AK( DOT NUMBER: VDHL TIRE SIZE: 235/75R15 )

MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING WEST ON THE INTERSTATE IN THE RIGHT LANE AT APP. 75 MPH WHEN WE HEARD A STRANGE SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR RIGHT TIRE. AT THAT MOMENT, I COULD FEEL THE BACK END OF THE VEHICLE SLIDING OUT FROM UNDER US TO THE RIGHT, TURNING THE VEHICLE TO THE LEFT TOWARD THE CENTER MEDIAN. WE WENT INTO THE MEDIAN AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL. AFTER ROLLING APP. 3 COMPLETE TIMES, WE ENDED UP FACING EAST IN THE RIGHT LANE OF EASTBOUND TRAFFIC - RIGHT SIDE UP. MIRACULOUSLY, NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT. MY WIFE ESCAPED WITH SEVERAL BUMPS AND BRUISES AND I HAD CUTS AND SCRAPES WHICH REQUIRED STITCHES. BOTH OF US WERE WEARING SEAT BELTS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY REASON WE WERE NOT MORE SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED. WE WERE BOTH TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE FOR X-RAYS, BANDAGES, AND STITCHES AND RELEASED ON THE SAME DAY. *AK( DOT NUMBER: )

MY TIRE LOST THE TREAD ON THE HIGHWAY AS DESCRIBED BY THE RECENT NEWS STORIES ABOUT THE FIRESTONE TIRES. WHEN I TOOK IT TO A FIRESTONE DEALER THEY WERE NOT RECALLING MY TIRES BECAUSE IT WAS NOT MANUFACTURED BY THE DECATUR PLANT. I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT THAT ALL OF THESE TIRES ARE A SAFETY HAZARD AND ALL SHOULD BE RECALLED. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

THE RIGHT REAR TIRE OF MY VEHICLE THE TREAD SEPARATED THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SWING RIGHT AND RUN OFF THE RIGHT SHOULDER.