1997 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING RIGHT FRONT TIRE TREAD SEPARATED. CURRENTLY, TWO REAR TIRES ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK

RIGHT FRONT FIRESTONE ATX TIRE (P235 75 R15) EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARTION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO DO A 360 DEGREE TURN ON THE INTERSTATE, VEHICLE SUSTAINED DAMAGES. *SLC

TWO TIRE FAILURES WITHIN 8 WEEKS. ROTATED EVERY 3000 MILES, PROPERLY INFLATED.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 23575R15 )

AT APPROXIMATELY 11;30 P.M. MAY 28, 1999,AS WE WERE TRAVELING ALONG INTERSTATE 10, JUST OUTSIDE OF TALLAHASSEE ,FLORIDA, MY EXPLORER SUDDENLY VEERED TOWARD THE LEFT ABRUPTLLY. A LOUD CRASHING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE RIGHT REAR OF THE VEHICLE. PULLING THE CAR ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, MY WIFE AND I CHECKED TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO THE RIGHT REAR TIRE EXCEPT SHREDS OF A RADIAL TIRE. LUCKY FOR US , THAT AT THE TIME OF THE PROBLEM, I WAS DRIVING AND NOT MY WIFE, AS SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO MANUEVER DURING THE PROBLEM. ALSO THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE RIGHT LANE DUE TO THE LATE HOUR. WITH GREAT PROBLEM, WE CHANGED THE TIRE AND ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION QUITE SHAKEN UP. AFTER FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE TIRE AND THE VEHICLE THE NEXT MORNING, WE REALIZED THAT THERE HAD BEEN MUCH DAMAGE TO THE UNDERPANELS OF THE CAR. I MUST NOTE, THAT AT THE TIME WE WERE TRAILERING A WAVE RUNNER . SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO KEEP THE VEHICLE AND THE BOAT ON THE ROAD. AFTER RETURNING HOME, I WENT TO FIRESTONE , A WHICH TIME I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I PURCHASED 2 NEW TIRES TO REPLACE THE BACK TIRES FROM FIRESTONE. ONE YEAR LATER , ALMOST TO THE EXACT DATE, WE WERE AGAIN VISITING IN THE TALLAHASSEE AREA, AND ON OUR WAY HOME THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE. AFTER GOING THROUGH THE ORDEAL THE LAST TIME, WE QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE TIRES AND SURE ENOUGH THE SAME THING WAS STARTING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. WE CHANGED THE TIRE AND CAME HOME. THE VERY NEXT DAY WE REPLACED ALL THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE BUT NOT WITH FIRESTONE TIRES. I MUST MENTION THAT THERE WAS A TOTAL OF $920 WORTH OF DAMAGE DONE TO THE EXPLORER DURING THE MAY 1999 ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE DONE DURING THE LATEST SHREDDING BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AGAIN. I AM QUITE UPSET WITH THE FACT THAT NOTHING WAS DONE FOR ME LAST YEAR OR THIS YEAR ECEPT A DENIAL ON FIRESTONES PART. MY FAMILY COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE.

I WANT TO ADD OUR NAME TO THE LIST OF THOSE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS TIRE. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. BUT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING RUSHHOUR IN SEATTLE TRAFFIC WHEN IT WAS COLD (NOT HOT). THE INCIDENT HAPPENED WITH NO WARNING. I WAS LUCKY TO MANEUVER T( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

AS WE WERE RETURNING FROM VACATION ON 3/20/00 FROM FLORIDA, MY WIFE (THE DRIVER AT THE TIME) FELT WEIRD VIBRATIONS THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL. (NOTE -WE WERE APPROX. 5 MILES IN TO GEORGIA ON I-75 JUST PASSED THE GA/FL BORDER - NEAR LAKE PARK?). AS WE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN AND MOVE AWAY FROM OTHER TRAFFIC, WE HEARD A POPPING NOISE FROM UNDER THE EXPLORER AS IF THINGS WERE KICKING UP FROM THE ROAD AND HITTING THE UNDERCARRIAGE. ONCE WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE INTERSTATE, I LOOKED UNDER THE SUV AND DID A QUICK VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE TIRES, HOWEVER, ALL APPEARED TO BE NORMAL (NO FLATS, NOTHING THAT WE COULD VISIBLY SEE). WE PULLED BACK ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND BEFORE WE EVEN REACHED MERGING SPEED (55 - 60 MPH), THE POPPING NOISE RETURNED AND WE COULD ACTUALLY SEE SMALL BLACK PARTS EXITING THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. WE MANAGED TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OFF THE ROAD AND ENTER A GAS STATION AT WHICH TIME WE DISCOVERED A FOOT LONG PATCH OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE WAS COMPLETLY GONE. ALTHOUGH THE TIRE NEVER DEFLATED, A COMPLETE FOOT LONG SECTION OF TREAD, THROUGH THE STEEL BELTS AND ALL, WAS GONE. NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE TIRE WAS VISIBLE (SIDE WALLS ALL OKAY, NO PUNCTURES, NAILS, ETC.). I INSPECTED THE REST OF THE TIRES AND WE CONTINUED OUR TRIP HOME ONCE THE SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED. ON 4/1/00, I WENT TO THE LOCAL FIRESTONE CENTER (940 OLD MONROVIA RD, HUNTSVILLE, AL 35806) AND HAD THEM INSPECT THE DAMAGED TIRE. ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT CONFIRM OR DENY THAT THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE, THEY DID OFFER ME A NEW TIRE AT A PRO-RATED DISCOUNT. AT THAT TIME, I HAD THEM INSPECT ALL OF THE TIRES, PERFORM WHEEL BALANCES, ROTATIONS, ETC. BASED ON THE TREAD WEAR AT THAT TIME, FULL REPLACEMENT OF ALL TIRES WAS NOT NEEDED. SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER PEOPLE OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND WITH THE LATEST NEWS ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE FIRESTONE TIRES, I FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO REPORT OUR EXPERIENCE. WE WERE FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT AND ARE AWAITING MORE RECALL INFO.

TIRE BLOW OUT ON INTERSTATE 45 SOUTH. CAR TRAVELED ACROSS TRAFFIC LANES.CAR HIT CEMENT BARRIER AND CAME TO STOP FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC. BACK WINDOW POPPED OPEN . PICTURES OF TIRE HAVE FLAP OF RUBBER SEPERATED FROM THE TIRE.( DOT NUMBER: )

I LIVE IN MD ,AND TIRE STILL FAILED NOT DUE TO HEAT( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235 75R15 )

WHILE DRIVING ON IH 37, NEAR CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT AND THE AUTO ROLLED 4 OR 5 TIMES DOWN THE EMBANKMENT OF THE INTERSTATE. DRIVER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE, AUTO TOTALLED BY INSURANCE COMAPNY. LEFT FRONT TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE OTHER THREE TIRES WERE FLATTENED FROM THE ROLL OVER. PLEASE DO SOMETHING!( DOT NUMBER: ? TIRE SIZE: ? )

I OWN A 1997 FORD EXPLORER SPORT, VIN # 1FMCU24X2VUB50580 PURCHASED BY ME IN DECEMBER 1996 IN NJ, THAT HAS FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT P255/70R16 TIRES. I WENT THROUGH A REPLACEMENT ON 12/11/98 THAT SEEMS TO BE SIMILAR TO THE RECALL PROBLEMS, WHERE I FOUND THE TREADS ON MY REAR TIRES TO BE SPLITTING AND STARTING TO SEPARATE FROM THE TIRE. I HAD THE TWO REAR TIRES INSPECTED AND REPLACED AT THE FIRESTONE DEALER IN GASTONIA, NC AFTER PAYING A REDUCED PRICE DUE TO PRORATION ACCORDING TO TREAD WEAR SINCE I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE STILL UNDER THE TIRE WARRANTY PERIOD (33,185 MILES). THIS ALSO BRINGS UP ANOTHER CONCERN, WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, SINCE THEY ARE RECALLING THESE TIRES, WILL I BE REINBURSED FOR THE MONIES SPENT IN REPLACING THE FIRST TWO TIRES DUE TO THE DEFECT? I STILL HAVE TWO OF THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON MY EXPLORER AND SINCE I LIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA (ALSO A HOT STATE), I AM CONCERNED ON HOW LONG IT WOULD BE BEFORE FIRESTONE GETS THE RECALL TO THOSE OF US WHO DON'T LIVE IN THE FIRST TWO PHASED STATE GROUPS FOR THE RECALL. I DO MONITOR MY AIR PRESSURE CONSISTENTLY, BUT TRAVEL 56 MILES EACH WAY (112 TOTAL) TO WORK EACH DAY VIA HIGHWAY BETWEEN GAFFNEY, SC AND CHARLOTTE, NC. EACH OF THE TIRES INFORMATION FOLLOWS: ORIGINAL TIRES FROM PURCHASE DATE - STILL ON REAR OF VEHICLE: P255/70R16 (E4) O2 6555, 24815 UR BM06175-3, MADE IN USA. 24816 UR BM06175-3, MADE IN USA. REPLACEMENTS TIRES FROM 1999 - ON FRONT OF VEHICLE: P255/70R16 (E4) O2 6555, 24817 UR BM06175-4, MADE IN CANADA. 30863 UR BM06175-6, MADE IN CANADA. COULD YOU PLEASE SEND ME MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON WHAT IS TO HAPPEN AND POSSIBLY WHEN IF KNOWN? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR CONCERN AND TIMELY RESPONSE TO THIS MESSAGE. SINCERELY, JOHN A. BURROWS 117 GREENBRIAR DRIVE GAFFNEY, SC 29341 864-206-0106 (HOME) 704-559-4394 (WORK) 864-505-0711 (CELLULAR) A COPY OF THIS WAS ALSO SENT TO FORD AT: [email protected]( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P255/70R16 )