1997 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

EQUIPPED WITH WILDERNESS/ATX TIRES VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TIRE SEPARATION TO THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH. A FORD DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED, AND REPLACED THE TIRES WITH TWO NEW WILDERNESS TIRES. *AK

PE00020; TIRE TREAD SEPARATION: WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, TRUCK PULLED SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT. TIRE ON THE DRIVER'S RIGHT FRONT SIDE CONTINUED TO SHEAR ON THE INSIDE. TIRES WERE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS, SIZE P23575R15, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT SOLD WITH EXPLORER. TIRES WERE ALIGNED AND SWITCHED AROUND, BUT CONTINUED TO PULL TO RIGHT, AND SHEARED THE TIRES. *AK *ML

MY RIGHT REAR FIRESTONE TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE EXPLORER, CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I SKIDDED INTO THE PATH OF AN ONCOMMING CAR AND WAS "T-BONED" BY THAT CAR ON MY DRIVERS SIDE. THE TIRE WAS RECORDED AS "DEFECTIVE" ON THE POLICE ACCIDENT REPORT. ALL COMMENTS ARE FROM THE POLICE ACCIDENT REPORT. I HAVE NO MEMORY OF THE ACCIDENT. I SUFFERED A CONCUSSION AND WAS FLOWN BY LIFEFLIGHT TO THE NEAREST TRAUMA HOSPITAL. I AM STILL TRYING TO RECOVER AND REGAIN MY LIFE. PLEASE RECALL THESE DANGEROUS TIRES BEFORE THEY KILL AND INJURE MORE INNOCENT PEOPLE.( DOT NUMBER: )

TREAD SEPARATED FROM LEFT, REAR TIRE AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITHOUT WARNING, LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AS A RESULT, WENT ONTO LEFT SHOULDER OF ROAD, CORRECTED TO COME BACK TO LEFT LANE AND EXPLORER BEGAN TO ROLL, ROLLED APPROXIMATELY TWO TIMES BEFORE LANDING ON RIGHT SHOULDER OF ROAD. *AK( DOT NUMBER: )

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM JACKSON,MS ON INTERSTATE 20 ON SAT. JULY8,2000, OUR CAR STARTED VIBRATING AND MAKING A NOISE. MY DAUGHTER ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG AND WHAT TO DO. I TOLD HER THAT I THOUGHT WE HAD A BLOW OUT. I INSTRUCTED HER TO BRAKE AND SLOW DOWN AS MUCH AND AS FAST AS POSSIBLE AND TRY TO KEEP THE CAR ON THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWING DOWN AND SHE WAS MAINTAINING CONTROL UNTIL SOMETHING STOPPED THE CAR FROM ROLLING AND SHE LOST CONTROL AS IF SOMETHING WAS PHYSICALLY PULLING THE WHEEL HARD TO THE RIGHT. SHE THEN LOST COMPLETE CONTROL AND THE CAR STARTED TURNING TO THE RIGHT. WE THEN HIT A BRIDGE ABUTMENT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, THE CAR SPINNED COMPLETELY AROUND FROM THE FIRST IMPACT WITH THE BRIDGE AND THEN WE HIT THE BRIDGE ON THE PASSENGER'S FRONT SIDE, WE WERE KNOCKED CLEAR OF THE BRIDGE AND HEADED DOWN AN EMBANKMENT TOWARD A LARGE STAND OF PINES AND THE CAR CAME TO REST JUST PAST THE DRIVING LANE ON THE HIGHWAY. WE HAD A WITNESSES FROM DALLAS, TEXAS, ALSO DRIVING AN SUV, WHO TOLD US THAT THEY SAW THE ENTIRE ACCIDENT AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING MY DAUGHTER COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE THEY COULD SEE THE STEEL BELT OF THE TIRE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE MECHANISM UNDER THE CAR AND THEN SHE LOST TOTAL CONTROL. WE WERE TOLD BY THE STATE TROOPER WHO ACCOMPANIED US TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM THAT HE WAS GLAD WE HIT THE BRIDGE LIKE WE DID BECAUSE IF WE HAD NOT WE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY ROLLED OR HIT THE STAND OF PINES AFTER GOING AIRBORNE HEAD ON. HE STATED THAT HE HAD SEEN NUMEROUS OCCASIONS IN A SITUATION LIKE OURS THAT THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE WERE CRITICALLY HURT OR KILLED. MY HUSBAND AND I FEEL THAT THE FIRESTONE COMPANY AND/OR THE FORD MANUFACTURER SHOULD REPLACE OUR VEHICLE WITH A NEW ONE AND AT THE LEAST, PAY OUR MEDICAL EXPENSES WHICH WERE MINIMAL ACCORDING TO THE TERRIBLE ACCIDENT WE HAD. WE ARE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL EVERY ONE WE ARE ACQUAINTED WITH KNOWS HOW NEGLIGENT THE MANUFACTURERS ARE IN THIS MATTER. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH VEHICLE START VIBRATING. THEN, FELT A POP ON THE TIRE WHERE THE ABS LIGHT COME ON, AND CONSUMER KEPT CONTROL OF VEHICLE WITH FIRESTONE TIRES. *AK FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT P235/75/R15 *MW

PE00-020: WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35MPH WHEN TIRE BLEW. CHECKED THE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS TIRE P275/75R16 & TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM REAR LEFT TIRE. TOOK VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE TIRE SHOP & HAD THE TIRE REPLACED. DO NOT HAVE THE TIRE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH TREAD BEGAN TO SEPARATE ON WILDERNESS/ATX TIRE BEFORE IT BLEWOUT. FIRESTONE HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK FIRESTONE WILDERNESS ATX 235/75/R15 *MW

ON 4/28/00 I HAD MY TIRES CHECKED AT FIRESTONE. REPLACED FRONT TWO TIRES. MILEAGE ON VEHICLE WAS 56,405. BACK TWO TIRES HAD PLENTY OF TREAD AND DID NOT NEED REPLACING. REASON FOR REPLACING FRONT TIRES WAS CUPPING ON INSIDE OF FRONT TIRES. ON 7/12/00 THE BACK LEFT TIRE BLEW OUT ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH. CAR WENT OFF ROAD AND FLIPPED THREE TIMES...TOTALLING VEHICLE. SUFFERED BROKEN RIBS, CONCUSSION AND OTHER INJURIES. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P22575R15 )

TIRE BLEW OUT ON MAJOR HIGHWAY. CAUSED VEHICLE TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL INTO ONCOMING HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. NARROWLY MISSED SEVERAL HEAD-ON COLLISIONS. TRUCK WAS SKIDDING ON RIMS. STILL HAVE TIRE REMNANTS. EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED IN USA TODAY ARTICLE. POLICE RESPONDED, BUT NO REPORT TAKEN, AS THERE WAS NO COLLISION. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 235/75/10 )