1995 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

FLUID WHICH WAS LATER CONFIRMED TO BE OIL FROM OVERFLOW TANK SPILLED OUT ON BRAKES ON PASSENGER SIDE. I HAD TO DRIVE 2 HOURS BACK TO NORTH CAROLINA BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP IN GALAX, VA CLOSED AT NOON ON SATURDAYS. IF I WAS BY MYSELF IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT STORY BUT I HAD MY CHILD WITH ME. TOWN AND COUNTRY FORD CONFIRMED THE SITUATION AND STATED THAT FORD HAD SENT OUT A MEMO SAYING IF THE VEHICLE WAS IN WARRANTEE THE COULD PUT THE COVER ON TO PREVENT THIS PROBLEM BUT DUE TO MY MILEAGE I HAD TO PAY $375.OO NOT INCLUDING PARTS TO HAVE THIS TAKING CARE OF. MY QUESTION IS IF THEY PUT THIS DEVICE ON AND KNEW THIS COULD HAPPEN WHY NOT WARN THE CONSUMER INSTEAD OF FINDING OUT THIS WAY AND WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD WHICH WAS NOT OF MY MAKING. I CALLED THE 800 NUMBER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS; GOT A CLAIMS NUMBER AND THAT WAS IT. THE SECOND TIME THEY SAID CALL TOWN AND COUNTRY FORD WHICH THE REGIONAL REP STILL HASN'T RESPONDED. NEXT, I SENT THEM A E-MAIL STATING THE PROBLEM AND STILL NO RESPONSE. ON THE TIRES, WHICH I HAD TO REPLACE MYSELF, EXCEPT FOR THE SPARE WHICH IS A FIRESTONE, SINCE THE WARRANTY WAS NOT HONORED STATING THAT SINCE THEY WERE ONLY THEY WERE ONLY THE STATESIDE RECEIVING DEALERSHIP THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE. THE TIRES BLEW OUT LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE. I AM VERY DISPLEASED WITH FORD. ACCORDING TO THE DISTANCE OF TRAVEL I HAVE RESORTED TO RENTING SO I WOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT WITH MY CHILD IN THE VEHICLE. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I CAN REPLACE A VEHICLE BUT NOT A LIFE. HOWEVER, I REFUSE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING WHICH WAS ALREADY THERE TO BEGIN WITH. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION IN THIS MATTER. *AK

I WAS DRIVING IN TOWN AT 35 MPH WHEN TIRE SUDDENLY DEFLATED WHEN TIRE WAS TAKEN OFF A SPLIT IN THE SIDEWALL THAT RAN INTO THE TREAD WAS FOUND( DOT NUMBER: VDHL AWR TIRE SIZE: 235/75/15 )

PE 00-020; ORIGINAL TIRES ON FORD EXPLORER 1995 P23575R15. COSNUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65-70 MPH WHEN REAR RIGHT TIRE TREAD SEPARATED AND THEN BLEW OUT. *AK THE TIRE WAS USED FOR ONLY 7300 MILES. FIRESTONE CLAIMED IT ROAD HAZARD. *YH

REAR PASSENGER'S TIRE TREAD SEPARATED AT 65-70MPH, CAUSING DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL. TIRE SIZE P235 ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *AK PRIOR TO RECALL (00T-005) CONSUMER REPLACED TWO FIRESTONE TIRES. THE CONSUMER WANTS TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE COST OF TWO TIRES REPLACED BEFORE THE FIRESTONE RECALL. CONSUMER ALSO EXPERIENCED NOISE WHEN BRAKING DUE TO PRMATURE WEARING OF BRAKE PADS AND BAD ROTORS WHICH REPLACED. *YH

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH LEFT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ROLLOVER. FIRESTONE WILDERNESS TIRES, SIZE P225/70R15. *AK

I NO LONGER OWN THIS TRUCK, HENCE THE MISSING INFORMATION. I WAS DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED ON A NICE SUNNY 70- SOME DEGREE DAY WHEN A PART OF THE TREAD PEELED OFF AND THE SIDEWALL BLEW OUT. I WAS ABLE TO STEER TO THE SHOULDER AND STOP, WITH SIGNIFICANT DIFFICULTY. I DID NOT KNOW THIS INFO MIGHT BE SIGNIFICANT UNTIL NOW. I WAS NOT IN A SOUTHERN STATE IN HOT WEATHER. THE TIRE WAS ONLY SIX MONTHS OLD, I HAD RUINED THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRE AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: )

WE SUFFERED A SUDDEN TIRE FAILURE ON THE LEFT REAR WHEEL WHILE TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON I10 BETWEEN TUCSON AND PHOENIX AND TOWING A 1970 VW BEETLE. JUST PRIOR TO THE TIRE FAILURE, I FELT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT, SO I STOPPED THE VEHICLE ON THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE AND INSPECTED THE HITCH, THE VW BEETLE AND THE REAR TIRES ON MY EXPLORER AND FOUND NOTHING OF CONCERN. AS I WAS GETTING BACK UP TO SPEED, THE TIRE TREAD ON THE REAR LEFT TIRE CAME TOTALLY OFF AND THE EXPLORER FELT LIKE I WAS DRIVING ON ICE, ESSENTIALLY NO STEERING WITHOUT DANGER OF LOSING CONTROL. I STABILIZED THE VEHILCLE BUT IT GRADUALLY SLIDE TO THE LEFT AND I SENSED THAT IF I TRIED TO CORRECT THE CAR WOULD GO OUT OF CONTROL. FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY WITH NO ONE AROUND BUT I THE CAR GRADUALLY MOVE TO THE LEFT SLOWING SLOWLY; WHEN THE BEETLE CAUGHT THE SHOULDER GRAVEL WE LAUNCHED INTO TO A ROLL OVER. WE ROLLED TWICE AND LANDED UPRIGHT AND THE TREADLESS TIRE WAS STILL INFLATED. TOWING THE BEETLE PROVIDED A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF DRAG SLOWING BOTH VEHICLES LESSENING THE SEVERITY OF THE EXPLORER'S ROLL. WHEN THE BEETLE BROKE LOOSE DURING THE ROLL IT TOOK A LOT OF MOMENTUM WITH IT AS IT ROLLED MUCH FURTHER THAN THE EXPLORER CAUSING THE EXPLORER TO HIT ON BOTH ROOF EDGES ON SUBSEQUENT ROLLS AND LANDING ON THE TIRES WITHOUT THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYING; BOTH PASSENGER WERE WEARING SEATBELTS AND DESPITE SPRAINS, BRUISES AND SCRATCHES WE WALKED AWAY FROM THE ACCIDENT. HOWEVER, BOTH CARS WERE TOTALED AND CONTENTS DAMAGED AND LOST. A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THIS, I HAD THE FRONT TIRE DEVELOP A SEVERE BUMP AND TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER AND BOUGHT NEW FRONT TIRE AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE REAR TIRES WHICH STILL HAD PLENTY OF TREAD DEPTH WHICH BY THE WAY THE FRONT TIRE THAT DEVELOPED THE BUMP ALSO HAD PLENTY OF TREAD LEFT. FIRESTONE DEALER ASSURED ME THE BACK TIRES DID NOT NEED REPLACING. *AK( DOT NUMBER: )

SINCE THESE TIRES WERE OFFICIALLY RECALLED YESTERDAY (8/9/00), WE HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THEY STATED THAT IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE UP TO SIX MONTHS BEFORE WE ARE CONTACTED AND CAN BEGIN TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. I FEEL THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. MY WIFE AND CHILDREN USE THIS VEHICLE PRIMARILY AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE DANGERS. IS THE INFORMATION FROM THE DEALER CORRECT? I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THROUGH TO THE FIRESTONE HOTLINE 800#, BUT CANNOT GET THROUGH FOR ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. ANY INFO YOU COULD GIVE ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P175R15 )

ON JULY 5, 2000, WHILE TRAVELING WEST ON INTERSTATE 40, THREE MILES EAST OF GRANTS, NM, THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW APART. WE WERE ABLE TO SAFELY GET OFF THE HIGHWAY. THIS WAS THE THIRD FIRESTONE TIRE THAT HAS BLOWN OR EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION ON ME. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 235X75R15 )

PE00 020; CONSUMERT WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 75MPH ON HIGHWAY AND FELT HEAVY VIBRATION INSIDE OF VEHICLE . HE WENT TO PULL OVER ONTO THE SHOULDERS. AND VEHICLE TOOK A 270 DEGREE SPINN OUT. THEN, VEHICLE HIT A ROAD SIGN, AND IT FLIPPED INTO A DITCH. THERE WERE MINOR SKRATCHES. *AK