1996 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

AFTER RECEIVING A RECALL NOTICE, DEALER INDICATED THAT TIRES WERE NOT ON RECALL. BUT, CONSUMER INSPECTED THE TIRES, AND FOUND CRACKS ON THEM. FIRESTONE, WILDERNESS, P255/70R16. *AK THE CUSTOMER STATES THAT THESE WERE THE SAME TIRES FORD HAD RECALLED OVERSEAS AND ARE NOT SAFE. *YH

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH ON A HIGHWAY IN T FAST LANE LEFT REAR TIRE HAD A BLOWOUT OUT ANDF CONSUMER LOST CONTROL, AND VEHICLE ROLLED OVER. FIRESTONE ATX. *AK

I KNOW LEAKING OIL FROM VENT TUBE IS A LARGER PROBLEM BECAUSE FORD HAS HAD TO HAVE A RETRO KIT MADE TO SOLVE LEAKING OIL. I RECEIVED NO HELP FROM FORD FOR REPAIR COST.

WHILE HAVING MY VEHICLE INSPECTED RECENTLY ATTENTION WAS CALLED TO EACH OF MY TIRES. THERE ARE TINY HAIR LINE CRACKS ALL AROUND EACH TIRE AT THE TREAD AS IF THIS IS WHERE IT WOULD SEPARATE. I COMPARED THE TIRES TO MY DAUGHTER'S TIRES WHICH WERE RECALLED, AND SHE HAD NO SUCH CRACKS OR LINES.( DOT NUMBER: VNCUIPL245 TIRE SIZE: P255/70R16 )

FIRESTONE/EXPLORER TIRE BLOWOUT; PHOTOGRAPH OF TREAD SEPARATION WAS TAKEN AND IS AVAILABLE; TIRES REPLACED, MY COST( DOT NUMBER: UNKNOWN TIRE SIZE: P235 75R15 )

THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE. WHEN IN DRIVE THE CAR COASTS AT ABOUT 1 MPH. IT WILL GO INTO REVERSE AND PARK OK. THE CAR IS DRIVEN UNDER NORMAL TO LIGHT DRIVING CONDITIONS. I HAS NEVER BEEN USED FOR TOWING. THE TRANSMISSION FLUID HAS BEEN CHECKED AND IT IS FINE. THE WARRANTY EXPIRED ON 3/9/2000. JUST A WEEK PRIOR TO THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION WARRANTY WORK WAS COMPLETED ON THE TRANSFER CASE AND NOTHING WAS NOTED AS BEING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THE LAST SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE WAS COMPLETED ON THE VEHICLE IN JUNE 2000. THE BRAKES PULSATE WHEN SLOWING DOWN FROM HIGH SPEEDS. THEY WERE SERVICED ONCE BY FORD FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THE SERVICING DID NOT CORRECT IT. FORD REFUSED TO SERVICE THEM AGAIN AND THEY CONTINUE TO PULSATE WHEN SLOWING DOWN FROM HIGH SPEEDS.

PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A LOUD NOISE. SHE PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. A PIECE OF TIRE TREAD WAS MISSING. MOLDING WAS DAMAGED, AND LEFT REAR TIRE WAS DAMAGED. FIRESTONE, #ATX P23570R15. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED FIRESTONE.*AK

I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH WHEN THE LEFT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. I DID NOT LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE , HENCE NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THESE TIRES WERE INSTALLED AT 74960 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THE TIRE WAS TAKEN TO THE FIRSTONE STORE IN MADISON, WI AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE TIRE WOULD NOT BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE BLOWOUT WAS DUE TO 'ROAD HAZARD' AND NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I BOUGHT A NEW TIRE AND THEN CONTACTED FIRESTONE DIRECTLY AND EXPLAINED THAT I THOUGHT THAT THIS FAILED TIRE HAD A MANUFACTURING DEFECT; FIRESTONE THEN SENT ME A CHECK COVERING THE COST OF THE NEW TIRE. THE BLOWOUT POINT WAS WHERE THE TREAD WAS VULCANIZED TO THE SIDEWALL. ALSO STARTING IN MAY, 2000 (80702 MILES) I HAD TROUBLE KEEPING THESE TIRES BALANCED; AFTER THE TIRES WARMED UP THERE WAS A SEVERE VIBRATION STARTING AT APPROXIAMETLY 55 MPH. THE TIRES WERE BALANCED THREE TIMES OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT SIX WEEKS. I HAD THE TIRES INSPECTED BY FIRESTONE AND JUST ONE OF THE TIRES HAD THE 'DOT VD' MARKING. I WAS TOLD BY THE FIRESTONE REP THAT THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACING ALL OF THE TIRES, FIRESTONE WOULD REPLACE THE ONE TIRE AND I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OTHER THREE. FIRESTONE DID NOT HAVE ANY REPLACEMENT TIRES IN STOCK AND COULDN'T GIVE ME A TARGET DATE. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT THE VIBRATIONS WERE DUE TO THE VEHICLE AND NOT THE TIRES SO IT WAS A FORD PROBLEM. I HAVE SINCE, AT MY COST, REPLACED THE FIRESTONES WITH MICHELINS; THE NEW TIRES CURED THE VIBRATIONS. I HAVE MY TIRES INFLATED AT 32 TO 35 PSI AT ALL TIMES.( DOT NUMBER: UNKNOWN TIRE SIZE: P235 75R15 )

THESE 3 INCIDENTS OCCURRED WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS ON A VERY HOT DAY (>100) IN ID. ONE PUNCTURE AND THEN ONE BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON DIRT ROADS. THE LAST BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON PAVEMENT. BOTH BLOWOUTS INVOLVED SEPARATION OF THE TREAD FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE.( DOT NUMBER: W2UU1MX TIRE SIZE: P225/70R15 )

I REPORTED THIS INCIDENT JUST TODAY IN A PRIOR REPORT, BUT I WAS UNABLE TO INCLUDE ALL OF THE NECESSARY INFO., SO THIS IS THE COMPLETE INFO. THIS TIRE FAILED IN A CATASTROPHIC BLOWOUT, LATE ON A VERY COLD NIGHT ON INTERSTATE 94 IN WISCONSIN. THERE WAS N( DOT NUMBER: VDHKAWZ TIRE SIZE: LT23575R15 )