1996 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

VEHICLE TRAVELING NORTH ON I-75 IN THE LEFT LANE, NORTH OF TAMPA, FL, THE RIGHT REAR TIRE SUFFERED TREAD LOSS, THE ENTIRE TREAD OF THE TIRE CAME OFF. CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL, SPUN 180, WENT INTO AND ACROSS MEDIAN, STRUCK EDGE OF SOUTHBOUND LANE, FLIPPED ONCE, STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE IN SOUTHBOUND LANE, TRAVELED 62 FEET ON WEST SHOULDER OF I 75, TRAVELED OVER A CEMENT WALL, CRASHED INTO CEMENT CULVERT. DRIVER AND PASSENGER INJURED, DRIVER OF OTHER VEHICLE INJURED. HAVE POLICE REPORT AND PHOTOS CLEARLY SHOWING TIRE MISSING THE TREAD.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/70R15 )

WAS ON THE HIGHWAY GOING TO FAMILIES FOR CHRISTMAS.....ALL OF A SUDDEN HAD A FLAT TIRE. HAD TO FIX ON SIDE OF ROAD. WENT TO HAVE IT FIXED WHEN WE GOT BACK HOME, COULDN'T FIX IT. THE TIRE PEOPLE COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHY IT WENT FLAT BUT THE TIRE WAS ALSO RUINED.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P255/70R16 )

TRAVELING AT 70 MPH ON I-64 IN THE LEFT HAND LANE ON JULY 2, 1998 AROUND 5:00PM WHEN I HEARD A THUD. IMMEDIATELY PULLED INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE WITH SOME DIFFICULTY. UPON REACHING THE EMERGENCY LANE, DISCOVERED THAT THE RIGHT REAR TIRE HAD DISINTERGRATED DOWN TO THE RIM.THE RSWITCHED LANES AND PPULLED OFF ROADNOISE .( DOT NUMBER: UNKNOWN TIRE SIZE: P255/R7016 )

SINCE I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE USED, IT WAS TIME TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL TIRES. I WENT TO THE DEALER IN MAY, 2000 AND THEY RECOMMENDED FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT'S WHICH I PURCHASED, AND HAD THE DEALER MOUNT AND BALANCE THE TIRES. WITH ALL THE NEGATIVE PUBLICITY AND POOR SAFETY RECORD OF THESE TIRES, I AM REALLY UPSET KNOWING THAT I AM DRIVING ON TIRES THAT MAY NOT BE SAFE. EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE TIRES CHECKED BY THE DEALER AND THEY ARE NOT THE DOT VDHL MODELS, I AM SCARED TO BE DRIVING ON THEM. I DRIVE APPROXIMATELY 60 HIGHWAY MILES TO WORK EACH DAY - AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF 65 MPH. DURING RUSH HOURS - WHICH LEAVES ME EVEN MORE APPREHENSIVE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS PRODUCT. I SUGGEST THAT NHTSA MANDATE A TOTAL RECALL OF ALL THESE TIRES, NOT JUST THE ONES MANUFACTURED AT THE DECATUR, IL PLANT. MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY IS AT STAKE. IF ONE PLANT'S QUALITY CONTROL WAS NONEXISTANT, WHO'S TO SAY ANOTHER PLANT'S LACK OF INTEGRITY ISN'T AS GREAT? PLEASE HELP ME AND THE MILLIONS OF OTHERS WHO HAVE PURCHASED TIRES FOR THEIR VEHICLES UNKNOWING OF THE HIDDEN DEFECTS THAT MAY BE FACING THEM.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

WE WERE RETURNING FROM CALIF. WHEN MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE SEPARATED, WHICH MADE MY VEHICLE PULL SHARPLY TO THE LEFT. WHEN THAT HAPPENED IT TORE THE MOLDING OFF MY WHEEL WELL, AND THE RUNNING BOARD, ALSO INFLICTING DAMAGE THE BODY AS WELL. WHEN IT SEPARATED IT SCARED THE HECK OUT OF MY 11 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AND HER FRIEND. WE WERE JUST LUCKY THIS TIME. SINCE THEN 3 DEALERSHIPS 2 BEING FIRESTONE NOTICED MY REMAINING 3 TIRES WERE BEGINNING TO SEPARATE AND SHOULD BE REPLACED IMMEDIATLY, WHICH I DID RELUCTANTLY WITH BRIDGESTONE. THE RECALL DEFINETLY SHOULD INCLUDE THE P255/70R16 AS WELL , SINCE MY CASE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE . THE NEXT ONE MAY NOT BE AS LUCKY!( DOT NUMBER: W2CU1PX TIRE SIZE: P255/70R16 )

ON THE MORNING ON 6/14/2000 AT 6AM I WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON I-17 IN AZ ( 1 MILE N OF SUNSETPOINT MARKER 254) AT APPROX. 70 MPH (SPEED LIMIT 75 MPH). MY LEFT REAR TIRE SUDDENLY SEPARATED AND EXPLODED SPINNING ME ACROSS TWO LANES OF HIGHWAY AND INTO A RUGGED DESER MEDIAN. THE CAR CONTINUED TO SPIN, START TO ROLL TO THE SIDE AND THEN WAS UPRIGTED AS THE SIDE COLLIDED WITH A LARGE BOULDER. THE VEHICLE WAS WISH BONED AND DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS BY THE INSURANCE CARRIER. THE THREE OCCUPANTS WERE TRANSPORTED TO YAVAPAI COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER IN PRESCOTT BY PARAMEDICS WITH BUMPS AND BRUISES. THE DRIVER (MICHELE) SUSTAINED A SHATTERED LEFT ARM, HAND AND DISLOCATED WRIST. IMMEDIATE SURGERY WAS PERFORMED TO STABILIZE THE SHATTERED BONES AND INSERT AN EXTERNAL FIXATOR. A SECOND SURGERY TOOK PLACE APPROX. 5 WEEKS LATER TO ATTEMPT TO FURTHER REDUCE THE DISLOCATION AND SET MORE OF THE SHATTERED BONES. AT THIS TIME, 2 1/2 MONTHS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE EXTERNAL FIXATR IS STILL IN PLACE BECAUSE THE BONES HAVE YET TO HEAL. EXTENSIVE THERAPY WILL BE NEEDED AND PERMANENT LOSS HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 15 )

PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS A POPPYING NOISE. ALSO, HEARD TREAD SLAPPING AGAINST VEHICLE. DRIVER'S SIDE REAR TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED. CONSUMER HAD TIRE REPLACED. TIRES WERE FIRESTONE #AT, P23575R15. TIRE WAS REPLACED AT THIS TIME, AND WAS FROM THE DECATUR, ILLINOIS PLANT. TIRE WAS EXPERIENCING LOSS OF AIR PRESSURE.*AK

BOTH REAR DOORS WON'T OPEN. THEY WILL ONLY OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE. CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS UNSAFE BECAUSE IN AN ACCIDENT REAR PASSENGERS WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET OUT.*AK

BFORE WE MOVED FROM ILLINOIS IN JUNE, WE HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED. THE TIRES WERE "PERFECTLY NORMAL." WITHIN THREE MONTHS, THE TREAD IS NOW SPLITTING FROM THE BASE OF TIRE TO THE POINT WHERE STEEL BELTS ARE VISIBLE. 2 DIFFERENT FIRESTONE DEALERS CONFIRMEND THAT THE HEAT HAS CAUSED THIS TO OCCUR, "EXACTLY LIKE THE 15 INCH MODELS, BUT ONLY THE 15 INCH ARE COVERED. I'D BUY NEW TIRES OR BE VERY CAREFUL." THESE TIRES WERE FUNTIONING NORMALLY UNTIL THEY WERE EXPOSED TO EXTREME HEAT CONDITIONS. I'M NOT IN A POSITION TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES AND, I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S FAIR TO PUT MY FAMILY IN SERIOUS JEPORDY BECAUSE THESE TIRES WERE NOT PRODUCED TO WITHSTAND ALL ELEMENTS THAT THEY MIGHT ENCOUNTER. I HOPE AND PRAY SOMEONE RESPONDS TO THIS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P255/70 R1 )

TRAVEL DOWN HIGHWAY 287 IN TEXAS, TREAD CAME OF VEHICLE CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL, I ROLLED THE VEHICLE 1 1/2 TIMES. MINOR BRUSES TO THE HEAD, LT ARM AND LEFT LEG.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/15/75 )