1996 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

TREAD ON THE RIGHT REAR TIRE SPONTANEOUSLY SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE BODY WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO VEER OUT OF CONTROL ACROSS THE HIGHWAY AND ONTO THE SHOULDER WHERE IT FLIPPED SEVERAL TIMES. THE DRIVER AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WERE EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE DURING THE FLIPS AND FATALLY INJURED. THE PASSANGER IN THE BACK SEAT, THOUGH SERIOUSLY AND SEVERLY INJURED, SURVIVED.*AK( DOT NUMBER: VDHL1PM116 TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

I KNOW THESE TIRES WERE NOT RECALLED, BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT WE EXPERIENCED A TIRE SEPARATION AND BLOW OUT ON THIS FIRESTONE TIRE. THE TIRES WERE NOT WORN OUT, BUT I REPLACED ALL OF THEM. I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL SPARE IN STORAGE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 255/70/R15 )

DRIVING ON FREEWAY AND TIRE JUST CAME APART, IT LOOKED LIKE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE BIG TRUCK TIRES COME APART, I DID NOT REPORT IT TO ANY ONE BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FREAK OCCURANCE, I'VE GOTTEN GO SERVICE OUT OF THEM BUT KNOW I AN AFRAID FOR MY WIFE AND CHILDREN WHO USE TE VEHICLE.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 25570R16 )

OVER A PERIOD OF TWO MONTHS, VEHICLE PERFORMANCE DETERIORATED SEVERELY. ROUGH BUMPY RIDE ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT, AND VERY STRONG PULL TO THE RIGHT. I THOUGHT I HAD AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY, I WAS UNABLE TO STEER A STRAIGHT LINE AT SPEED ABOVE 45, AND I NOTICED TIRE TREAD SEPARATION. I COULD INSERT FINGERS BETWEEN TREAD AND TIRE ON TWO TIRES; I DO NOT RECALL WHICH TWO. FOR THE LIFE OF THE TIRES, I HAD MAINTAINED PRESSURE AT THE FORD-RECOMMENDED 26 PSI, THOUGH I NEVER ROTATED THE TIRES. WHEN I DISCOVERED THE TREAD WAS BEGINNING TO SEPARATE, I WENT TO A FIRESTONE DEALER IMMEDIATELY. I WAS TOLD THAT I MUST REPLACE THE TIRES; I HAD FAILED TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN FIRESTONE-RECOMMENDED PRESSURE, AND HAD FAILED TO ROTATE. I BOUGHT FOUR NEW WILDERNESS AT TIRES, BUT I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL SPARE TIRE WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN USED.( DOT NUMBER: VDHL1PM016 TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IT WANTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A TIRE PROBLEM TOOK VEHICLE TO TIRE SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FRONT TIRES HAD BOTH SEPERATED FROM THE TREAD BOTH TIRES HAD BUBBLES IN THEM( DOT NUMBER: W2CU1PX455 TIRE SIZE: P255/70R16 )

I HAVE HAD 4 INCIDENTS WITH THESE TIRES. ALL OCCURRED ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE AT SPEEDS OVER 55 MPH. ONE OCCURRED ON AUGUST 23, 1999, COMING HOME FROM MY PARENTS HOME IN WEST PALM BEACH. THE THREADS SEPARATED. I NOTICED A STRANGE NOISE AND UPON ARRIVING AT HOME A PIECE OF THE TIRE WAS LOOSE AND I HAD BEEN TRAVELLING ON THE INSIDE PART. BOUGHT A NEW TIRE, SAME BRAND. TWO MORE OCCURRED AS MY SON WAS DRIVING FROM MIAMI TO TALLAHASSEE TO RETURN TO SCHOOL. FUNNY, I TOLD HIM TO TAKE MY CAR BECAUSE I HAD "GOOD TIRES". HE HAD TWO BLOW OUTS, BOTH REAR WHEELS AND HIT THE GUARD RAIL. REPLACED THESE TWO IN TLH AT A SEARS STORE, WITH OF COURSE, THE SAME BRAND AND TYPE. THE FIRST ONE WAS RIGHT AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE INCIDENT. THATS AN AWFUL COINCIDENCE. TOOK MY VEHICLE TO LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER, AND WAS NOT TREATED VERY KINDLY. I MOSTLY DRIVE MY VEHICLE ON THE EXPRESSWAYS AND TURNPIKE, SINCE I HAVE TO TRAVEL BETWEEN MIA AND FLL AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 25570S16 )

REAR RIGHT SIDE FIRESTONE ATX (P23575R15) TIRE BLEW OUT, AND REAR LEFT TIRE'S TREAD PEELED OFF, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT- CONSUMER WAS INJURED ALONG WITH A PASSENGER. *AK DOT#VDHL1PM186. *SLC

TREAD ON LEFT REAR SEPARATED AT 35 MPH, CAUSING REAR QUATER TO BE DAMAGED. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK TIRES WERE FIRESTONE P23575R15. *SLC

FIRESTONE ATX TIRE TREAD SEPARATED, CAUSING A BLOWOUT WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK FIRESTONE ATX P235/75/R15 *MW

PE00020;TIRE TREAD SEPARATION: WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH TREAD ON THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE CAME OFF. DRIVER COULD NOT CONTROL EXPLORER, WHICH ROLLED OVER. THREE OTHER PASSENGER'S WERE IN THE EXPLORER. ALL FOUR PASSENGERS WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. TWO PASSENGER WERE TREATED FOR INJURIES. THE TIRE WAS A FIRESTONE, WILDERNESS, AT. TIRE SIZE P23575R15. TIRES WERE NOT PURCHASED ON THE EXPLORER. TIRE MILEAGE 22,000. THE EXPLORER WAS TOTALLED.. *AK THE DOT # IS VDHL1PY316. *SLC