1996 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A NOISE/ VIBRATION. RIGHT REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED, AND VEHICLE ROLLED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE STILL ON THE HIGHWAY. VEHICLE HAD FIRESTONE ATX TIRES, DOTVDHL1PM146, AND TIRE SIZE P235/75R15. *AK FIRESTONE ATX P235/75/R15 *MW

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH TIRE TREAD SEPARATED, AND CONSUMER WAS FORCED TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH LEFT REAR TIRE HAD A TREAD SEPARATION. TIRE HIT THE BUMPER AND DAMAGED IT.

WHILE TRAVELING FROM ORLANDO TO FT. LAUDERDALE TO VISIT MY FAMILY ON THANKSGIVING DAY, 1999, THE TIRE TREAD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE SEPARATED SUDDENLY WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED (ABOUT 65 - 70 MPH) ON I-95 NEAR JUPITER, FLORIDA. VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND WAS HARD TO CONTROL. LUCKILY, THERE WAS NO CAR TO THE RIGHT (MY WIFE AND I WERE IN THE LEFT LANE) AND NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED. WE CHANGED THE TIRE ROADSIDE, AND HAD BOTH FRONT TIRES REPLACED THE NEXT DAY AT TIRE KINGDOM AT LAUDERDALE BY THE SEA. THERE WAS ALSO DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL WELL CAUSED BY THE PEELED AWAY TIRE, WHICH WE HAD FIXED AT A LATER DATE DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT GREENWAY FORD IN ORLANDO. THE MECHANIC AT TIRE KINGDOM SAID THAT IT WAS UNUSUAL THAT THE TREAD CAME OFF WITHOUT CAUSING A BLOWOUT.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

ON JULY 8, 2000 AT 12 NOON, THE FIRESTONE TIRE ( FRONT PASSENGER SIDE) ON MY 1996 FORD EXPLORER SEPERATED WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH. THE FORCE OF THE SEPERATION PULLED ME OUT OF THE LEFT LANE INTO THE RIGHT LANE. LUCKILY THE LANE WAS CLEAR AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL MY VEHICLE AND PULL TO THE SHOULDER. THE CONDITION OF THE ROADS WERE CLEAR. THE WEATHER WAS SUNNY AND HOT. THE INCIDENT OCCURED ON HWY 6 NEAR NAVASOTA, TX. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO INJURIES, THERE WAS APPROX. $1200.00 DAMAGE TO MY CAR. I IMMEDIATELY FILED A CLAIM WITH FIRESTONE FOR THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR. I SHIPPED THE TIRE TO FIRESTONE FOR ANALYSIS, AND THEY HAVE AGREED TO COVER THE DAMAGES TO MY CAR. I STILL HAVE 2 REMAINING FIRESTONE TIRES ON MY VHECILE AND INTEND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RECALL RECENTLY ISSUED BY FORD/FIRESTONE.( DOT NUMBER: VDHL1PM455 TIRE SIZE: P235 75R15 )

ON 9-12-99, AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30PM, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER EXPLORER AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON THE BELTWAY 8 IN HOUSTON. THE LEFT REAR TIRE SHREDDED AND HAD A BLOW OUT. SHE THEN LOST CONTROL OF THE AUTO. THE AUTO TURNED RIGHT AND TRAVELED TOWARD THE RIGHT HAND CONCRETE BARRIER. SHE FRANTICALLY TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL, AND JUST BEFORE HITTING THE BARRIER, SHE WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR TO THE LEFT. THE CAR THEN DID "360'S" CAREENING ACROSS ALL THE LANES OF THE TOLL WAY. THE CAR STOPPED PARALLEL TO THE LEFT CONCRETE BARRIER, APPROX. 12" FROM THE BARRIER. A HARRIS CO. CONSTABLE STOPPED AND HAD THE CAR TOWED, DUE TO THE DAMAGE TO THE LEFT REAR OF THE CAR. WE ADVISED MACHAIK FORD THAT THEY SHOULD PAY FOR REPLACING THE TIRE, DUE TO ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES. SERVICE MANAGER MARY STATED "WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES." SHE WAS TOLD THE MATTER WOULD BE REFERRED TO MY ATTORNEY. AT THAT POINT, I ASKED THAT THE TIRE BE PUT INSIDE MY CAR AND MY SPARE PUT ON. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR, NO ONE AT MAK HAIK HAD ANY IDEA WHERE MY TIRE WAS. NOBODY KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO IT. I FEEL THEY INTENTIONALLY HID EVIDENCE ON MY TIRE PROBLEM, AFTER I ADVISED THEM AN ATTORNEY WOULD BE INVOLVED.( DOT NUMBER: )

TIRE BLEW ON FREEWAY IN FAST LANE. LUCKY TO BE ALIVE WITH NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE..( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: F235/75 15 )

REAR TIRE TREAD FAILED CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL AND VEHICLE ROLLOVER( DOT NUMBER: )

I BOUGHT THE CAR USED. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC TO LOOK OVER AND RECOMMEND WHAT WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE IN ORDER FOR ME TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE. I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL LIST. AMONG THE THINGS THAT I SAID NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED/REPLACED WERE THE TIRES. THE DEALER REFUSED. WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE AND I BEGAN DRIVING IT. IT IS MY FIRST SUV AND I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE WAY IT HANDLED ON BUMPS IN THE ROAD, OVER RAILROAD TRACKS, IN DIPS IN THE ROAD, ETC. SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE WAY IT HANDLED. BECAUSE THE DEALER "COULD NOT DUPLICATE" THE PROBLEM, THEY SAID EVERYTHING WAS OK. THEY ALSO SUGGESTED THAT BECAUSE IT IS AN SUV I SHOULD GET USED TO THE ROUGHER RIDE. THE PROBLEM HOWEVER WAS IN THE WAY I FELT I LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS, NOT THAT THE RIDE WAS ROUGH. I CONTINUED TO COMPLAINED ABOUT THE WAY IT HANDLED ON SUBSEQUENT VISITS. I EVEN BEGAN ASKING THEM TO LOOK AT THE TIRES. I BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT THE TIRES AS I SAW DRY ROT ON THE OUTER EDGES OF EACH OF THE TIRES. AGAIN, I BELIEVE EVERYTIME I TOOK IT IN I ASKED THEM TO EXAMINE THE TIRES AND LET ME KNOW IF I SHOULD BE CONCERNED. THEY WOULD NOTE THE TIRE TREAD ON MY PAPERWORK BUT NO ONE EVERY COUNSELED ME. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A SERVICE STATION NEAR MY HOME TO SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT. I WAS TOLD TO REPLACE THE TIRES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND TO TRY NOT TO DRIVE FOR MANY MILES AT A TIME AND ESPECIALLY DURING HOT DAYS. I REPLACED THE TIRES WITHIN THE WEEK. I AM CONCERNED NOW ABOUT THE FIRESTONE RECALL AND THAT VA IS IN PHASE THREE. I REPLACED MY OLD FIRESTONE TIRES WITH MICHELINS AND DO NOT WISH TO HAVE A FIRESTONE PRODUCT ON ANY OF OUR CARS. HOW CAN I GET THE SPARE TIRE REPLACED AND HOW CAN I GET A CREDIT FOR THE OLD TIRES TO APPLY TOWARD THE TIRES I REPLACED?( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 255/70R/16 )

I WENT TO THE TIRE STORE TO HAVE MY TIRES ROTATED. THE MECHANIC SHOWED ME TWO OF MY FIRESTONE ATX RADIALS WITH THE TREAD SEPARATING FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE. THESE TIRES SHOWED VERY LITTLE WEAR AND SHOWED NO OTHER OBVIOUS DAMAGE. I WANTED TO INFORM YOU OF THIS DEFECT TO HELP POINT OUT A QUESTIONABLE TIRE DESIGN. THE MECHANIC SAID THAT I WAS LUCKY THESE TIRES DID NOT COME APART DURING USE. I WAS ABOUT TO START ON AN EXTENDED TRIP.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 235/75/R17 )