1998 FORD F-150 Complaints

TIRE TREAD SEPARATION. ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO FRONT END BEGAN EXPERIENCING STEERING PROBLEMS WHICH CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND THE FRONT END TO BOUNCE. WHEN IT FIRST STARTED, I CHECKED THE TIRES AND COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG. AFTER ABOUT 4 DAYS OF THIS AND REPEATED VISUAL TIRE CHECKS, TIRES FINALLY SHOWED VISIBLE SIGNS OF TIRE TREAD SEPARATION. WE HAD THE TWO FRONT TIRES REPLACED WITH NEW GENERAL 550 AS TIRES. ABOUT THREE DAYS AGO (24 JUL) I NOTICED THAT THE REAR END OF THE TRUCK WAS BOUNCING AND THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT. A VISIBLE CHECK OF THE REMAINING TWO ORIGINAL GENERAL AS 550 TIRES DID NOT REVEAL A PROBLEM, BUT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AFTER DRIVING MY SON TO DRIVER'S ED THIS MORNING, I STOPPED FOR GAS AND NOTICED TIRE TREAD SEPARATION IN THE BACK TIRES. I KNOW YOU ARE LOOKING INTO TIRE TREAD SEPARATION ON THE AM GEN 550 AS TIRES AND I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT ALL FOUR OF OUR TIRES HAD SEPARATED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I DO A LOT OF EXPRESSWAY/HIGHWAY DRIVING; THANKFULLY NOTHING CATASTROPHIC HAPPENED DUE TO THIS INCIDENT. I LEARNED FROM IT TOO...TIRE TREAD SEPARATION DOES NOT SHOW UP IMMEDIATELY AND WHEN IT'S DISCOVERED, IT COULD VERY EASILY BE TOO LATE.*AK (TIRESIZE: P235/70R16)

LEFT REAR TIRE FAILURE AT A SPEED OF 65MPH. VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC ON ROAD. THE TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE LEFT REAR TIRE. TRUCK VEERED INTO THE LEFT LANE OF A 4 LANE HIGHWAY. TIRE DID NOT BLOW. TRUCK WAS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL AND LEFT REAR TIRE WAS CHANGED. UNABLE TO PUT FUEL IN TRUCK DUE TO FUEL LINE BEING TORN OUT OF PLACE AND DANGLING FROM UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK. DAMAGE WAS $1400.00 TO LEFT REAR SECTION OF TRUCK. ALL TIRES WERE REPLACED AT A COST OF $630.00. CONTINENTAL TIRE WAS NOTIFIED AND A CLAIM FILED FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE. CLAIM NO. C-11107. *AK (DOT NUMBER: A308443387 TIRESIZE: P235/70R16)

I WAS TRAVELING AT POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MPH ON SOUTH-BOUND FREEWAY NEAR ASHLAN AVENUE IN FRESNO WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT I HAD HIT SOMETHING IN ROAD AND IT GOT CAUGHT IN THE UNDERCARRIAGE. THERE WAS A VIOLENT VIBRATION FOR APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET. I IMMEDIATELY SLOWED AND GOT IN THE CENTER LANE MAKING MY WAY OFF THE FREEWAY AND 3-MILES TO MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK, CHECKED FOR DAMAGE AND FOUND THERE WAS NO TREAD ON THE TIRE AND MY LEFT REAR FENDER WAS THRASHED. I CAN PROVIDE DIGITAL PHOTOS OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE TREAD FROM THE TIRE.*AK (DOT NUMBER: A308443367 TIRESIZE: P235/70R16)

REAR WINDOW FRAME LEAKS. THREE MODEL YEARS IT HAS BEEN GOING ON. FORD IS AWARE AS WELL AS ENGINEER DEPT. EMPLOYEES OF FORD AVOID THIS SLIDING WINDOW TYPE BECAUSE THEY'RE AWARE OF OVERSIZED WINDOWS THAT MUST BE HAMMERED INTO FRAME TO GET THEM INSTALLED IN THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS. UPON MY ARRIVAL BACK HOME AFTER VACATION IN FLA. FORD SAYS "OUT OF WARRANTY" IT LEAKS VERY HEAVY DURING RAIN.I RECOGNIZED THE LEAKS AT 59,000, AND DROVE HOME WITH JUST OVER 60,000. *AK

IT WAS ABOUT 8:00 AM AND I HAD DRIVEN LESS THAN 10 MILES ON A PAVED 2-LANE ROAD. THE TIRE DIDN'T SEEM TO BLOW OUT, IT JUST DISENTIGRATED. I DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING IN THA BACK OF THE TRUCK AND THE TIRES WERE INFLATED AT 35PSI. I HAVEN'T TRUSTED THEM SINCE. *AK (TIRESIZE: 235/70R16)

HEADING IN TO WORK ON TUESDAY, JULY 17TH, I EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT ON THE LEFT-REAR TIRE OF MY FORD F-150 PICKUP TRUCK. I WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE VEHICLE AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME. I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF THIS EVENT UNTIL I HEARD THE NEWS TODAY ABOUT THESE TIRES BEING INVESTIGATED BY NHTSA. FROM MY OBSERVATION, THIS OCCURRENCE WAS DUE TO A VERTICAL RIP IN THE SIDE WALL AND NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TREAD SEPARATION. I'M LOOKING TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT SET TIRES THIS COMING WEEKEND FOR THE VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE TO BE UPDATED ON THE LATEST INVESTIGATION STATUS OF THIS MODEL TIRE AND IF I SHOULD PRECEED WITH MY CURRENT PURCHASE. A TIMELY RESPONSE WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANK YOU! *AK (TIRESIZE: P235/70R16)

TREAD SEPARATION ON FORD OE TIRE - GENERAL AMERI 550. *AK (DOT NUMBER: UNK TIRESIZE: P235/70/16)

TREAD SEPARATED ON LEFT REAR , CHUNK OF TREAD MISSING AND 8 INCHES OF BELT EXPOSED. LEFT FRONT TIRE HAS CRACKS AND HOLES AROUND SHOLDER OF TIRE THAT GO COMPLETELY DOWN TO THE STEEL BAND.FIRESTONE REPRESENTATIVE WARNED ME NOT TO DRIVE TRUCK AT SPEED AS FRONT TIRE IS DANGEROUS. REAR IN BED OF MY TRUCK NOW. I HAVE PICTURES OF TIRES. FIRESTONE REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TIRES UNDER SAFTEY RECALL. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2081PT487 TIRESIZE: P23570R16)

I PRUCAHSED MY NEW TRUCK ON OR ABOUT SEPT 1998. SINCE THEN I HAVE NOT HAD BUT PRBLEMS WITH THE FIRESTONE TIRES. THEY RODE LIKE YOU WERE DRIVING DOWN A ROCKY ROAD I TRIED ROTAING THEM AND KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE AIR PRESSURE OF THE TIRES. THE TWO FRONT TIRES WERE REAL BAD AND I ENDED UP JUST BUYING TWO MORE FROM THE LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER IN GREENVILLE, KY. I AM A KY STATE POLICE TROOPER AND NOW WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH A TIRE THEY FELT AS IF THEY WERE OUT OF ROUND BUT COULD NOT CONVINCE THE FIRESTONE DEALER SO I JUST BOUT TWO MORE. I MOVED THE TWO REAR TIRES UP FRONT AND PUT THE TWO NEW ONES ON THE BACK. EVEN WITH THE BEFORE THE NEW TIRES I NOTICED THAT THE TIRES DID NOT MAINTAIN A CONSTANT AIR PRESUURE IN THEM AND RECENTLY DURING THE HOT WEATHER WE HAVE BEEN HAVING HERE I HAVE TO ADD ADDITIONAL AIR TO THE TIRES. I HAVE CONTACTED FIRESTONE AND FORD ABOUT THIS BUT NO ONE IS SAYING ANYTHING. IN THE COMMING WEEK I AM GOING TO BUY ME 4 NEW TIRES AND JUST GET THEM OFF I DONT TRUST THEM IF YOU WOULD LIKE THEM I WOULD BE HAPPY TO GIVE THEM TO YOU FOR FUTHER TESTS. *AK

THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE AND STALL WHEN STARTED, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD FLASH THE ENTIRE TIME VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT ALL THE VEHICLE NEEDED WAS A TUNE-UP AND WAS ASSURED THAT AFTER THE WORK WAS COMPLETED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD OPERATE NORMAL, THE NEXT DAY THE VEHICLE BEGAN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS, CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO THE SHOP AND THEIR ONLY ANSWER FOR THE PROBLEM WAS TO KEEP BRINGING VEHICLE BACK IN FOR REPAIRS.*YH