1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

I HAD TWO TIRES EXPERIENCE SIDEWALL FAILURE (LARGE BULGE ON OUTSIDE OF TIRE). TIRES WERE REPLACED BY FIRSTONE. THE TIRES ON MY VEHICLE ARE NOT SUBJECT TO CURRENT RECALL DUE TO THE PLACE OF MANUFACTURE.( DOT NUMBER: W2HL1PY308 TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 45MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND HEARD A NOISE. THEN, STARTED LOSING CONTROL, CAR SLID, AND WENT DOWN A HILL/ ROLLED SEVERAL TIMES. PASSENGER'S REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED. TIRES WERE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS #AT, SIZE P23575 R15. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED FIRESTONE. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. CONSUMER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. *AK *SLC

BEEN TOLD MY TIRES HAVE STRESS CRACKS INSIDE AND OUT. NOT SAFE BUT NOT YET ON RECALL. TAKEN TO FORD, SMITH TIRE BARN, HUNTING TIRE, AND FIRESTONE TIRE IN JACKSON TN.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235-75-R1 )

MY TIRES HAVE DOT STARTING WITH VH, THEY HAVE A CRACK ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE ALL THE WAY AROUND JUST BELOW THE TREAD LINE. NO TIRE SHOP WILL REPLACE THESE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. THEY APPEAR TO BE UNSAFE AND I DO NOT WANT MY FAMILY INJURED DUE TO MANUFACTURING NELIGENCE. I AM UNABLE TO CONFIRM WHERE THESE TIRES WERE MADE. I AM TOLD THE CRACK IS CAUSED BY DRIVING ON DIRT AND PAVED ROADS BUT THESE ARE ALL-TERRAIN TIRES AND SHOULD HOLD UP TO DIFFERENT ROAD TYPES. PLEASE HELP ME GET THESE TIRES OFF MY CAR BEFORE THE TREAD COMES OFF. THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF MILES LEFT ON THESE TIRES BUT I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE WITH THESE TIRES CRACKED!*AK( DOT NUMBER: VH TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

A CRACK JUST BELOW THE TREAD ALL AROUND THE TIRE WAS DETECTED BY MY CAR DEALER WHILE IN FOR REGULAR SERVICE.THIS TIRE NOT PART OF RECALL IN THAT IT WAS MANUFACTURED AT QUEBEC FACTORY. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 235/75-15 )

CONSUMER HAD CHANGED THE FOUR SET OF TIRES BECAUSE OF CRACKS ON THE TIRE SIDEWALLS. FIRESTONE P235/75R15 WILDERNESS DOT W2HLIPY457. *AK THE FIRESTONE REPRESENTATIVE HAD INSPECTED THE TIRES AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. APPARENTLY THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE SEEN UNTIL THE TIRES ARE REMOVED FROM THE RIM. *YH

THERE WAS NO CRASH INVOLVED. THE PROBLEM WAS NOTICED WHEN WE HEARD ABOUT THE RECALL ON THE FIRESTONE TIRES (WILDERNESS AT) MANUFACTURED IN DECATUR, IL. UPON EXAMINING OUR TIRES, TO SEE IF THEY WERE THE ONES MANUFACTURED IN DECATUR, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ALL THE TIRES WERE SPLITTING, ON BOTH INBOARD AND OUTBOARD SIDES, WHERE THE SIDEWALLS MEET THE TREAD. THE SPLITS WENT AROUND THE ENTIRE TIRE. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THERE IS A FAULT IN THE TIRE DESIGN ITSELF, AND NOT IN JUST THE TIRES MANUFACTURED AT THE DECATUR, ILLINOIS PLANT. *AK( DOT NUMBER: VNHL1PY367 TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

I INSPECTED MY TIRES AND DISCOVERED A DISTINCT LINE OF CRACKS ON THE SIDEWALL WHERE THE TREAD MEETS THE SIDEWALL. THIS LINE OF CRACKS ENCOMPASSES AN EVEN RADIUS AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE SIDEWALL AND DOES NOT CHANGE DIRECTION AS IT PENETRATES EACH BLOCK OF TREAD. I HAVE A "VN" IDENTIFIER WHICH I KNOW IS NOT RECALLED, HOWEVER THE PATTERN I SEE IN MY TIRES IS SUSPECT. I AM CONCERNED THAT THESE TIRES MAY NEED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR RECALL ALSO( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 235R7515 )

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS MAKING A NOISE BECAUSE TREAD HAD SEPARATED, BUT TIRE STILL HAD AIR. FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT, SIZE P235/75R15. *AK

ON FRIDAY JAN 7, 2000 UPON LEAVING MY OFFICE, I NOTICED UPON APPROACHING THE 1998 MOUNTAINEER A SHINY OBJECT IN THE LEFT REAR TIRE. I THOUGHT IT WAS A NAIL, BUT UPON CLOSER INSPECTION THE LEFT REAR TIRE HAD DEVELOPED AN INDENTATION THE SIZE OF A QUARTER ON THE TREAD SIDE OF THE TIRE, ON THE TREAD CLOSEST TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE. THROUGH THAT INDENTATION, YOU COULD CLEARLY SEE WHAT APPEARED TO BE A STEEL BELT. DROVE HOME (ONLY 1 MILE) SLOWLY. SATURDAY MORNING I CHECKED THE AIR IN THE TIRE- IT WAS 29 LBS. THEN I HEADED EARLY FOR MARTIN TIRE WHICH IS 8 MILES AWAY. WHEN I ARRIVED AT MARTIN TIRE THE SIZE OF THE INDENTATION HAD GROWN TO ABOUT 3 INCHES AND THE STEEL BELT WAS CLEARLY VISIBLE FOR MOST OF THE THREE INCHES. FRANK MARTIN DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS TREAD/BELT SEPARATION. DURING THE TRIP TO MARTIN TIRE THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF TIRE FAILURE. NO VIBRATIONS WERE NOTED, AND NO ADDITIONAL NOISE (THEY ARE NOISY TIRES TO BEGIN WITH) WAS NOTED. NOT WANTING TO TAKE A CHANCE WITH MY LIFE, I REPLACED THE TIRES WITH A NON-FIRESTONE BRAND IMMEDIATELY. HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY ON THE WAY TO MY DAUGHTER IN COLLEGE, AND HAD THIS HAPPENED IT MIGHT BE MY ESTATE WHO COULD BE WRITING THIS REPORT. *AK( DOT NUMBER: UNKNOWN TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )