Seven problems related to spare tire have been reported for the 1996 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
(1) my original/never used spare tire & rim on my 1996 Ford Explorer 2 door 4wd sport is the incorrect one for the vehicle from the Ford motor company factory. Vehicle was ordered with 16 inch tires/rims from Ford motor CO, and 15 inch tire & rim was present on the spare. (2)repair shop notified me of wrong tire size issue when I had the other tires changed on the vehicle. Consequences are a safety risk to myself and passengers if I have flat tire and need to use the spare tire. Also, have been told that wrong size spare will burn up my transmission in the vehicle. Ford motor company was contacted and asked to replace the rim & tire, and they refused and said dealership (southgate Ford) was responsible. Voice mail left to manager at southgate Ford on this issue was not returned by them. (3) I need a 16 inch tire & 16 inch rim from Ford motor CO in order for the correct this issue and to avoid a safety risk to myself and passengers.
On 1 may 1998, my daughter was driving my Explorer when a tire blew. The tread peeled away from the tire. She was traveling about 65-70 mph (speed limit was 70). This happened in the afternoon on an overpass. She kept her cool and was able to control the vehicle. She was shaken up . A passerby stopped and changed the tire. I couldn't belive the looks of the tire. I had to go buy new ones (2ea) on 2 may 1998. I went to goodyear. On 11 may1998 I went and replaced the back two firestones. My spare tire is a tire is a firestone that was taken off of the car when tires were replaced. I was unaware that you could contact anyone of this issue, until at this time. I have contacted Ford and firestone of this mishap and Ford wrote me back was glad my daughter wasn't hurt and to contact firestone. I contacted firestone and they told me to go to any firestone and pick up an app;ication for reimbursement. But what I am hearing and read they will only honor from 1 Jan 2000-16 Aug 2000. That is utterly ridiculous. Those tires that were on myvehicle were originals like all the others on the road. Like I said I didn't know a complaint could be lodged for tires that were two years old. I am a widow on a fixed income and it was hard to come up with means to replace 4 new tires. I believ e I should be compensated some. I also have my original receipts from the new tires. I thankyou for hearing me out. Sincerely, donna l. Miller. ( dot number: tire size: p235/75r15 ).
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 ).
While driving on the road at normal speed, the truck winch cable that holds spare tire underneath the vehicle, popped and tire fell onto the road. Dealer has been contacted.
Design/method of spare tire storage, causing unusual/abnormal wear to outer sidewall of tire.
Consumer had to replace a flat tire with the spare, the spare tire was only 15" and the wheel is 16", this caused difficulty in controlling the vehicle while driving, consumer almost got into several accidents due to loss of control (tire make/model not provided).
The consumer requested reimbursement for the defective spare tire, the consumer only recieved reimbursement for the tire mounting, the consumer is still awaiting reimbursement for the replaced tire (firestone atx ii).