Tire Tread/belt problems of the 1996 Ford Explorer - part 1

1996 Ford Explorer accident due to tread separation. Cw according to an eye witness statement, the driver of the vehicle crossed several lanes, struck a guardrail and went airborne and landed on it's roof. The witness stated two people were ejected from the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle eventually died. (lawyer wrote in on behalf of clients).

I own a 1996 Ford Explorer. On may 9, 2006, I took it to a Ford dealer for a safety inspection (the multi-point inspection report card as recommended by Ford motor company) all four tire were marked on the tread depth scale in the green 7/32 or greater box. Later that same evening after school let out I proceeded on a trip. I left tucson, az around 5:30 to 6:00pm got no farther than yuma az when the tread from my right rear tire completely separated from the steel belt underneath tearing the rear right bumper off, the bumper area underneath the door was hanging on the ground and big black circular marks were on the back passenger door where the tread had hit during separation. The event itself was horribly frightening for us as well as my 3 children. Thank the lord we did not wreck and there was no turnover of the vehicle. We were able to change the tire with a spare but the damage was already done to the vehicle. The tire was a firestone wilderness ht p225/70r15. I went back to the Ford dealer who had safety checked the tire and he said it was a defect in manufacturing and had no way of knowing when these things would happen. The dot code on the tire is w2uu ipo . 99. I contacted firestone who said the last 2 numbers would be the date the tire was manufactured. My questions are is this a common thing for these types of tires and what is the life span of that tire. Shouldn't I have been made aware that the tire was 7 yrs old or does it matter how old the tire is. I bought new tires (certainly not firestones) but I feel like I should have been made aware of the age of my tire if its simply checking a manufacturing date. That way I could have chosen to not put my families life in jeopardy!!.

Driving home from school on interstate 20 my car started to shake. I reduced the speed of my vehicle from about 68 mph to 60 mph. Then I heard a loud pop and my car started to fishtail across three lanes of traffic, missing a tractor trailer by about one foot. I finally handled the truck and pulled onto the side of the interstate. I proceeded to get out of my vehicle to try to control my nerves and try to figure out what happened. I walked over to the rear passenger side of my vehicle and the entire tread of my tire was gone. It was strewn about. The tire other than the tread was in perfect condition. It was the full size spare on the car when I bought it and it had only been driven on for aprox. 6 months with no problems. I proceeded to look at the side of my vehicle and my sidestep was missing, and my car was dented up. It looks terrible. The scratches start at the rear passenger door and went all the way to the back of the vehicle. I do not have the money to fix my car. The incident was not my fault. My car is well taken care of. I have to take care of it because I have three children. This is my only mode of transportation. The firestone that was on my car is model, p235/75 r15 atx. It has the beginning dot letters vd from decatur, illinois. I have a 1996 Ford Explorer.

The left rear dunlop radial rover (lt235/75r15) tread separated from tire. Occurred on freeway at 70mph. There was a thumping noise just prior to incident. The tire did not lose pressure. No crash, no injuries but some damage to left 1/4 panel & trim on vehicle, 1996 Ford Explorer. All 4 tires replaced at same time & had approximately 40,000 miles on them when this occurred.

00 t 005 000/tread separation: dealer (sunrise metro Ford; north hollywood, CA; phone # 818/980-9800) refused to honor manufacturer recall 00t005 concerning tire size p235/75r15, dot# h4bndfa478. Seeking help from NHTSA in this matter. Ak.

Left rear tire blew out causing the vehicle to spin out of control, and vehicle also flipped over several times, the left rear tire experienced tread separation, driver suffered minor injuries. (uniroyal laredo tires p235/75r15 m+s)(ohio traffic crash report).

I have had four tire separations on this same Explorer. Two were on the atxii 235/75r15 - both vdhl from decantur, IL plant. The company (after much hassle) replaced them with the firehawk r45 also vd dot numbers indicating they are from the same plant. Both blowouts caused over $1000 worth of damage to my vechicle. This last time, I had to pay $350 for new tires. I suspected something was wrong with the atx long before the recall (Aug. 3, 1997 was the first blowout, June 9, 1998 was the second). Now I suspect something must either be wrong with the firehawkr45, or the Ford suspension system. Please do not hesitate to call or write if you have any further questions. (dot number: vdhkfma457 tiresize: ltp235/75).

Pe00 020; was pulling out of garage and felt a thumping noise. She noticed that left front tire came off of rim. Firestone, wilderness##ht. There were no injuries.

While driving, passenger rear firestone wilderness at tire experienced a blowout due to tread separation, size p255/70r16, dot # w2cu1px.

Firestone tires failed prior to recall notice 00t-005, consumer request reimbursement. Nlm.

On an interstate highway going 75mph we started feeling a strong shake in the floorboard. I reduced speed to 50mph and reached our destination. I took the tires to be inspected and two had tread separation. I contacted firestone and they were not helpful. I decided to replace my tires since this is the third problem I have had with these tires. I kept the old tires. (dot number: w2uuip0 tiresize: p22570r15).

The consumer has the firestone wilderness at tires, however the ones on the vehicle are not part of the recall, the tread is beginning to separate and stress cracks are forming, the consumer feels that she should be reimbursed, the tires were purchased on 11-5-00.

Pe00020, consumer noticed when he bought vehicle that tires were separating and tread was splitting. All four tires were firestone #at, p25570/r16. All four tires started to crack around and in between the tread and side walls at about 18000 miles.

Consumer received recall 00t005 and had tires replaced on his own, the dealer stated that the tires were not the problem, a mechanic stated that the tires needed to be replaced, the consumer is requesting reimbursement.

Original equipment on a 1996, Explorer, p255/70r16 size . Tread on the right rear tire separated at 40 mph, breaking the brake line .

I had my tires inspected at two reputible tire dealerships and both have indicated that all four tires have evidence of tread separation and have recommended immediate replacement and highly suggested not to operate the vehicle at highway speeds. All of the tires have cracks at the treadline, some wide enough to place a penny into. I have letters from both tire dealerships outlining this problem as well as photos of the cracks. I understand that this particular tire has already been recalled in venezuala, however has not been added to firestone's current us recall list. I contacted firestone consumer affairs div. About this concern and received no assistance. In turn they referred me to my local Ford dealer who basically told me there was nothing they could do since this tire wasn't on the recall list. These tires are in bad shape and need to be replaced. Knowing that this size tire is experiencing the same problem and not included with firestone's recall concerns me greatly. Thank you for your attention with this safety issue. ( dot number: w2cu1px505 tire size: p255 70r16 ).

Firestone tires failed prior to recall notice 00t-005. Nlm.

Consumer is being denied recall (00t-005), manufacturer states that the tires are not included, however the dealership inspection showed that they were included, however the tires are not available for replacement.

Right rear bridgestone dueler tire suffered a blow out, causing the vehicle to roll 2 1/2 times, the Explorer was totalled, injuries were relatively minor, owner received recall notice (00t-005) 4 months later. Cj.

These tires have separated from themselves and I have them for any one who would like them. ( dot number: w2ipy tire size: p23575r15 ).

After receiving a recall notice, dealer indicated that tires were not on recall. But, consumer inspected the tires, and found cracks on them. Firestone, wilderness, p255/70r16. The customer states that these were the same tires Ford had recalled overseas and are not safe.

While driving the vehicle began to shake violently, upon inspection the consumer could find no evidence of anything wrong, when the vehicle was taken to a tire dealer the consumer was told that it seemed like one of the tires was getting ready to separate, consumer requested reimbursement for replaced tires. Nlm.

Firestone wilderness 16" tires are starting to experience tread separation, consumer requests firestone replace faulty tires.

I was driving on i20 at approx. 50 mph when the tread came off the left rear tire, causing damage to the left rear of the vehicle. (no injury occurred. ) I had been to the firestone office in tyler, TX twice since the recall. The first time they looked at the tires and saw that they were already beginning to break loose, but had no tires to replace them, so they put my name on the list. Last Friday I checked to see when they would have the tires. They refused to even look at the condition of the tires then, just said that there were about 140 more ahead of mine. They said that my name was #2 on the atx list, but that wilderness ats were the only ones they were changing out now. They said it would be 2 more weeks before my number would come up, even though I told them again that the tread was already coming loose and that I drive 50 miles a day back and forth to work on highways. ( dot number: vnhl1pm095 tire size: p235/75r15 ).

Firestone atx tires expereinced separation followed by a blowout of the left rear tire which caused the vehicle to swerve into opposing land and run off the road, after the car ran off the road the vehicle rolled over numerous times, injuries are under review (attorney for client). Nlm.

Was driving 65mph when tread separated from tire. Vehicle went into a skid, rolled over two or three times, and hit median. Tires were still inflated. Vehicle was totaled. Firestone, wilderness at with 43,000 miles. P235/75r15.

Consumer took the vehicle in for recall (00t-005) replacement tires, the dealership replaced them with michelin tires, consumer is having trouble obtaining recall reimbursement.

Consumer was traveling about 65mph on highway and she did not hear a noise, but it felt like she ran over a rock. Then, there was an explosion of right front tire. Tread had separated. Dealership and firestone were notified.

Firestone 16" tires experienced tread separation.

I originally had the atx's on my Explorer. Once the recall went into effect, I went to a firestone car care center in nashville (store # 028150) and they replaced them with the bridgestone duelers. I drove to work afterwards going down the interstate when I noticed a shaking in the vehicle. I had just had a balance and front end alignment to go along with the replacements. So the next day, I took it back and explained the problem to the manager. It was busy and at the end of the day so I said I would bring it in the first thing Saturday morning. They placed my tires on the balancing machine and I watched as we all noticed a wobbling in all the tires. The manager explained to me that the cause of this had something to do with when they manufacture the tires, they have a light and heavy spot in them. If that heavy spot is off or extremely heavy, it can cause a wobble. Nevertheless, I asked what am I to do now. The manager stated that I would now be placed on the replacement list. I would prefer to go to a Ford dealership now, but since I already had a replacement done, I doubt if they will replace them again. This is where I need your help. I have all the documentation stating the defective replacement tires. Can you send me a letter authorizing a dealership to replace them again? or can you help me out in any way or suggest what altenatives I have? also, I can't understand why I had to repurchase the lifetime warranties on the balance and road hazzard when I had them originally on the atx's. The atx's were a recall, not tires that wore down from normal usage where a warranty would expire. I know the bridgestone duelers were not included with the recall, but they were my replacement tires, and they too were imperfect and acknowledged by the firestone car care center. As a consumer, I have done what was directed by your administration. As a consumer and a state government employee, I have gained nothing by doing what I was directed to do. Help me!.

He drove iv to montgomery wards auto dept-he is having the tire replaced and will save the damaged tire. Estimate amount 874054 no injury involved. Here's the info you requested. 1) firestone radial atx 2) p235/75/r15 105s m/s 3) the ni said they are approximately 2 yrs old. He bought the iv in 9/98 and the iv had around 40k miles. The tires were nearly new the, so he thinks they were put on the iv sometime in July/August 98. 4) dot bdhl 1pm 016 sr897j b01r. (claim# 20-5269-283).

Traveling 70mph & heard a thump sound & vehicle started swerving. Stopped vehicle & checked tires. Noticed tread came off tire. It had whipped the molding off side of vehicle, causing vehicle to go into a ditch. Had tire replaced & did not have tire. It was the original tire. Firestone wilderness atx, size p235/75r15 with 10,000 miles.

Pe 00020: was driving 60mph & heard a noise from left rear. After pulling over to side of road & checking tires, noticed tread had separated completely. Tread had wrapped around rear axle. Tire was still inflated. Tread had beat against the fender & underside of vehicle, causing a lot of damage. Changed the tire. Still has tire, and will mail in when label was received. Firestone wilderness atx; dot #vdhl1pm395; size p235/75r15 and had 40,000 miles on tires.

Right rear tire separated without warning while driving at 25 mph. Ford was contacted. Firestone atx ii tires wzhl1nm405.

Firestone: left front tire blew and #1 was in passing lane and #1 lost control and struck concrete divider in median. (claim#35-w487-470).