Spare Tire problems of the 1998 Ford Explorer

Spare tire that is secured to underside of vehicle separated from vehicle while driving on the road due to snapped cable.

I was traveling in my 1998 Ford Explorer with my son and fiance to bullhead, az. Traveling east on hwy40. About 30 miles west of needles, CA I experienced a blown tire on my left rear wheel. These tires were a year old and later we discovered a nail in the tire. We safely merged to the side of the highway and was eventually able to put the spare tire on the left rear. This spare tire is a firestone wilderness at tire (p235/75 r 15). We traveled again for about 20 miles when the spare tread separated causing my SUV to experience severe movement back and forth and almost tipping over; slapping the tread into the rear fender and hatch of the car. My fiance managed to get the car under somewhat control and get us over to the side of the road. We were traveling approx. 70 to 72 mph and because of the first blown tire we all were skidish and keeping both hands on the wheel, which I feel was the reason we did not roll over. I called aaa and got towed to needles, CA where we got a new tire on the spare which cost $175. 00. We continued to travel up hwy95 to bullhead city, az, approx. 15 miles, where our house was. July 3 we went to superior tires and bought 4 new goodyear tires. I am left with a damaged rear fender and a damaged hatch do to the firestone tire tread separation.

After arriving home spare tire had fallen out of vehicle. Took vehicle to dealership & was informed by service manager that cable attachment for spare tire had broken. Can be repaired.

Customers started observing wear of front right tire April/2000. Spare tire was placed on vehicle. Now, front left tire has woren out as well, it was first observed in Aug. /2000. (dot number: w2hl tiresize: 235/15).

Have had a problem with the front tires wearing on the outside tread. In hich the dealer has been working with me since checking the alignments, inflation and rotating the front tires to no avail to correct the unusual wearing of the tire. The first incident was on 04/20/00 and the tire had less than 10,000 miles. And it appeared that the tire had a cut (small blow out) in the sidewall at edge of the tread area. It was replaced with the spare tire and another wilderness at tire was purchased as the spare. The second incident occurred on 08/03/00 and the tire had approx. 13,000 miles on it. This time the damage was more severe, there was a blown out splitting the entire sidewall down into the tread. It was all I could do to keep the Explorer from rolling over. Front tires: unusual wear pattern, cracks in them at the tread/sidewall area, as if they were dry rotted and they also had small cuts in the same area where the blowouts were happening. (pictures were taken) rear tires: cracks in them at the tread/sidewall area, as if they were dry rotted and they also had small to medium size cuts in the same area where the blowouts were happening. (pictures were taken)( dot number: vnhl tire size: p235/75r15 ).

1. The first blowout occurred on June 3, 1998, on interstate 80 just several miles east of the town of fernley, nevada. The vehicle had less than 5,000 miles at the time of the first tire failure. There were a total of two (2) passengers, including the driver, in the vehicle at the time of the tire failure. The vehicle was traveling at approximately 75 miles per hour at the time of the incident. The tire that failed was the left (drivers) rear. 2. The second blowout occurred on July 23, 1999, on a maintained gravel road near the town of jarbidge located in northern elko county, nevada. The vehicle had less than 10,000 miles at the time of the second tire failure. There were three (3) passengers, including the driver, in the vehicle at the time of the tire failure. The vehicle was traveling at approximately 45 miles per hour at the time of the incident. The tire that failed was again the left (drivers) rear that was the spare tire from the previous incident. 3. The third blowout (tread separation?) occurred on August 25, 1999, on a well-maintained gravel road near the old mining town of berlin and the ichthyosaur state park located in ione valley, nye county, nevada. The vehicle had less than 12,000 miles at the time of the third and fourth tire failures. A fourth tire failed within one (1) hour of the first on the same road. There were a total of four (4) passengers, including the driver, in the vehicle at the time of both tire failures. No one was injured in any of these incidents. The vehicle was traveling at approximately 45 miles per hour at the time of the incidents. The third tire that failed was again the left (drivers) rear. The fourth was the right rear tire. (tiresize: p225/75r15)( dot number: tire size: p225/75r15 ).

Left rear tire had a flat. Took vehicle to private shop who happened to notice spare was larger than other tires. Consumer took vehicle to Ford dealer , and dealer noticed that other tires on vehicle were incorrect tires, and that spare tire was the correct one.

Spare tire stolen because there is no lock on spare tire. Yh.