Wheel Problems of Ford Thunderbird

While driving my car on the highway last evening, the left shoulder airbag was deployed. I immediately pulled the car to the side of the road. I noted that the left front tire was flat. My husband changed the tire. Upon removing the wheel we noted that the tire was completely normal, but the rim was fractured on the internal aspect. The seat was damaged from the deployed airbag. It appears that the rim implosion set off the left shoulder airbag. Had it been the chest airbag, I would have had an accident. I called the local dealer and they told me that they have never heard of this. I had 4 new tires placed about 1 month ago at costco in albuquerque. The car has only 16,000 miles on it. I have owned it for theee years. Prior owner an elderly man- drive it 10,000 miles over 13 years. I am not aware of ever any damage to the wheel or hitting anything with it. I was driving 60 mph when this occurred. I have included a picture of the inside of the tire rim.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Thunderbird 🔎.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Thunderbird. While the vehicle was stationary, the aluminum on the wheels corroded and leaked air. The dealer sanded down the inner wheels and coated them with a solution to prevent rust/corrosion. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,500.

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Corrosion of the aluminum wheels causing separation of the chrome plating on the wheel inner bead and resulting in air leaks from around the wheel at the bead of the tires.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Thunderbird. The vehicle was purchased approximately July 2006 with the original wheels. The left rear wheel has cracks and corrosion which also made an indentation in the rear passenger side tire and caused it to leak. The mechanic had to sand the rim in order to remove the corrosion at cost to the owner. They also had to reposition the tire to offset the part of the tire that had the indentation in it. The contact was responsible for paying $42 for the repair. They also added some form of glue which is a safety risk. The tire mechanic did not provide a warranty. The other tires were not diagnosed for rust corrosion which the contact is concerned about the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 35,840.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Thunderbird 🔎.