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!!
1996 Ford Explorer tires complaints
Page 2 of 20: complaints 11 to 40 of 570, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Ford explorers model 1996 (xtl) problem-seeking professional help. *bf there were two accidents due to tire bursts.
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.
Four tires cracked at the sidewall. Dealer stated the cracks were cause from dry rot.
While driving 70 MPH rear right tire tread separated, causing the vehicle to hit a pole and roll once. Vehicle landed upside down on an embankment. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries.
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.
Multiple failures including: defective tires, rotors and brakes crystallizing, "check engine light" illuminating, cross bars on the trunk, paint peeling and defective cruise control.
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.
Ford explorer with 4 firestone wilderness ht tires. While driving at highway speed on interstare 12 near milemarker 75 the left rear tire experienced a blowout. The tread separated from the sidewalls of the tires. I replaced all 4 tires but have the failed tire and digital photos if they are needed
There were two tires blowouts at the sidewall simultaneously while driving. The blowouts caused damage to both driver's front and rear wheels. Tire info: firestone wilderness 235/75r15 (dot/unavailable) 20k miles on both tires driver's front and rear. Ts scc
Second firestone (p235/75r15s)tire recall work performed, resulted in damage to the shock absorbers, rear and front suspension had to be replaced. Consumer is requesting reimbursement.
Tire blewout.
Two of my 4 tires had tread separation but the problem was caught before total failure occurred. Tire replacement happened 2 days before the recall was first announced. My family and I were lucky not to be victims but we still experienced the failures. Both ford and firestone refuse to reimburse me for any part of my replacement costs. I have other documentation and a letter that I will gladly share if contacted. I am not even seeking full reimbursement but something other than a "you don't qualify because you replaced your tires 2 days before the announcement" is in order. Regardless of miles, my tires still had over 1/2 inch tread and the two rear tire treads separated from the belts. More than anything I am thankful for my family's survival from what could have been tragic but was averted before total failure. Thank you.
Vehicle was going 30-35mph and flipped over driver's seat belt wouldn't unlock, leaving consumer in a upside down position. Consumer used a screw driver to unlatch the seat belt. Dealer and manufacturer were notified. Seat belt part# trw tc077. *ak the air bag also failed during the accident. The cause for losing control of the vehicle was due to the tire which rolled off from the safety rim.
Consumer is trying to receive a refund for the recalled firestone wilderness at tires, size p235775r-15, which was put on the explorer, ford motor company denied reimbursement because the repair receipt does not fall within the program dates, august1, 2000 to may 22,2001.
Consumer received recall about tires. One tire was replaced, consumer received reimbursement for one tire he purchased, however, wants reimbursement for the remaining 3 (including spare) tires he purchased. Firestone wilderness tire size p235/75r15 dot # enbndn2300 and vdhl1fm505 on 1996, ford, explorer. *ak
Prior to recall, consumer replaced the firestone wilderness atx tires due to tread separation, consumer was denied by firestone stating the tires were replaced prior to the announcement.( firestone tires p235/75r15)
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 the federal safety agency in this matter. Ak
The right rear tire sidewall blew out in about 7 places on my 1996 ford explorer yesterday ( 11-11-01) on I-71 about 30 miles north of columbus ohio. At right around 65 MPH I was very lucky that I could keep control of the vehicle and get it pulled over to the side of the road. After calling aaa for assistance the mechanic that came out to change the tire told me that this was a major tire failure. I would like to know what or now to follow up on this?*ak (tiresize: p235/75r15)
Firestone atx,p235/75r15, four tires were replaced due to blow outs prior to the recall, consumer is requesting reimbursement.
The drivers side rear tire blew out at a low rate of speed ( sidewall failure), there was good tread left on the tire, the brake lights failed due to a after market alarm system that was installed by tapping in to the brake lights for power. Dealer failed to mention any alarm system.*ak (tiresize: p2257015)
Prior to recall the consumer found a bulge on the back left tire and replaced with michelins, consumer requested reimburdsement for the replacement tires but was denied because the tires were replaced prior to aug 9, 2000(firestone wildrness at tire p235/75r15 ).
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)
Consumer replaced firestone tires, p235/75r15, prior to receiving recall 00t005, consumer states tire tread was wearing on the inside of the tires, firestone states that since tires were replaced prior to recall they are not willing to give any reimbursement.
Tire totally broke down like never before seen; inspected by goodyear; said normal blowout of under inflated tire. Inspected by certified mechanic. Stated such never before seen and showded why underinflation could not be the cause. Still have tire in my posession.*ak (tiresize: p235/75r15) (tiresize: p235/75r15)
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).
Prior to recall, consumer experienced three tread separations and one blow out, in which one of the tread separations was a replacement, however consumer was denied reimbursement due to the occurences happening before recall was issued, consumer was informed by a firestone dealer that only the tires being replaced in the year 2000 would be reimbursed. Firestone tires atx/p235/7r15.
Consumer noticed a small ring and separation on all four of the firestone atx tires, a michelin dealer also noticed this and consumer replaced all four tires, consumer received letters from firestone and ford regarding the recalled tires, however consumer was denied any reimbursement from both places.
I have tried to receive reimbursement from ford and firestone ever since august 2000 for four failed firestone wilderness atx's. From the beginning we had problems with these tires on my ford explorer. When we traveled at 60mph, the vehicle would shake violently. We took the vehicle to the ford and firestone dealers who told us they could find nothing wrong. So for the next 2 1/2 years, we did not dare drive above 60mph. While these tires were on the explorer, I made sure to have them rotated and properly inflated per the directions on the tires. About two years later, we noticed extreme wear on the outer perimeters of all four tires, as was noticed by the place where we got the tires rotated, as well as strangers at gas stations. I took it again to firestone and demanded replacement. I was told that there was no mileage warranty, and because they were so worn out (steel belts visible) on the perimeter (but not the middle tread area) there was no wear credit. I was told that all I could do was purchase new tires at my cost. Not wanting to put my family's life in jeopardy, in early 1999, I replaced all four tires at my cost ($367.29) with michelins. Since then, not only is the car running smoothly above 60mph, with 20,000 miles on them, they still have plenty of tread for another 20-30,000 miles. When the recall was announced in august 2000, I rejoiced because I knew something was inherently wrong with the tires, and because I thought (mistakingly) I would be reimbursed. But...because I had replaced my tires before the official recall, I am not eligible for reimbursement. Ironically, when I went to the ford dealer recently for a different recall, he noticed that I still had a wilderness atx as a spare, so I am in the process of changing that one. It is highly unethical and insulting to be reimbursed for a never-used spare and not for the other four, (dot number: vdhl 1pm 4 tiresize: p235/75r15)
The right front and right rear tires experienced tread separation prior to the recall becoming public, the consumer replaced all four tires and is requesting reimbursement, the manufacturer denied reimbursement because the replacement tires were purchased prior to january 1, 2000. Nlm
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