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1997 Ford Explorer tires complaints

Page 19 of 23: complaints 521 to 550 of 668, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 1997 Ford Explorer tires problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · CA · crash · 1 injury

Pe00 020; consumer was traveling about 55mph on highway and lost control of vehicle. It veered into medium strip barrier and rolled more than once. She was ejected from vehicle and died. Rear tire exploded and detached from rims. Tires were firestone wilderness #at, size p23575 r15. *ak mjs

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · CA

Pe00 020; consumer took vehicle to a firestone store, and they inspected the tires. Left rear tire tread separated. Firestone wilderness #ht,tire size p225/70 r15. There were no injuries. *ak firestone wilderness 225/70/r15

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · FL

Pe00 020;; consumer was traveling about 65mph on the highway and heard tire tread hitting the back of vehicle on the driver's side. It was hauling a boat. Then, she was sucessfully pulled over to the shoulder, and tire was still inflated. Driver's side rear tire tread separated from tire . Consumer replaced tire. Firestone wilderness #at p23575 r15. There were no injuries, but damage was done to vehicle. *ak firestone wilderness at p235/75/r15

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · VA

While driving, firestone wilderness at tire p255/70r16 experienced blowout.

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · GA

While driving at 20 MPH firestone wilderness/at left rear tire separated. Whole sidewall came off. Firestone has been contacted.

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · FL

I lost part of the tread with another part peeled back along with steel belt while travelling on highway near miami. I heard popping sound and then a noise with each tire rotation. I discovered damage after pulling over to side of road. The lost tread measures about 12" long by 3" wide. There were no injuries or loss of control..just several anxious hours riding to and from our vacation with no spare and 3 other possibly defective tires.( dot number: vdhi ipy tire size: p23575r15 )

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · GA

While driving aprox, 20 MPH my left rear tire all of a sudden blew out. I did not or had not run over anything in the road. I think the recall on the wilderness at tire sould include all tire of the make not just those out of the decatur, il plant. I do not feel safe driving and it seems that know one realy cares unless you have the tire with have the vd dot # on them. The most reports have come form that plant but it is the same tire wether it came form il,or ga or where ever that tire is made. I am sure it would be appreciated by all who own these tire if u made it a total recall regardless of the plant the tire came from. I have 5 co-workers who have the same issue we all just purchased new cars which have these tires and we are all very concerend and upset because we could not get our tires changed.( dot number: vnhlipy097 tire size: p235/75r15 )

Filed Aug 16, 2000 · Tires · MD

I have the firestone wilderness at tires with the code vn made in canada. I took the car to firestone and they said the tires are safe, but, there is a hair line crack all aroubd the tires (all four) on the side near the top of the tread area. This looks like all the pictures of the tire seperation that have been in the newspapers and tv. Firestone said they are safe, but the crack does not look safe to me. *ak( dot number: vn tire size: p235/75r15 )

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · CA

Pe00 020;consumer took vehicle to a firestone dealership to have tires inspected. Mechanic at dealership told him that there were stress marks on tires, but these tires were not the ones on recall. Firestone wilderness at#, p23575 r15 dot#w2hl. *ak

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · NJ

Pe 00020:; while driving 70mph in a light snow in nebraska left rear tire blew. Tire & tread became mangled & shredded. Was able to control vehicle. Does not have tire after having spare replaced. Firestone wilderness at, size p235/75r15 with 28,000 miles on it.

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · FL

While driving about 20 mp vehicle started shaking,and when increasing the speed steering wheel will stop shaking. Then, took vehicle to a technician. Technician found out that tires tread was separating, and had to be replaced.

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Airbags, Tires · FL · crash · 1 injury

Pe 00020: while driving 75mph vehicle started to vibrate. Was pulling to side when a loud explosion was heard. Lost control of vehicle, went towards median & hit guardrail. Air bags failed to deploy. When vehicle finally stopped, got out & checked. Noticed no tread on left rear tire. No serious injury. Firestone wilderness, size p235/75r15 with 61,000 miles on it. Did not have the tire.

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · HI

Pe00020; tire tread separation: while driving about 55 MPH tread on the rear passenger's side tire peeled off. Driver was able to control vehicle. One other passenger was in the truck. No one was injured. Tire was a wilderness at, not sure if tire was original equipment. Owner thought tire was a retread tire ,and did not contact firestone.

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · VA

We purchased the 97 explorer in 1999 - as a new vehicle - with 9,000 miles on it. We originally noticed that the tires had a problem in april of 2000 and experienced problems with the vehicle pulling to the right. We took to the dealer who performed a front end alignment that did not help. They rotated the tires that helped with the steering problem, however, the tires had already began to show signed of treadwear cracking and sidewall cracking. This vehicle only has 26,000 miles and we should not be experiencing problems with our tires at this time. After the recall notice, we took back to the dealer who referred us back to firestone. Firestone stated they are not recalling our dot number tire at this time, but we feel that this tire is an extreme safety hazard in hauling our family and feel firestone needs to recall these tires as well. We have always used firestone tires and have never experienced or seen this type of problem before and would like to see firestone recall these tires as well, in order to save our lives as well as the lives of many others! That could very well be prevented now!( dot number: vnhl tire size: p2357515 )

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · IL

Tire is starting to separate. Dealers are being slow to replace it. The other three tires are also showing signs of separation.*ak( dot number: vdhl tire size: 235/75r15 )

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · FL · 1 injury

Driving on 1-75 to naples l rear tire came apart.

Filed Aug 15, 2000 · Tires · CO

My tire lost the tread on the highway as described by the recent news stories about the firestone tires. When I took it to a firestone dealer they were not recalling my tires because it was not manufactured by the decatur plant. I would like to submit that all of these tires are a safety hazard and all should be recalled. *ak( dot number: tire size: p235/75r15 )

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · NC · crash · 2 injuries

The right rear tire of my vehicle the tread separated this caused the vehicle to swing right and run off the right shoulder.

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · WI

Pe00020; original equipment on a 1997 ford explorer, p23575r15 bm07458-3, consumer has noticeable cracks on all four tires, half inch slit on outside and inside of tires. Consumer is experiencing the same problem as the recall on the other firestone tires has indicated, and is very concerned.*ak the crack slits run the entire circumference of the tire. The vnhl ipy 047 tires are made in canada.

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · NY

Pe00020;3 tires replaced original equipment on a 1997 ford explorer, tire size p23575r15. 4 out of 5 tires have about 15000 to 28000 miles on them, one of the frontal tires were manufactured at a different assembly plant. One frontal tire around the sidewall area inside and the outer side of the tire has cracks. Other two tires were manufactured at the decatur assembly. Please provide any further details. *ak firestone wilderness at p235/75/r15

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · VA

Both of the previously specified 16-inch wilderness at rear tires on my explorer are cracking where the tread meets the sidewall. *ak( dot number: w2cu1px217 tire size: p25570r16 )

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · PA

Tire completely exploded and was in schreds. Was towing a race car on a trailer at normal speed at the time. Excellent driving by crew member averted accident. Car felt as if it had gone over a land mine. Two witness in my explorer and two witness in car directly following my car can verify the incident. The spare tire was mounted and the tire was replace with another wilderness at shortly after the tire failure. The incident was never reported to ford or firestone, but I feel should be added to the data base. It occured on a warm day in early may in massachusetts. I feel that the tire failures are more far reaching than currently reported since it happend on a tire that was not manufactured at the plant in question. *ak( dot number: w2hl1py117 tire size: p235-75-15 )

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · AZ · crash · 1 injury

The tread came off of my rear left tire when I was eastbound on I-10. The tread wrapped around my axle and I lost control of the vehicle. The car spun 180 degrees and finally came to a halt in the highway median. *ak( dot number: )

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · VT

Tires are cracking where the tread is fastened to the shoulder(side wall). The tires have about 40,00 miles on them. Failures have been verified by a local firestone dealer. So far both ford and firestone deny problems with wilderness at tires not made at the decatur il plant. This complaint should help prove that the problem is more widespread than indicated by both companies.( dot number: vnhl tire size: p235/75r15 )

Filed Aug 14, 2000 · Tires · NJ

Consumer is concerned about the wilderness (p235/75r15) at tires because they all have cracks all the way around the tire where the tread meets the sidewall. Nlm

Filed Aug 13, 2000 · Tires · NY

Noticed on 8/11 that my left front tire had good sized cuts/splits in the sidewall of the left front tire. This tire is not coded vd as in the recall but coded vn which means it was made in the firestone canadian plant. The left front tire was changed-out with the relatively new spare tire by my ford dealer in new york.*ak( dot number: vn-------- tire size: p235/75r15 )

Filed Aug 12, 2000 · Tires · FL · crash · 4 injuries

Tire separtion caused a roll over accident. Tires checked 2/25/2000 by mechanic and ok'd. Major injury was severing of 4 fingers on the left hand of the driver. Two children and another adult passenger were inthe back seat and sustained cuts and bruising and psychological trama even still.( dot number: )

Filed Aug 12, 2000 · Tires · CA · 2 injuries

No summary( dot number: tire size: p235 75r15 )

Filed Aug 11, 2000 · Tires · FL

The right front tires tread separted comletely from the tire.

Filed Aug 11, 2000 · Tires · CA

Pe 00 020/tire tread separation: vehicle experienced two blowouts while traveling on highway at 65 MPH. No injuries reported. Original equipment on the same left side of 1997 ford explorer, tire size and dot # not available. *ak the tires are wilderness at p235/75r15.

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