NHTSA Complaint #10039311 — 1999 FORD E-350

GOODYEAR TIRE RECALL. I OWN A 15 PASSENGER FORD VAN, APPROX ONE YEAR AGO I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GOODYEAR, TO TAKE MY VAN TO A GOODYEAR DEALER AND HAVE THE TIRES INSPECTED FOR SOME REPLACEMENT CAMPAIGN. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MY TIRES WERE TO BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. RECENTLY FOUR OF THE FIVE REPLACEMENT TIRES HAVE SEPARATED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE FIFTH HAS NOT SEPARATED BECAUSE IT IS THE NEW SPARE. ONE OF THE CENTER TREADS IS LETTING GO AND ARE RISING HIGHER THEN THE REST OF THE TREADS CAUSING THE TIRE TO BOUNCE DRASTICALLY. THESE TIRES ARE THE GOODYEAR CONQUEST. I HAVE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF STATIC FROM THE SUPERIOR GOODYEAR DEALERS, SO AFTER CALLING GOODYEAR, I WAS ADVISED TO GO TO DISCOUNT TIRES FOR AN ADJUSTMENT. ONE OF MY TIRES SEPARATED A WEEK AGO, I REPLACED IT WITH THE SPARE, AND ON 9-19-03 THE FOURTH TIRE LET GO. I WAS ADVISED BY DISCOUNT TIRE WHY I WANTED THE SAME KIND OF TIRE FOR REPLACEMENT, I ADVISED THEM THAT GOODYEAR SAID THAT WAS THE ONLY TIRE I COULD REPLACE THEM WITH. DISCOUNT ADVISED DIFFERENTLY, AND PUT TWO MICHELIN TIRES ON FOR ME AT LITTLE COST. I GUESS ALL I AM TRYING TO DO IS TO ADVISE THAT THE TIRES GOODYEAR IS USING TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL RECALLED TIRES ARE WORSE THEN THE ORIGINALS. I HAD 50,000 PLUS MILES ON THE ORIGINAL TIRES WITH NO PROBLEMS, AND I AM BARELY GETTING 20,000 OF THE REPLACED TIRES. I AM NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING ONLY TO ADVISE OF THE SITUATION. I AM A RETIRED STATE TROOPER FROM ARIZONA SO I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TIRES, AND I FEEL SOME ONE OF CONCERN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE. *JB