NHTSA Complaint #10059979 — 2000 FORD EXCURSION

I OWN A 2000 FORD EXCURSION. ORIGINAL TIRES WERE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL AT LT 265/75R 16D. ON 6/1/02 MY FAMILY AND I WERE ON I-70 IN ILLINOIS. WE HAD A BLOWOUT OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. THE TIRE COMPLETELY SHREDDED. STEERING IMMEDIATELY BECAME DIFFICULT. I SWERVED INTO THE MEDIAN OF I-70 AND SLOWED TO A STOP. I GOT OUT AND OBSERVED THE DAMAGE. I LOCATED AN AREA DEALER WHO HAD REPLACEMENT TIRES. I DID NOT WANT TO FURTHER ENDANGER MY FAMILY. I HAD THE TIRES REPLACED. I TOOK PHOTOS OF THE TIRES. WHEN WE RETURNED HOME, I CONTACTED FORD AND FIRESTONE ABOUT THESE TIRES AND INQUIRED IF THEY WERE PART OF THE 2002 TIRE RECALL AT FIRESTONE. I WAS INFORMED THAT THESE TIRES WERE NOT PART OF THE RECALL AND THAT THEY WERE "PERFECTLY SAFE" TO OPERATE ON MY VEHICLE. I INFORMED THEM THAT THEY SHOULD INVESTIGATE THESE TIRES TOO BECAUSE OF MY RECENT ACCIDENT. THEY OFFERED TO SELL ME NEW FIRESTONE TIRES WHICH I DECLINED. NOW, IT IS APPARENT THAT THESE TIRES WERE ALSO DEFECTIVE AND FIRESTONE HAS BEGUN ANOTHER RECALL OF THESE TIRES. I THEN CONTACTED FIRESTONE. I RELATED THE ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT AND GAVE THEM THE DATA ON MY TIRES. THEY STATED THAT THESE TIRES WERE PART OF THE RECALL AND THEY STARTED TO GIVE ME INFORMATION ON HOW TO HAVE THE TIRES REPLACED AND TO BE REIMBURSED. WHEN I TOLD THEM THAT I OBVIOUSLY HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES BACK IN JUNE OF 2002, THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEIR RECALL AND REIMBURSEMENT PLAN ONLY COVERED TIRES THAT WERE REPLACED AFTER MARCH OF 2003. I REPLACED MY TIRES TOO "EARLY" TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS RECALL! GIVEN NO OTHER RECOURSE, I AM NOW FILING THIS COMPLAINT. HOW CAN FIRESTONE NOT REIMBURSE ME FOR TIRES THAT WERE OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE? THEY ENDANGERED THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AND CAUSED ME TO REPLACE THE TIRES LONG BEFORE THEIR SERVICE LIFE. NOW THEY TELL ME THAT I REPLACED THEM TOO EARLY? PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT OTHER AVENUES MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO GET FIRESTONE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE TIRES AND REIMBURSE ME FOR THE COST OF NEW TIRES.*AK