NHTSA Complaint #10108149 — 2002 FORD E-350

I HAVE A 2002 E350 FORD EXT SD VAN THAT CAME WITH OEM GOODYEAR WRANGLER HT LRE 245/75R/16 TIRES. THE VEH WAS OBTAINED NEW IN JUNE 2002. SINCE NEW THE TIRES SIDEWALLS WERE CRACKED AND DRY, AFTER DRIVING ON THEM A WHILE THE SIDEWALLS HAD MINOR BULGES, AND MORE CRACKS. THE TIRES WERE ROTATED/BAL/AND PROPER PSI AT ALL TIMES AND WERE NEVER OVERLOADED. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH MICHELIN LTX/MS AT 33K MILES. THESE TIRES SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED UNDER A "SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN" BY GOODYEAR AT THEIR EXPENSE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NR 02X001000 DTD 28 JAN 2002). I WAS NOT NOTIFIED AND THE "CAMPAIGN" EXPIRED, LEAVING ME TO REPLACE THE TIRES AT MY EXPENSE. BY NOT NOTIFING ME GOODYEAR SAVED A BUNDLE BUT IT LEFT ME IN DANGER OF A POSSIBLE BLOWOUT/TREAD SEPERATION OR EVEN A CRASH. WHEN I DID FIND OUT ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT CAMPAIGN I WENT TO MY LOCAL GOODYEAR DEALER AND ALL THEY OFFERED WAS TO SELL ME THE SAME TIRE AT AN INFLATED PRICE COMPARED TO SAM'S CLUB OR WAL-MART. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WILL NOT BE SHOPPING FOR GOODYEAR TIRES IN THE FUTURE.