NHTSA Complaint #10282781 — 1999 FORD F SUPER DUTY

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE I NOTICED A DIFFERENCE IN THE RIDE AND HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS WHICH WAS NOT THERE ON THE PREVIOUS DAY. IT FELT LIKE AN UNRESPONSIVE STEERING AND A VIBRATION. WHEN I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION 50 MILES FROM WHERE I STARTED AND LOOKED AT ALL OF MY TIRES. VISUALLY THERE WAS NO APPARENT DEFORMITIES OR ANYTHING OUT OF NORMAL CHARACTER. LATER WHEN I GOT IN THE VEHICLE AND WAS DRIVING HOME THE SAME EFFECTS WERE PRESENT. ABOUT 10 MILES LATER IT SUDDENLY GOT WORSE JUST BEFORE A BANG AND A SUDDEN PULL TO THE LEFT AS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TIRE BLOWS OUT. I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE STEERING ENOUGH TO PULL TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GET OUT OF THE TRAVELED PORTION OF THE HIGHWAY. WHEN I OBSERVED THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE, IT WAS FLAT AND SECTIONS OF THE TREAD LAYER WERE MISSING AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL WELL AND VACUUM HOSE FOR THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE CONTROL.THE VACUUM LINE WAS RIPPED FROM BOTH ENDS OF ITS CONNECTORS. FORTUNATELY THE BRAKE LINE WAS STILL CONNECTED AS IT IS DRESSED TO THE VACUUM LINE. AFTER CHANGING THE TIRE, I LOOKED AT IT AND OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING; LARGE SECTIONS OF THE TREAD LAYER MISSING WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ON THE TIRE, STEEL BELTS DAMAGED AND BROKEN APART AND PULLED AWAY FROM THE INNER LAYER, 2 SLITS GOING FROM NEAR THE BEAD ON ONE SIDE ACROSS THE AREA WHERE TREAD AND BELTS HAD EXISTED TO THE OTHER BEAD AREA. THE TIRE AND RIM WERE THE REMOVED AND THE SPARE PUT ON TO CONTINUE BACK HOME. AFTER THE SPARE WAS PLACED ON THE VEHICLE THE PROBLEM NOTICED PREVIOUSLY WHILE DRIVING DID NOT EXIST ANYMORE. *TR