NHTSA Complaint #10637724 — 1994 FORD RANGER

FUZION TOURING TIRES P195/70R14 91T TREAD SEPARATING AT <14KMILES. I BOUGHT THIS SET OF TIRES AND RIMS USED FROM A FRIEND WHO HAD BOUGHT THE SET OF TIRES FROM ON ONLINE TIRE RETAILER, IN EARLY 2013 (TIRE DOT CODE JEFJ CAN 4412 MADE IN CHINA). THE RIMS AND TIRES WERE INSTALLED ON A 1996 FORD RANGER 2WD INITIALLY AND THEN ON MY 1994 FORD RANGER XLT 2WD. FRONT TWO TIRES BEGAN TO FEEL WOBBLY AND VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY. UPON INSPECTION, THE TIRES WERE DISFIGURED AND OUT OF ROUND. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION BOTH FRONT TIRES APPEARED AS IF THE INNER BELTS HAD PEAKED IN THE CENTER OF THE TIRE ON THE TREAD SURFACE (LIKE THE TREAD SURFACE HAD BEEN FOLDED AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE TIRE), BUT NOT ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TIRES. THIS WAS THE OBVIOUS CAUSE OF THE VIBRATION. TIRES REPLACED AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. THE REPLACEMENT TIRES WERE PUT ON THE REAR AND THE TWO REMAINING FUZION TIRES WERE MOVED TO THE FRONT. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER, ONE OF THE FUZION TIRES NOW ON THE FRONT REPEATED THE SAME PROBLEM I HAD WITH THE OTHER TWO. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE TIRES FOR 3 OF 4 TO GO BAD IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY WITH IN SUCH A CLOSE TIME RANGE. THE 4TH TIRE APPEARS TO BE OK, HOWEVER DUE TO THE PROBLEM WITH THE OTHER THREE, I AM REPLACING IT TOO. IF YOU HAVE THESE TIRES AND EXPERIENCE VIBRATION, IMMEDIATELY INVESTIGATE THE SHAPE OF THE TIRE TREAD SURFACE FOR DISFIGUREMENT - IF YOU FIND ANY, IMMEDIATELY REPLACE THE TIRE. I CAN PROVIDE PHOTOS AS NEEDED. *TR