NHTSA Complaint #10876045 — 2016 FORD EXPLORER

2016 FORD EXPLORER WITH HANKOOK VENTUS S1 NOBLE 2 TIRES. APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AGO MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A LOCAL SURFACE STREET AT 45 MPH. HER TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY THE VEHICLE VEERED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. UPON INSPECTION THERE WAS A 2-3 INCH LACERATION IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THERE WERE NOT ANY POTHOLES IN THE STREET WHERE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. TIRE SEEMED TO HAVE SIMPLY "BLOWN OUT". TIRE WAS REPLACED. YESTERDAY MY WIFE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM FROM ONE SURFACE STREET TO ANOTHER TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 15-20 MPH AND THE REPLACEMENT TIRE BLEW OUT AGAIN. SIMILAR DETAILS; TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR ILLUMINATED WHILE VEHICLE SUDDENLY VEERED TO THE RIGHT. AGAIN, NO POTHOLES WERE PRESENT AND ZERO INDICATION OF FOREIGN OBJECTS CAUSING FLAT. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY A 2-3 INCH LACERATION TO SIDEWALL OF FRONT PASSENGER TIRE. THESE TWO INCIDENTS OCCURRED IN A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME SPAN. I HAVE READ COMPLAINTS ABOUT WEAK SIDEWALLS REGARDING THESE TIRES AS EARLY AS 2013. ADDITIONALLY, HANKOOK AND HYUNDAI HAVE ISSUED A RECALL FOR THESE TIRES (ALBEIT A DIFFERENT SIZE) DUE TO SIDEWALL PROBLEMS. WITHOUT POTHOLES AND/OR FOREIGN OBJECTS CAUSING THE FLAT TIRES, IT SEEMS OBVIOUS THAT THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE. MY WIFE DOES NOT FEEL SAFE IN HER VEHICLE, AND IS AFRAID THAT ANOTHER BLOWOUT MAY OCCUR WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHER SPEEDS (FREEWAY).