NHTSA Complaint #726869 — 1998 FORD EXPLORER

UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE FROM FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT P235/75R15 (SUV) TIRES. AFTER ROUTINE SERVICE AND (SECOND) TIRE ROTATION/BALANCE AT 12,000 MILES, I NOTICED MY VEHICLE "PULLING" TO THE RIGHT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE SERVICING DEALER (KEARNY MESA FORD, SAN DIEGO CA), AND ASKED THEM TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THEY WERE UNABLE TO ROTATE THE TIRES AND STILL HAVE THEM BALANCED WITHIN SPECIFICATION. CONSEQUENTLY, THE TIRES WERE RETURNED TO THEIR ORIGINAL POSITIONS ON THE VEHICLE. THE EXPLANATION GIVEN TO ME WAS THAT THERE WAS "LIKELY A LOOSE BELT WITHIN ONE OF THE TIRES PREVENTING IT FROM BALANCING CORRECTLY, BUT SINCE THE VEHICLE DIDN'T SEEM TO "PULL" WHEN THIS TIRE WAS MOUNTED ON THE REAR, I SHOULD JUST LEAVE IT THERE AND NOT ROTATE MY TIRES IN THE FUTURE." WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT WARRANTY AND/OR REPLACEMENT, I WAS INFORMED THAT BECAUSE THE TIRES HAD 12,000 MILES ACCRUED, THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. AS A RESULT OF NOT ROTATING MY TIRES (...SOMETHING I NORMALLY DO AS SCHEDULED), MY TIRES HAVE WORN IRREGULARLY AND I BELIEVE HAVE WORN OUT PREMATURELY (...IN THIS CASE, APPROXIMATELY 40,000 MILES; HOWEVER I GENERALLY GET MUCH GREATER TIRE LIFE DUE TO THE "HIGHWAY" DRIVING I DO AND PROPER TIRE MAINTENANCE). I AM HOPING THIS INFORMATION WILL BE HELPFUL IN YOUR INVESTIGATION OF THE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES.*AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )