NHTSA Complaint #727082 — 1998 FORD EXPLORER

ON MY WAY TO POWAY,CA, SOUTHBOUND I-5, MY CAR BEGAN TO PULL TO THE RIGHT AND SHAKE. I PULLED OFF TO CHECK MY TIRES. CHECKING ALL 4 TIRES FOR CORRECT INFLATION, I FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I GOT BACK ON THE FREEWAY, AS I WAS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, LOWERED MY SPEED AND CONTINUED. AS I APPROACHED POWAY THE FRONT END STARTED TO MAKE A THUMPING NOISE. I WAS LESS THAN 1 MILE FROM MY SISTER'S HOUSE, SO I LOWERED MY SPEED AGAIN AND FINISHED MY TRIP. WE LOOKED AT THE TIRES AND NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD A BULGE IN IT. IT WAS ABOUT 5" IN SIZE ALONG THE TIRE TREAD. ON 7/17 I TOOK MY EXPLORER TO THE FORD DEALER OF POWAY (PERRY FORD) FOR AN INSPECTION. ROBERT SAW THE BUBBLE AND SAID THAT ALL FOUR TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE SUGGESTED A NEW SET OF FIRESTONES. HAVING HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEM ON OUR 1993 RANGER, AND SEEING THE BUBBLE ON A TIRE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED I REFUSED. HE WAS VERY PERSISTANT SAYING FIRESTONE MAKES A GREAT TIRE, BUT I REFUSSED. HAVING ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED, MOUNTED, BALANCED, AND AN ALIGNMENT, IT COST $550.21 TO GET MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN HOME TO ANAHEIM. WHEN WE BOUGHT THE EXPLORER IN 1998, WE ASKED FOR THE TIRES AT THAT TIME, BEFORE PICK-UP, TO BE REPLACED AS WE HAD HAD PROBLEMS WITH FIRESTONES ON THE RANGER. THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE THEM, BUT GAVE US THE NAME OF A PLACE TO GO TO GET NEW TIRES AND POSSIBLY AT A DISCOUNT AS THE FIRESTONE TIRES WERE NEW AND COULD BE BOUGHT BACK. IF THIS CONDITION HAS BEEN UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR AWHILE, WHY WOULD THE FORD DEALER OF POWAY SUGGEST(ALMOST INSIST) THAT THE SAME TIRE BE PUT BACK ON?? ISN'T THAT A LITTLE NEGLECTFUL OF ROBERT AND THE DEALER KNOWING I WAS GOING TO GET BACK ON THE FREEWAY WITH MY CHILDREN AND DRIVE OVER 80 MILES? I AM VERY ANGRY AND UPSET ABOUT HEARING ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION GOING ON AND THE FACT THAT NOTHING WAS SAID TO ME, AND IT COST ME $550.00 FOR A PROBLEM THAT THEY CREATED. PLEASE LET ME KNOW OF ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.