NHTSA Complaint #727399 — 1997 FORD EXPLORER

AS WE WERE RETURNING FROM VACATION ON 3/20/00 FROM FLORIDA, MY WIFE (THE DRIVER AT THE TIME) FELT WEIRD VIBRATIONS THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL. (NOTE -WE WERE APPROX. 5 MILES IN TO GEORGIA ON I-75 JUST PASSED THE GA/FL BORDER - NEAR LAKE PARK?). AS WE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN AND MOVE AWAY FROM OTHER TRAFFIC, WE HEARD A POPPING NOISE FROM UNDER THE EXPLORER AS IF THINGS WERE KICKING UP FROM THE ROAD AND HITTING THE UNDERCARRIAGE. ONCE WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE INTERSTATE, I LOOKED UNDER THE SUV AND DID A QUICK VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE TIRES, HOWEVER, ALL APPEARED TO BE NORMAL (NO FLATS, NOTHING THAT WE COULD VISIBLY SEE). WE PULLED BACK ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND BEFORE WE EVEN REACHED MERGING SPEED (55 - 60 MPH), THE POPPING NOISE RETURNED AND WE COULD ACTUALLY SEE SMALL BLACK PARTS EXITING THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. WE MANAGED TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OFF THE ROAD AND ENTER A GAS STATION AT WHICH TIME WE DISCOVERED A FOOT LONG PATCH OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE WAS COMPLETLY GONE. ALTHOUGH THE TIRE NEVER DEFLATED, A COMPLETE FOOT LONG SECTION OF TREAD, THROUGH THE STEEL BELTS AND ALL, WAS GONE. NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE TIRE WAS VISIBLE (SIDE WALLS ALL OKAY, NO PUNCTURES, NAILS, ETC.). I INSPECTED THE REST OF THE TIRES AND WE CONTINUED OUR TRIP HOME ONCE THE SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED. ON 4/1/00, I WENT TO THE LOCAL FIRESTONE CENTER (940 OLD MONROVIA RD, HUNTSVILLE, AL 35806) AND HAD THEM INSPECT THE DAMAGED TIRE. ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT CONFIRM OR DENY THAT THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE, THEY DID OFFER ME A NEW TIRE AT A PRO-RATED DISCOUNT. AT THAT TIME, I HAD THEM INSPECT ALL OF THE TIRES, PERFORM WHEEL BALANCES, ROTATIONS, ETC. BASED ON THE TREAD WEAR AT THAT TIME, FULL REPLACEMENT OF ALL TIRES WAS NOT NEEDED. SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER PEOPLE OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND WITH THE LATEST NEWS ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE FIRESTONE TIRES, I FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO REPORT OUR EXPERIENCE. WE WERE FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT AND ARE AWAITING MORE RECALL INFO.