NHTSA Complaint #727764 — 2000 FORD EXPLORER

AFTER ISSUE OF RECALL ALERT, I CHECKED MY TIRES FOR PROBLEMS, I PUT THE RECOMENDED AMOUNT OF PRESSURE IN THE TIRES (THAT WAS REASSIGNED TO 30 PSI BY FIRESTONE) AND NOTICED HALF INCH SLITS ON THE SIDE WALLS JUST OUT SIDE THE WRITING ON THE TIRE, ON 2 OF MY TIRES. AFTER SEEING THE SLITS I THOUGHT THAT I SHOULD REFILL THE TIRES UP TO THE THEIR NORMAL CAPACITY, AND DROVE 3.5 MILES TO A GAS STATION TO DO SO. WHILE FILLING THE TIRES BACK UP TO NORMAL CAPACITY, I NOTICED THAT THE OTHER 2 TIRES WERE STARTING TO SHOWS SIGNS OF THE SAME SPLITTING. IN A CONVERSATION WITH A FRIEND WHO ALSO HAS AN EXPLORER THAT WAS AT THE SAME GAS STATION, I FOUND OUT THAT SHE HAS THE RECALLED TIRES WITH THE VD CODE AND THAT HER TIRES ARE DOING THE SAME AS MINE, BUT THAT MINE DO NOT HAVE THE VD CODE. I HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY SWITCHED VEHICLES WITH MY ROOMMATE BECAUSE HE ONLY HAS A 6 MILE ROUND TRIP DRIVE TO WORK, AND I HAVE A 70 MILE ROUND TRIP TO WORK DAILY. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY VEHICLE LONG DISTANCES, SINCE I LIVE IN THE FLORIDA KEYS AND IT IS A WARM CLIMATE. BUT AS OF YET, I CAN GET NO RESPONSES BACK ABOUT MY TIRES, OTHER THAN TO TAKE THEM TO A CORPORATE-OWNED FIRESTONE DEALER, BUT TO DO SO WOULD MEAN A DRIVE OF 110 MILES ONE WAY. WHICH I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DOING SO. I HAVE SUBMITTED A CLAIM TO FORD VIA EMAIL AND HAVE CALLED FIRESTONE'S TOLL FREE NUMBER, BUT TO ONLY BE TOLD THAT MY TIRES ARE DO NOT HAVE THE CORRECT DOT CODE FOR THE RECALL. MEANWHILE, MY TIRES DO SHOW SIGNS OF MALFUNCTION THAT APPEAR SIMILAR TO TIRES WITH THE "VD" DOT CODE. BECAUSE OF MY SITUATION, THIS HAS PROMPTED ME TO CONTACT YOUR ORGANIZATION. I HAVE ALSO LEFT A MESSAGE AT YOUR TOLL FREE NUMBER, TO THE SAME AFFECT, BUT DECIDED TO ALSO EMAIL, SO THAT I COULD GIVE A MORE INDEPTH SUMMARY OF MY SITUATION. *AK( DOT NUMBER: W2HL1PY299 TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )