NHTSA Complaint #728431 — 1993 SATURN SL

DUE TO THE RECENT RECALL OF SOME OF FIRESTONE TIRES I WANTED TO ALERT YOU TO THE FACT THAT MY FIRESTONE TIRES WHICH ARE NOT PART OF THE RECALL ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCE. I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AT ABOUT 70 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE RIGHT REAR TIRES TREAD SEPERATED FROM THE TIRE AND CAUSED THE TIRE TO DEFLATE. I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE ROADSIDE BEFORE A BLOWOUT OR FURTHER INCIDENT. THE TIRE HAS ABOUT A 36 INCH LONG AND 3 INCH WIDE SECTION WHERE THE TREAD IS MISSING. THE TIRE OVERALL IS ABOUT 8 INCHES WIDE. I ALSO HAVE A FORD EXPLORER WITH WILDNERNESS AT TIRES THAT WERE NOT MADE AT THE DECATER PLANT AND THUS NOT INVOLVED IN THE RECALL. ALTHOUGH MY FIREHAWK TIRES HAD APPROXIMATELY 60,000 MILES ON THEM AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT I STILL FEEL THIS IS NOT NORMAL AND THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE. I HAVE HAD OTHER TIRES THAT RAN UNTIL THE TREAD WAS BALD AND THE TREAD NEVER SEPERATED FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE. DUE TO THE FACT THAT A FIRESTONE TIRE NOT INDICATED IN THE RECALL HAD THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES HAPPEN TO IT, I DON'T FEEL THE PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES IS LIMITED TO THE LARGER SUV TIRES. I FEEL THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO INSURE OTHER FIRESTONE TIRES ARE SAFE FOR THEPEOPLE WHO HAVE THEM ON THEIR VEHICLES. MY CONFIDENCE IN FIRESTONE TIRES IS LOST AND I WILL BE REPLACING THE WILDERNESS TIRES EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T COME FROM THAT PARTICULAR PLANT. I STILL HAVE THE FIREHAWK TIRE THAT HAD THE TREAD COME OFF IF YOU WOULD LIKE A PICTURE OF IT I CAN ARRANGE THAT. THE TIRES WERE MADE IN 1995. THEY WERE PURCHASED IN 07-95 IN WYOMING. OF THE 5 YEARS ON THE CAR 2 YEARS WERE IN WYO. AND 3 YEARS WERE IN FLORIDA. THE DRIVING ON THE TIRES IF A GOOD MIXTURE OF HIGHWAY AND CITY DRIVING. IF YOU NEED ANY MORE INFO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL ME. THANK YOU.( DOT NUMBER: W2V9 TIRE SIZE: P195/60R15 )