NHTSA Complaint #729592 — 1991 FORD TAURUS

OUR FIRESTONE TIRES FAILED IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS THE CURRENTLY RECALLED TIRES. MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING ON THE 210 FWY IN PASADENA AFTER AN HOUR-LONG DRIVE ON A HOT DAY IN SEPT. OUR TIRE "EXPLODED" IN AN UNUSUAL WAY: THE TREAD SIMPLY CAME DETACHED FROM THE TIRE. IT WAS NOT A "BLOW-OUT" IN THE USUAL SENSE--THE TIRE BENEATH THE TREAD WAS UNDAMAGED. THE TIRE WAS RELATIVELY NEW WITH MUCH TREAD-DEPTH LEFT ON IT. WHEN THE TREAD DETACHED, IT STRUCK THE REAR END OF THE CAR AND ACTIVATED THE FUEL PUMP RELAY SWITCH, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. THANKFULLY, WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE FWY, BUT WERE IN EXTREME DANGER OF BEING REAR-ENDED, POSSIBLY LEADING TO INJURIES OR DEATH. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAD HAPPENED TO OUR FIRESTONE TIRES. ALL FOUR OF THE ORIGINAL FIRSTONE TIRES WE HAD PURCHASED IN 1993 HAD LOST TREAD IN THE SAME WAY, AND HAD BEEN REPLACED BY THE FIRESTONE DEALER AT A REDUCED COST (THE REAR 2 TIRES IN 1995 AND THE FRONT 2 IN 1997, ALL OF THEM FR680 205/65R15). THE DEALER ASSURED US THAT THE REPLACMENT TIRES WOULD PERFORM WELL. BUT ALL FAILED IN THE SAME WAY--THE TREAD CAME DETACHED, SUDDENLY AND VIOLENTLY. MY TRUST IN FIRESTONE LEAD ME TO REPLACE ALL THESE DEFECTIVE TIRES WITH IDENTICAL MODELS, BELIEVING THAT THE FIRST 4 MUST HAVE BEEN "FLUKES" AND THAT THE OTHERS WOULD BE FINE. BUT THEY WERE NOT; THE 5TH REPLACEMENT WAS THE LAST STRAW, WE SOLD THE CAR IN DECEMBER 1997 AND NEVER AGAIN PURCHASED FIRESTONES. PLEASE PLACE THESE TIRES UNDER SCRUTINY AS WELL, THERE MAY BE SEVERAL PEOPLE IN 4-DOOR SEDANS DRIVING WITH THESE UNSAFE TIRES.( DOT NUMBER: FR680 TIRE SIZE: 205/65R15 )