NHTSA Complaint #730035 — 1992 FORD EXPLORER

BRAND NEW CAR. TREAD SEPARATED AND CAME OFF BEFORE SECOND TANK OF GAS EVER USED IN CAR. FORTUNATELY IT WAS A REAR TIRE. WIFE DRIVING ON I-17 WITH INFANT IN CAR SEAT. FIRESTONE DEALER WAS A JERK. CLAIMED MY WIFE HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING. SALESMAN WE BOUGHT CAR FROM INTERVENED AND GOT US A NEW TIRE. TIRES WORE UNEVENLY ON THAT EXPLORER AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 35,000 OR SO IN SPITE OF CONSCIENTIOUS ROTATION. REPLACEMENT TIRES MADE 55,000 WITH NO ROTATION - THEY WERE PATHFINDER RADIAL ATRS. BOUGHT NEW EXPLORER IN NOV, 1997. TIRES ON IT WERE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS. THEY WORE UNEVENLY, DISHED OUT, AND I HAD TO REPLACE THEM A YEAR AGO AT 33,000 MILES. ONE HAD PARTIALLY SEPARATED TREAD WHEN WE TOOK THEM OFF. WE BOUGHT MICHELINS. ON BOTH EXPLORERS, WE BOUGHT REPLACEMENT TIRES FROM REPUTABLE DEALERS. AT TIME OF REPLACEMENT, BOTH THOSE DEALERS CARRIED FIRESTONE WILDERNESS ATRS. I DON'T THINK EITHER DEALER WOULD HAVE STOCKED BAD TIRES, ALTHOUGH CLEARLY THE ORIGINAL TIRES FURNISHED ON BOTH EXPLORERS WERE AWFUL TIRES. I HOPE THAT YOU FOLKS ARE CHECKING INTO THE POSSIBILITY THAT TWO DIFFERENT TIRES WERE MADE UNDER THE SAME NAME - A CHEAP ONE FOR THE FORD ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MONOPOLY AND A BETTER ONE FOR THE REPLACEMENT TIRE MARKET WHERE THERE WAS TRUE COMPETITION.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 15 INCH )