NHTSA Complaint #730556 — 1998 BUICK REGAL

I'VE BEEN COMPLAINING TO BUICK DEALER SINCE 10/99 ABOUT VIBRATION AND WOBBLING IN CAR AND STEERING WHEEL, BUT DEALER COULD NEVER FIND ANYTHING WRONG. IN AN EFFORT TO FIND PROBLEM, DEALER ROTATED TIRES (FOR THE THIRD TIME), AND TECHNICIAN FOUND "FUNNY SPOT" (LOOKED LIKE A SLIT) ON SIDEWALL OF TIRE. I WATCHED TIRE FOR A WEEK AND TIRE WAS SPLITTING MORE ON SIDEWALL SO I TOOK IT TO A FIRESTONE DEALER. FIRESTONE REPLACED TIRE FOR COST TO ME OF THE TREAD I HAD USED, PLUS WASTE FEE. (WANTED TO CHARGE ME FOR BALANCE, MOUNT, ETC. AND I REFUSED TO PAY IT.) FIRESTONE TECHNICIAN SAID, IN FACT, TIRE HAD COME APART AT THE "JOIN" AND THAT IS WHY SIDEWALL WAS SPLITTING TOO. UNFORTURNATELY, WE HAVE 16" WILDERNESS AT TIRES (MADE IN CANADA) ON OUR 2000 CHEVROLET PICK-UP. I CONTACTED FIRESTONE BY PHONE ABOUT THESE TIRES ON BOTH OUR VEHICLES AND THEIR ATTITUDE WAS LUDICROUS, CONSIDERING THE RECALL GOING ON AT PRESENT. THEY COULD HAVE CARED LESS AND JUST SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH ANY OF OUR TIRES, EVEN THOUGH I TOLD THEM I HAD A DEFECTIVE TIRE ON MY CAR!!! I BELIEVE NHTSA SHOULD FORCE FIRESTONE TO REPLACE ALL WILDERNESS TIRES, NO MATTER WHAT SIZE THEY ARE, AND ALL OTHER TIRES THAT MAY BE FOUND DEFECTIVE AT THIS TIME!!! I DRIVE 300 MILES ON THE WEEKEND TO THE COUNTRY, AND AM VERY NERVOUS AND UNCOMFORTABLE, TO SAY THE LEAST, ABOUT THESE TIRES ON OUR CAR AND TRUCK! PLEASE HELP US AND EVERYONE ELSE STUCK WITH THESE CRUMMY FIRESTONE TIRES! P.S. I ALSO CONTACTED CHEVROLET, AND THE DEALERS WHERE THESE VEHICLES WERE PURCHASED, AND NONE OF THEM WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUT THESE TIRES. CHEVROLET WAS ALSO VERY LAX AND UNCONCERNED ABOUT THIS SITUATION. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO LIGHT A FIRE UNDER THESE COMPANIES???( DOT NUMBER: UNKNOWN TIRE SIZE: P215/70R15 )