NHTSA Complaint #731050 — 1990 FORD BRONCO II

WHILE DRIVING ON I-35 NEAR NORMAN OKLAHOMA IN MY RECENTLY ACQUIRED 1990, FORD BRONCO II, THE TREAD ON MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE COMPLETELY SEPERATED . THE INCIDENT CAME COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED, WITH NO PRIOR WARNING WHATSOEVER. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ONLY DRIVING 60 MPH, AND WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL. HOWEVER, THE SEPERATED TIRE TREAD PUT A SIGNIFICANT DENT IN THE RIGHT FRONT QUARTER PANEL BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THIS TIRE HAD GOOD, THICK TREAD, AND BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ONE OF THE TYPES IN FIRESTONE'S RECENT RECALL, I BELIEVED IT TO BE SAFE. BECAUSE I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED, I DO NOT HAVE RECEIPTS FOR THE TWO FRONT MATCHING FIRESTONE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. I TOOK THE TIRE TO A FIRESTONE DEALER HERE IN NORMAN, AND THE MANAGER SIMPLY INSISTED THAT I MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING IN THE ROAD OR THAT THE TIRE WAS UNDERINFLATED.....I ATTEST MOST CERTAINLY THAT NEITHER WAS THE CASE. TO BE HONEST, I AM MOSTLY JUST HAPPY THAT I DIDN'T HAVE AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF THIS TIRE FAILURE. HOWEVER, I THINK YOUR ORGANIZATION SHOULD TAKE THIS AS EVIDENCE THAT FIRESTONE'S RECALL SHOULD DEFINATELY BE BROADENED. IT SIMPLY BAFFELS ME THAT THIS COMPANIES PRODUCTS CONTNUE TO PUT PEOPLES LIVES IN JEOPARDY, AND YET THEY REFUSE TO ACT TRULY RESPONSIBLY AND RECALL ALL THE FAULTY TIRES. I HAVE RETAINED BOTH TIRES AS WELL AS PHOTOS OF THE TIRES AND THE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: W2UL1ML489 TIRE SIZE: P205/75R15 )