NHTSA Complaint #731122 — 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE

I PURCHASED SOME FIRESTONE TIRES WILDERNESS ATIII SIZE 30X9.50R15LT FOR MY 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE ON 9/8/99. SINCE THE DAY THEY WERE PURCHASED, I'VE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES. MY TRUCK DROVE DIFFERENTLY. MY TIRES GAVE A KNOCKING SOUND AND THE BEST WAY I KNOW TO DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM, IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THEY WERE ABOUT TO COME ALOOSE FROM MY VECHICLE. I WENT TO MY LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER AND THEY ASSURED ME THE TIRES WERE "OK" EACH TIME I WENT. I VISITED A FIRESTONE DEALER ON 8/7/00 AND HE STATED AS A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GESTURE, HE WOULD ALLOW ME TO TRADE MY TIRES IN AND GET SOME REPLACEMENT TIRES. THE TIRES WERE TO BE IN ON THURSDAY 8/10/00 AND THEY WOULD BE MOUNTED ON MY VECHICLE AT THAT TIME. FIRESTONE DID A RECALL ON 8/9/00 AND WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALER, HE STATED HE COULD NOT REPLACE MY TIRES BECAUSE THEY ONLY HAD INSTRUCTIONS TO REPLACE A CERTAIN TIRE AND MY TIRE WAS NOT ON THE LIST. I URGED HIM TO REPLACE THEM AS WE HAD AGREED AND ALLOW ME TO PAY THE DIFFERENCE BUT HE REFUSED (THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN ANYWAY). HE THEN PROCEEDED TO HANG UP. I TOOK MY VECHICLE IN ON 8/7 AND 8/8 SO THEY COULD TEST DRIVE THE VECHICLE TO SEE HOW THE TIRES PERFORMED. EACH TIME THEY ASSURED ME THE TIRES WERE "OK". TO DATE, I HAVE NOT HAD ANY ACCIDENTS FROM THESE TIRES. HOWEVER, I URGE YOUR OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE THE IDEA OF FIRESTONE EXPANDING THIS RECALL. I PLAN TO PURCHASE SOME MORE TIRES BECAUSE I TIRED OF FIGHTING WITH THIS COMPANY ABOUT MY COMPLAINTS. I HAVEN'T BEEN SATISFIED WITH THESE TIRES SINCE THEY WERE PURCHASED. I SENT AN E-MAIL TO FIRESTONE ON 8/8 AND ON 8/7 I CONTACTED THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPT AND THE RECEPTIONIST DID A 3-WAY CONFERENCE CALL WITH THE MANAGER OF MY LOCAL FIRESTONE COMPANY ON RODNEY PARHAM RD. IN LITTLE ROCK. HIS NAME WAS DAVE (?) AND HE TOLD ME TO BRING MY TRUCK IN AND HE WOULD DO A REPLACEMENT. AFTER THE RECALL WAS ANNOUNCED, HE CHANGE HIS MIND. I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM THE COMPANY, NOR DO I EXPECT TO. I DO WANT THIS COMPLIANT LOGGED.*