NHTSA Complaint #731252 — 1997 FORD EXPLORER

I RECENTLY TOOK THE CAR TO A FORD DEALERSHIP TO HAVE A CHECK-UP. I KNEW THAT I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE TIRES SOON, BUT HAVE HAD TROUBLE FINDING REPLACEMENT TIRES DUE TO THE RECALL. THE FORD SERVICE TECH CALLED ME AT WORK TO TELL ME THAT MY STEEL THREADS WERE SHOWING THROUGH ON ONE REAR TIRE, AND THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY REPLACEMENTS FOR ME. HE RECOMMENDED THAT THEY PUT ON THE SPARE TIRE UNTIL I COULD GET NEW ONES. SINCE I KNEW THAT I WOULD BE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY FOR 120+ MILES ON LABOR DAY TOWING A HORSE TRAILER WITH MY HORSE, I DID NOT WANT TO JUST HAVE THREE WORN TIRES AND A SPARE. I STARTED CALLING AROUND AND FOUND FOUR REPLACEMENT TIRES (GOODYEAR WRANGLER AT/S) AT A KAUFMAN TIRE STORE. I DROVE FROM THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT SAME DAY (ON THE ORIGINAL TIRES) TO HAVE THE NEW ONES PUT ON. AS THEY WERE SWITCHING THE TIRES, THE KAUFMAN REP CAME TO THE WAITING AREA TO TELL ME - "YOU REALLY DODGED A BULLET". APPARENTLY, NOT ONLY WERE THE STEEL THREADS SHOWING, THEY WERE SHOWING BECAUSE THE TREAD WAS SEPARATING. THEY DID NOT MENTION THIS TO ME AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP. I HAVE KEPT THE TIRES, AND THE ONE LOOKS AS IF SOMEONE TOOK A RAZOR BLADE TO THE EDGE - ALL THE WAY AROUND. AS THIS WAS ON THE INSIDE EDGE, I COULD NOT SEE IT. I HAVE MY TIRES ROTATED REGULARLY - THE LAST TIME ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AGO, SO EITHER THIS IS A RECENT SPLIT, OR THE SERVICER DID NOT NOTICE (OR NOTICED AND FAILED TO MENTION IT TO ME). GIVEN THE RECALL, I THOUGHT I SHOULD INFO THE NHTSA. THANK YOU.*AK( DOT NUMBER: VF... TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )