NHTSA Complaint #733272 — 1996 FORD EXPLORER

I PURCHASED MY 96 FORD EXPLORER IN NOV. 95 AND HAVE HAD A VEHICLE SHUDDER PROBLEM THAT BECOMES A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN TIRES ARE INFLATED BEYOND THE RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURE OF 26PSI. FORD HAVE NOW RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURES OF 30PSI, WHICH I CANNOT DO WITHOUT RISKING A VEHICLE LOSS OF CONTROL SITUATION. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, IT ABSOLUTELY SCARED THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME, TO PUT IT POLITELY! I HAD JUST PICKED UP THE TRUCK FROM THE MISSION VALLEY FORD AFTER SOME BRAKE WORK. I TOOK THE TRUCK UP TO FREEWAY SPEED AND WHILE TRAVELING OVER SOME ROUGH FREEWAY SURFACE THE TRUCK ALMOST WENT OUT OF CONTROL. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER WHERE FAILURE ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. THE ONLY ISSUE THE SERVICE ENGINEER IDENTIFIED AS ABNORMAL WAS THEY HAD SET THE TIRE PRESSURE TO 30PSI(ALL TIRES). RESETTING THE TIRES BACK TO 26PSI ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM.THIS PROBLEM RESURFACED TWICE MORE SINCE AND RESETTING THE TIRES TO 26PSI CORRECTED THE LACK OF CONTROL PROBLEM. THE SHUDDER I NORMALLY FEEL APPEARED TO EXTEND INTO THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO CONTROL THE TRUCK WHEN I TRAVELED OVER A ROUGH PATCH IN THE SURFACE OF A FREEWAY. EMERGENCY BRAKING BROUGHT THE TRUCK BACK UNDER CONTROL. I NO LONGER ALLOW MY WIFE TO DRIVE THE EXPLORER. IM FAMILIAR WITH STEERING WHEEL SHUDDER AS A RESULT OF POOR WHEELING BALANCING, BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT. THE WHOLE VEHICLE SHUDDERS, NOT THE STEERING WHEEL, AT CRUISING SPEEDS OF 60 MPH AND ABOVE, AND IS PARTICULARLY OBVIOUS ON LONG JOURNEYS. THIS WAS IDENTIFIED TO THE FORD SERVICE DEPT., WHO SUGGESTED THAT THE TRACKING AND/OR THE TIRES MAY BE AT FAULT. TRACKING HAS BEEN CHECKED AND NEW TIRES PURCHASED, BUT NEITHER CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THE SHUDDER PROBLEM HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY THE SERVICE DEPT OF THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED MY EXPLORER. SEE ATTACHED SERVICE RECORDS DATED 6/12/97 AND 12/1/98 FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK