NHTSA Complaint #733482 — 1995 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

THIS COMPLAINT IS NOT THE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT OR A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. THIS COMPLAINT PERTAINS TO THE REPLACEMENT TIRES THAT I PUT ON MY VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS AGO. YESTERDAY (10/3/00) MY JEEP WAS AT MY MECHANIC GETTING TRANSMISSION MAINTENENCE WORK. THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE FRONT TIRE TREAD WAS SEPARATING FROM THE SIDE WALL OF THE TIRE AND METAL WAS VISIBLE. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE DAYTON TIRES ON MY VEHICLE ARE THE SAME SIZE AND TYPE AS THE FIRESTONE RECALL. IN FACT THE DOT NUMBERS INDICATE THAT THEY WERE EVEN MANUFACTURED BY FIRESTONE AT THE SAME PLANT AND HAVE THE SAME NOMENCLATURE AS DEPICTED ON THE RECALLED FIRESTONE TIRES. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. I CONTACTED THE TIRE DEALER THAT SOLD ME THE TIRES (BUZZ DAVIES, 93 ISLINGTON STREET, PORTSMOUTH , NH 03821; TEL 603-433-1328) AND HE TOLD ME THAT MY TIRES WERE NOT INCLUDED UNDER THE RECALL. HE SUGGESTED THAT I COME IN AND THAT HE CAN PRO-RATE THEM. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME. IN MY OPINION THERE ARE TOO MANY SIMILARITIES AS WELL AS AN OBVIOUS TREAD SEPARATION PROBLEM WITH MY TIRES. I AM REPORTING THIS PROBLEM SO THAT YOU MAY ADD THIS INFORMATION TO YOUR DATABASE FOR THE FIRESTONE RECALL. ADDITIONALLY, OTHERS WITH SIMILAR TIRES TO MINE SHOULD BE MADE ALERT TO THIS PROBLEM SO THAT THEY CAN ELECT TO REMAIN SAFE. I PLAN ON REPLACING THESE TIRES THIS WEEK END, BUT I WILL AND HOLD ONTO THEM UNTIL I CAN BE FULLY REIMBURSED. YOUR HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM IS AND WILL BE APPRECIATED BY MYSELF AND OTHER UNSUSPECTING CONSUMERS WHO HAVE PURCHASED SIMILARLY MANUFACTURED FIRESTONE "NON-BRANDED" TIRES. FINALLY, IT UPSETS ME TO KNOW THAT THESE TIRES WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL SAFETY RECALL AND MY LIFE AND THAT OF OTHERS HAS BEEN UNKNOWINGLY IN JEOPARDY SINCE THEN. (DOT NUMBER: VDHL HLA TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)