NHTSA Complaint #761526 — 2001 FORD F-150

F150 LARIAT WITH TOW PACKAGE PURCHASED NEW. TIRES ON THE VEHICLE WERE GOODRICH PASSENGER TIRES WITH PROPER WEIGHT RATING. HOWEVER, WHEN PULLING A 24 FT. TRAVEL TRAILER; THE TRUCK AND TRAILER WOULD AGGRESSIVELY SWAY WHEN HIT WITH LIGHT BREEZE OR PASSING VEHICLES. NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES. TESTED ALL HITCH/TRAILER/CENTER OF GRAVITY/WEIGHT ASPECTS AND ALL TESTED OKAY. TESTED PULLING TRAILER AT LOW SPEED WITH NO WIND/OTHER VEHICLES. DISCOVERED THE SMALLEST STEERING INPUT CAUSED SEVERE LATERAL SWAY WITH OSCILLATIONS BECOMING STRONGER WITHOUT CORRECTIVE ACTION. THE TIRES, ALTHOUGH RATED TO CARRY OVER 2,000 LBS., DO NOT HAVE THE SIDEWALL STRENGTH TO WITHSTAND THE LATERAL MOVEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH PULLING A SMALL TRAVEL TRAILER. I HAVE SINCE REPLACED THESE NEW PASSENGER TIRES WITH LIGHT TRUCK TIRES AND FOUND THAT THE DANGEROUS SWAY HAS BEEN ELIMINATED. I HAVE INVESTED OVER $850 IN NEW TIRES IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AND I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT OTHER FORD TRUCK OWNERS MIGHT EXPERIENCE A SERIOUS COLLISION IF THEY USE THEIR TRUCK AND TOWING PACKAGE TO PULL A TRAVEL TRAILER IF THEIR TRUCK IS ONLY EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER TIRES. I HAVE CONTACTED THE FORD DEALERSHIP, WHO REFERRED ME TO MR. PAUL BERARDI, A FORD FIELD ENGINEER. MR. BERARDI (602-692-6479) HAS NOT YET RESPONDED TO MY CONCERNS AS OF THIS WRITING. I CONTACTED HIM ON 3/6/02. A COPY OF MY ORIGINAL LETTER TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS FORWARDED BY THEM TO MR. BERARDI, IS AVAILABLE TO NTSA.*AK