2000 FORD E-450 Tires Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD E450. THE VEHICLE HAS NEXEN TIRES (NA), SIZE LT24574R16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, BOTH THE REAR PASSENGER AND FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRES BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT CHANGED ONE OF THE TIRES AND DROVE TO THE TIRE SHOP. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE WAS FULL OF BUBBLES AND WOULD ALSO BLOW OUT. THE REMAINING TIRE APPEARED TO BE FINE; HOWEVER, ALL OF THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER SENT HIM A LETTER STATING THAT THEY WOULD CHECK FOR ANY MANUFACTURER DEFECTS. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THE TIRES SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 166,500 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 168,000.

I HAVE A 2000 CHATEAU MOTOR HOME BUILT ON A FORD E450 CHASIS WHICH CAME WITH OEM TIRES - FIRESTONE STEELTEX 256/75 R16 TIRES. AS OF THE DATE OF THIS COMPLAINT, THE VEHICLE AND TIES HAVE APPROXIMATELY 5,500 MILES ON THEM. IN APPROXIMATELY 2004, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE FIRESTONE COMPLETE AUTO CARE STORE LOCATED AT 655 COURTHOUSE ROAD, GULFPORT, MS 39507 (228.897.1423) TO GET THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION AND TO LOOK AT UNUSUALLY CRACKING IN THE SIDE WALLS OF THE EQUIPMENT TIRES. I WAS GIVEN THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION AND TOLD THAT THE CRACKING IN THE SIDE WALLS WAS NORMAL AND THERE WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. AFTER NOT DRIVING THE VEHICLE MUCH AS WE LIVED IN IT IMMEDIATELY AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA FOR OVER A YEAR WHILE WE AWAITED OUR HOUSE TO BE REPAIRED, I DEPARTED IN IT FOR AN APPROXIMATELY 200 MILE TRIP IN RESPONSE TO EVACUATION...

FOUR GOODYEAR WRANGLER HT LT235 65R 16E TIRES REPLACED ORIGINAL RV FIRESTONE TIRES AT GOOD YEAR DEALERSHIP, 5375 PROGRESS BLVD, BETHEL PARK PA 15102 [412-831-1810] ON 11/21/2007 AT RECOMMENDATION OF GOODYEAR DEALERSHIP AT COST OF $744.44. RETURNED TO HOME AND FOUND REAR DRIVER OUTER TIRE TO HAVE BLOWOUT IN INNER SIDEWALL. BROUGHT TIRE TO NEAREST GOODYEAR DEALERSHIP ON 12/21/2007 AT 800 FORT DUQUESNE BLVD, PITTSBURGH, PA AND WARRANTY COVERAGE DENIED. REPLACEMENT COST $180.71. TIRE HAD BEEN BARELY DRIVEN ON AND NO LIKELIHOOD OR APPARENT ROAD HAZARD PRESENT. APPEARS TO BE FLAW IN NEW TIRE DESIGN OR INSTALLATION. NO MARKINGS ON TIRE OR OTHER EVIDENCE OF INJURY TO RIM APPARENT. *TR

FIRESSTONE STEELTEX R4S. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH THE RIGHT REAR OUTER DUEL TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION.

WE HAVE HAD AT LEAST 5 SIDEWALL BLOWOUTS ON THE REAR OF OUR AMBULANCES IN THE LAST 9 MONTHS. THE LATEST BEING YESTERDAY. WE ARE USING MICHELEN XPS RADIALS. DOT FWJHAHWX1702. THERE IS 10/32 TREAD LEFT ON THE TIRE. OTHERS HAVE HAD MORE SOME LESS. THIS ONLY OCCURS ON THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE E-MAILED MICHELIN WITH THIS PROBLEM BUT HAVE GOT NO RESPONSE. PLEASE ADVISE ME OF REMEDY. THIS MAY BE OF A SAFETY CONCERN. THANK YOU.

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

DURING A PERIOD OF BETWEEN 13000 AND 16000 MILES ON THESE TIRES I LOST 4 OUT OF 7 OF THE ORIGINAL TIRES DELIVERED ON THIS VEHICLE. THE BLOW OUTS WERE MASSIVE TREAD SEPERATIONS. ONE BLOW OUT CAUSED APPROXIMATELY $1200 IN DAMAGE TO MY MOTORHOME.*AK

FIRST TWO BLOWOUTS BLEW OUT THE SIDE, TREAD STAYED WITH TIRE. THIRD BLOWOUT WAS CATASTROPHIC, NOTHING LEFT OF THE TIRE. ALL BLOWOUTS WERE ON REAR INSIDE TIRES. FOURTH FAILURE WAS ON LEFT FRONT AND ID'D PRIOR TO BLOWOUT. DEFECT WAS IDENTIFIED BY VISIBLE SHIFT IN TREAD ON ABOUT A 20 DEGREE SECTOR OF TIRE.

WHILE DRIVING AT STATE SPEED LIMIT AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE LEFT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT, RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. HOWEVER, WAS UNABLE TO SOLVE PROBLEM. ALSO, WITHIN 3 WEEKS TWO OTHER TIRES BLEWOUT. *AK*SCC

THE DRIVER AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE:[XXX]. HE INDICATED HE HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 6 HOURS ON INTERSTATE 70 AT 65 MPH ON A HOT DAY IN UTAH. THEY HEARD A FLOPPING SOUND AND FELT A VIBRATION AND APPARENTLY PULLED OVER TO INVESTIGATE. NONE OF THE 4 PEOPLE ON BOARD WERE HURT AND THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE ARE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL R4S. THE VEHICLE IS A 29' 2000 WINNEBAGO MINNIE CLASS C MOTOR HOME ON A FORD F-450 CHASSIS. THE VIN#: [XXX]. THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE ARE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY 16,500 MILE ON IT. THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE ARE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIALS R4S. THE DOT#: VD1L 1XD 339. THE TIRE SIZE: LT 225/75R16 M/S. THERE IS A SMALL STICKER ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE WHICH READS: 6009-483. IT WAS LOCATED ON THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE RIGHT REAR. THE...

MOTORHOME TIRES WERE REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND HAD BEEN CHECKED JUST 50 MILES BEFORE BLOWOUT OCCURRED AND WERE AT CORRECT OPERATING PRESSURE. A SLIGHT VIBRATION STARTED JUST SECONDS BEFORE TOTAL TIRE FAILURE, I STARTED TO SLOW AND PULL OVER BUT NOT BEFORE THE TIRE SIDEWALL CAME APART AND THE WHEEL WELL WALLS WERE SEVERLY BATTERED CAUSING A LOT OF DAMAGE TO SHEILDING, WIRES, AND NEARLY RUPTURING THE GAS FILLER PIPE. I'M VERY FORTUNATE IT WAS A REAR DUAL TIRE, NOT A FRONT ONE.*AK

FIRST TIME TRAVELING 55-65MPH FOR APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES ON INTERSTATE, MOTORHOME (FORD E450 DUAL REAR AXEL) STARTED TO SHAKE AND WITHIN A FEW SECONDS WE HEARD A LOUD BANG. PULLED OVER AND SAW THAT THE RIGHT OUTSIDE REAR TIRE HAD ALL OF THE TREAD COME OFF. THE SECOND TIME (APPROXIMATELY 10 DAYS LATER) AFTER DRIVING 60-65MPH ABOUT 100 TO 150 MILES OF INTERSTATE THE VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING AND WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. WE FOUND THIS TIME THAT THE LEFT INSIDE REAR TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY 1/4 OF THE TREAD OFF THE TIRE. WE HAD BOTH TIRES INSPECTED SEPERATELY BY TIRE REPAIR PERSONS AND BOTH TIMES EACH HAD INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT DUE TO THE TIRE HITTING OR SCRAPING ANYTHING.. *AK (DOT NUMBER: VD TIRESIZE: LT22575R16)

2 TIRES HAD TREAD SEPARATION, FIRST BEING AT 11,023 MILES SECOND AT 11300 MILES, WHICH CAUSED A TIRE BLOWOUT. HE HAD THEM TAKEN OFF.*AK FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL R4 LT2251/74R16.*JB

VEHICLE SUFFERED A VALVE STEM DEFECT. AFTER IT CAME LOOSE IT MADE VEHICLE HAVE A TIRE BLOWOUT. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK CONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY DEALER THERE HAVE BEEN NO OTHER REPORTS OF THIS TYPE OF FAILURE, AFTER VALVE STEM BLEW OUT CONSUMER TOOK THE WHEELS OFF AND TRIED ANOTHER VALVE STEM BY PULLING IT WITH HIS HAND AND THE STEM CAME OUT EASILY, CONSUMER HAD ALL STEMS REPLACED WITH STEEL STEMS AND HAS HAD NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. *JB

NO SUMMARY( DOT NUMBER: VD1L TIRE SIZE: LT225/7516 )