1996 Chevrolet Suburban

WHILE TRAVELING 75MPH RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT. VEHICLE VIBRATED. PULLED TO SIDE., AND CHECKED TIRES. NOTICED TREAD HAD PEELED OFF. PUT SPARE ON. BROUGHT ANOTHER TIRE TO REPLACE SPARE. 2ND TIRE LEFT REAR BLEWOUT, SAME THING HAD HAPPENED. THEN, 3RD TIRE, RIGHT FRONT, SAME PROBLEM. THREW AWAY FIRST TIRE. KEPT OTHER TWO TIRES THAT BLEW OUT SAME DAY. VEHICLE WENT OFF ROAD TO THE LEFT & THEN BACK TO THE RIGHT. DRIVER SUFFERED BACK INJURIES DUE TO TREAD SEPARATION OF THIRD TIRE. BRIDGESTONE PUELER APT (AFTER MARKET) LT 265/75R16. *AK

SATURDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER, MY WIFE AND I BEGAN A TRIP, TUCSON TO YUMA, IN A NEWLY ACQUIRED '96 SUBURBAN 2500. EARLIER THAT MORNING I HAD BEEN READING SOME OF THE NEWS THAT HAD BEEN POSTED ON THE INTERNET AND HAD COME ACROSS ANOTHER IN THE NEVER ENDING STORIES OF THE WOES OF FIRESTONE (TIRES). THE (BAD) NEWS HAD SPILLED OVER FROM THE FORD APPLICATIONS TO REFERENCE FIRESTONE'S STEELTEX R4S AND AT MODEL TIRES... THAT COME AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON, OF ALL THINGS, THE CHEVROLET SUBURBAN! I WALKED OUT TO THE GARAGE AND LOOKED AT THE TIRES THAT WERE INSTALLED ON THE "NEW" '96 AND FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE HAD LIKE NOW R4S TYPES INSTALLED ON ALL FOUR CORNERS! "NAH, IT CAN'T BE" I SAID TO MYSELF. I HAD READ FURTHER, ON THE INTERNET, THE RESPONSE OF FIRESTONE TO THE NEW ALLEGATIONS WAS FIRESTONE BELIEVED THAT THE SAFETY BOARD/GURUS WERE ONLY BEGINNING THEIR INVESTIGATION AND THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT ANY REAL PROBLEMS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE R4S AND AT MODEL TIRES. WITH RENEWED CONFIDENCE IN FIRESTONE (REINFORCED BY THEIR PUBLISHED STATEMENT) WE STARTED OUR TRIP TO YUMA. SEVENTEEN (17) MILES INTO THE TRIP, TRAVELLING AT 75 MPH (WHICH IS LEGAL SPEED LIMIT IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS), THINGS GOT REAL EXCITING. THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR STARTED TO "THUMP" THE TIRE CAME APART, AND CONTROL BECAME "DICEY". WE WERE IN THE LEFTMOST LANE OF THE INTERSTATE WITH AUTOMOBILES TO OUR RIGHT SIDE AND BEHIND US. I GOT THE SUBURBAN TO SLOW ENOUGH, WITHOUT USING BRAKES, TO ENTER THE MEDIAN SAFELY AND REVIEW "THE DAMAGE". A HIGHWAY PATROLMAN (STATE TROOPER) PULLED IN ALONG SIDE TO SEE IF WE WERE OK AND OFFER SOME ASSISTANCE. HE SEEMED TO THINK THAT WE WERE LUCKY NOT TO HAVE REALLY TAKEN A TUMBLE OR ROLLED THE VEHICLE. AN AVERAGE DRIVER WOULD HAVE LOST IT. WE RETURNED TO TUCSON AND IMMEDIATELY REPLACED ALL FIVE (5) FIRESTONE TIRES.*AK (DOT NUMBER: V611B1A378 TIRESIZE: LT24575R16)

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 OR 60 MPH TREAD ON THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE CAME COMPELETELY OFF, BEATING THE TRUCK TO PIECES. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CONTROL TRUCK. ORIGINAL TIRE EQUIPMENT ON A 1996, SUBURBAN. TIRE SIZE LT24575R16. TIRE MILEAGE ABOUT 26,000 MILES. OWNER REPLACED TIRE WITH THE SAME TIRE. FIRESTONE WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE TIRE. CHEVROLET REPAIRED TRUCK, AND OWNER RECEIVED A NEW TIRE FREE OF CHARGE. *AK THE VEHICLE DEALER REPAIRED DAMAGED CAUSED BY THE TIRE FAILURE AS WELL AS REPLACED THE TIRE AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER. *YH