2007 Ford Explorer

TIRE INSPECTION REVEALED SIGNIFICANT SIDE WALL DETERIORATION AT THE BEAD. THE TIRE WAS STILL HOLDING AIR, HOWEVER, THE CONDITION OF THE SIDE WALL & BEAD INDICATED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WAS IMMINENT. THE TIRE WAS REMOVED FROM SERVICE. THIS IS THE THIRD TIRE TO EXHIBIT BEAD & SIDE WALL DETERIORATION FOR THIS VEHICLE, TIRE BRAND/MODEL, AND DOT NUMBER. THE TIRE CARCASS HAS BEEN RETAINED FOR INSPECTION UNTIL JUNE 30 2009. TIRES: GOODYEAR FORTERA HL P235/70R16 PHOTOS MAY BE DOWNLOADED AT: HTTP://WHATLLAMA.COM/TIREPHOTOS/TIRES081003.GZ*TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF 70-MPH ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT I EXPERIENCED A TIRE BLOWOUT. NO ROAD HAZARD WAS NOTED. THE TIRE EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANT SIDE WALL DETERIORATION AT THE BEAD AND THE PERPENDICULAR SITE WALL SEPARATION. THE SIDE WALL SEPARATED FROM THE BEAD FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER OF THE DIAMETER. THIS IS THE SECOND INCIDENT FOR THIS VEHICLE, TIRE BRAND/MODEL, AND DOT NUMBER. THE TIRE CARCASS HAS BEEN RETAINED FOR INSPECTION UNTIL JUNE 30 2009. TIRES: GOODYEAR FORTERA HL P235/70R16 PHOTOS MAY BE DOWNLOADED AT: HTTP://WHATLLAMA.COM/TIREPHOTOS/TIRES081001.GZ. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 30-MPH ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT I EXPERIENCED TIRE FAILURE. NO ROAD HAZARD WAS NOTED. WHEN I REMOVED THE FAILED TIRE I WAS SHOCKED BY THE EXTENT OF SIDE WALL DETERIORATION AT THE BEAD AND THE PERPENDICULAR SITE WALL SEPARATION. THE SIDE WALL SEPARATED FROM THE BEAD FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER OF THE DIAMETER. TIRES: GOODYEAR FORTERA HL P235/70R16 PHOTOS MAY BE DOWNLOADED AT: HTTP://WHATLLAMA.COM/TIREPHOTOS/TIRES080703.GZ. *TR

WHILE DRIVING TIRE WENT SUDDENLY FLAT AND TIRE SHREDDED (2ND TIME ONE OF MY FORD EXPLORERS WENT FLAT OR LOW PRESSURE). TOOK TIRE TO A DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS OR KNOWN VALVE STEM PROBLEMS. WANTED TO CHARGE TOO MUCH FOR REPLACEMENT ,SO TOOK TIRE TO 3RD PARTY VENDOR AND HAD IT REPLACED FOR $204.50. THEY ALSO DID NOT INFORM ME ANY STEM ISSUES AT THE 3RD PARTY...............TO DATE 12/03/08 HAD ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SIGNAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE CLOSEST TIRE SHOP. IT WAS THERE THEY INFORMED ME OF A KNOWN FORD VALVE PROBLEM CRACKING. REPLACED 3 STEMS WHICH 2 WERE CRACKED THE 3RD ONE WAS NOT. THE FORTH I LEFT ALONE DUE TO BEING REPLACED ALREADY BY 3RD PARTY VENDOR BACK IN SEPTEMBER. *TR

I HAVE AN 2007 EXPLORER THAT ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASSIONS( FIR=ST TWO WERE NOT PUT INTO COMPUTER AS BEING DONE BY FORD DEALERSHIP AND BIG TEN TIRES AND THEY DIDN'T CHARGE ME), LAST TIRE THAT HAS HAD VALVE STEM NEEDING TO BE REPLACED (TOTAL OF THREE DIFFERENT TIRES ON MY CAR) ,REPLACED AT BIG TEN TIRE AND I HAD TOLD THE PERSON HOW STRANGE IT WAS THAT THREE OF MY FOUR TIRES HAD TO HAVE VALVE STEM REPLACEMENTS. I WANT FORD TO STEP UP AND RECALL THE TIRES SO WE CAN GET THESE REPLACED FOR FREE AND GET MONEY BACK FOR LAST TIME I HAD TO GET IT REPLACED. NO INJURIES OR BLOW OUTS BUT ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME AND I TAKE MY 2YR OLD GRANDDAUGHTER AND 10 YR OLD DAUGHTER IN THIS CAR, I WORRY ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN. HOW MANY DEATHS AND CRASHES FROM THESE DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS FROM CHINA HAVE TO CAUSE MAJOR DAMAGE TO FAMILIES BEFORE THEY DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM? *TR

2007 FORD EXPLORER WITH ORIGINAL FACTORY TIRES. APPROXIMATELY MAY OR EARLY JUNE 2008 MY VEHICLE LOW TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON. I DISCOVERED A CRACKED VALVE STEM CAUSING LEAK. DEALER REPAIRED AND ATTEMPTED TO FILE ROAD HAZARD CLAIM. NO PAPERWORK, EXACT DATE OR MILEAGE AVAILABLE. APPROXIMATELY AUG 08, 2008 LOW PRESSURE INDICATOR AGAIN CAME ON. DISCOVERED ANOTHER CRACKED STEM LEAKING AIR ON A DIFFERENT TIRE. VEHICLE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 34,700. REPAIRED AT DEALER ON AUG 09 2008 FOR A FEE. INVOICE AVAILABLE. ON SEPT 30, 2008 I READ NEWS REPORT ABOUT DILL VALVE STEM ISSUE (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE08036). INSPECTED TIRES - AND DISCOVERED SAME SPLITTING OF VALVE STEMS AS DEPICTED IN NEWS ARTICLE AND DILL AIR CONTROLS WEB SITE ON THE OTHER TWO REMAINING ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES. DEALER REPLACED BOTH VALVE STEMS AND REPLACED FOR A FEE. REMOVED VALVE STEMS WITH NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE AND RETURNED TO ME. INVOICE AVAILABLE AS WELL AS DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS. SPARE TIRE VISUALLY INSPECTED AND FOUND NO VISIBLE DEFECTS ON STEM. SPARE IS MOUNTED UNDER VEHICLE WITH VALVE FACING UP AGAINST UNDERBODY PROTECTING STEM FROM ELEMENTS. FORD STATEMENT TO NEWS MEDIA INDICATES THAT FORD'S POSITION IS THAT THEIR ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SAME ISSUE. I BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. I FIND THAT ALL 4 ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT VALVE STEMS EXHIBITED SAME CRACKING DEFECT AS DILL RECALL. STEMS REPLACED ON OCT 01,2008 SHOW 07 TR414 030 AND 08 TR414 018 AND BOTH HAVE A TRIANGULAR LOGO. AS ALL 4 STEMS WERE REPLACED, THE ONLY ORIGINAL VALVE CAP I HAVE CAME FROM THE SPARE TIRE AND DISPLAYS "TOPSEAL" ,THE NUMBERS 317 AND 630 AND WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE SAME TRIANGULAR LOGO AS IS ON THE VALVE STEMS. I HAVE THE TWO MOST RECENT REPLACED VALVE STEMS AND THE CAP FROM THE FACTORY SPARE IN MY POSSESSION AS WELL AS PHOTOS OF BOTH (NUMBERS AND DAMAGE) THAT CAN BE FORWARDED ELECTRONICALLY IF NEEDED. *TR

WITHIN APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK IN AUGUST, I'VE HAD TWO FAULTY TIRE VALVE STEMS CAUSE LOW TIRE PRESSURE AND NECESSITATE A TRIP TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THESE WERE ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE CAR (RIGHT FRONT AND RIGHT REAR). I PARK IN A CARPORT AND THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY CAR IS THE MORE EXPOSED SIDE. THE MECHANIC IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM BY PRESSING SIDEWAYS ON THE TIRE STEM AND HEARING THE AIR HISS AS IT ESCAPED. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE CRACKING PROBLEM THAT I'VE READ ABOUT IN CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE. I APPROACHED THE DEALER ABOUT FIXING THE OTHERS SO THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE A CRISIS LATER. THEY PULLED UP A REPORT BASED ON THE VIN AND SINCE THERE WERE NO OFFICIAL RECALLS, THEY WOULD NOT FIX THEM. I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2008 TO FILE A COMPLAINT. I SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE WHO IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS JAMIE. HER RESPONSE WAS EVEN MORE FRUSTRATING AS SHE APPEARED TO BE GIVING ME SCRIPTED ANSWERS: NO RECALLS ON MY CAR, WE DON'T FIX THINGS THAT AREN'T BROKE. APPARENTLY SAFETY ISSUES ARE NOT A CONSIDERATION. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER WHO SOLD ME THE CAR AND HE FIXED REST OF MY TIRES AT NO CHARGE TO ME. *TR