1998 Ford Ranger

THESE TIRES STARTED TO FAIL ON A RECENT TRIP TO LUBBOCK, TX. ON 08/23/2000. I HAD THE FIRESTONE DEALER IN LIBERAL, KS LOOK AT THEM.HIS COMMENT TO ME WAS THAT HE COULD PRO-RATE THEM AND ADJUST THEM. HE ALSO SAID HE DID'NT HAVE ANY TIRES TO PUT ON AT THE TIME(08/25/2000)THE TIRE FAILURE IS THE TREADS WERE STARTING TO CRACK AND SEPERATE.( DOT NUMBER: W2HLIPY507 TIRE SIZE: P235-75R15 )

NINE FLAT TIRES SINCE NEW. NO NAIL,SCREW, ETC. LAST FLAT TIRE WAS 8-18 ON LEFT FRONT. LUCKILY I WAS NOT FAR FROM HOME AND NOTICED TRUCK STEERING BADLY. SLOWED DOWN AND STOPPED. AIR SHOOTING OUT 3" SPLIT IN TIRE. NOT A CUT. TREAD IS SPLITTING OPEN. I HAD TO GET HELP TO CHANGE TIRE, AND TOOK IT TO FIRESTONE DEALER- PLAZA TIRE SERVICE IN CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. TIRE INSPECTED AND CAN NOT BE REPAIRED DUE TO MULTIPLE SPLITS, FROM 1" TO ABOUT 10"" IN LENGTH.ON TREAD. ALSO CRACKS BETWEEN TREAD ALL OVER TIRE. I HAVE KEPT TIRES ASND TAKEN PHOTOS. LAST 3 FLATS REPAIRED AT PLAZA TIRE. FLAT IN JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST THIS SUMMER. I HAVE HAD UNEXPLAINED FLATS SINCE TRUCK WAS NEW. TWO WRECLER CALLS AND REPAIRS TOTAL OVER $200.00. I HAD TIRES CHECKED WHEN RECALL WAS ANNOUNCED, AS I WAS SURE THESE CRAPPY TIRES WERE ON RECALL. SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THEY WERE NOT. MAN CHECKED TIRE ON RIGHT FRONT, SAID TREAD WARPING AND FOUND LOOSE FLAP OF TREAD NEAR CENTER OF TIRE. SPARE IS ON LEFT FRONT, AND IS RECALLED ATX RADIAL. I AM SURE MOST RANGER OWNERS NOT AWARE SPARE IS ATX. TRUCK IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF THESE TIRES. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED ALONE ON VACATION IN MICHIGAN 900 MILES AWAY, HAD TO CHANGE TIRES MYSELF TWICE, WRECKER CALLED TWICE, ETC. I WANT THESE TERRIBLE TIRES RECALLED. I WILL NOT HAVE OTHER WILDERNESS AT PUT ON MY TRUCK. WE HAVE 3 OTHER VEHICLES HERE, NEW MERCEDES SUV, MAZDA RX-7, AND DODGE 4X4 AND NONE OF THEM HAVE HAD A FLAT TIRE DURING THIS TIME. SINCE ONE TIRE IS NOW OFF TRUCK, I HAVE FOUND MANY LONGE DEEP SPLITS ON TREAD, SMALL V SHAPED CRACKS BETWEEN TREAD, AND ONE PENCIL THICK RAISED RIDGE RUNNING FROM SIDE TO SIDE ACROSS THE TIRE. TIRES HAVE A LOT OF TREAD. I AM SURE ALL TIRES LOOK LIKE THIS. I HAVE CALLED FIRESTONE, AND HAVE MADE MY WAY SLOWLY TO CORPORATE OFFICE, AND AM WAITING TO HEAR FROM THEM. I APPRECIATE YOUR CONCEERN AND HELP. I HAVE ALSO CONTACTED CONGRESSWOMAN JOANN EMERSON, (R) 8TH DISTRICT,MISSOURI, AND THE FORD DEALEDRSHIP.

WHEN I CHANGED OUT MY SNOW TIRES IN SPRING OF 1999 I NOTICED A NEW VIBRATION WHICH I NEVER NOTICED PREVIOUSLY. I ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE TIRES BALANCED SEVERAL TIMES AND HAD OTHER ISSUES SUCH AS FRONT ALLIGNMENT DEFECTS ALL RULED OUT, FINALLY THE TIRES THEMSELVES WERE CHECKED BY FORD AND FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE (2 AT THE TIME ON THE REAR). I ALSO HAD A 3RD TIRE REPLACED AS IT WAS PUNTURED ABOUT THE SAME TIME. AT THE TIME IT APPEARED THE 4TH TIRE WAS FINE AND THE VIBRATION FINALLY DISAPPEARED. A FEW MONTHS LATER I PUT MY NOW TIRES (ON THEIR OWN RIMS) PUT ON THE REAR ONLY AND HAD THE REAR NORMAL RADIALS MOVED FORWARD. I DID NOT NOTICE ANY FURTHER PROBLEMS UNTIL CHANGING FROM MY SNOW TIRES BACK TO ALL NORMAL TIRES IN THE SPRING. I FINALLY TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR TIRE ROTATION AND BALANCE LAST MONTH (JULY) BUT DESPITE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BY PERRY'S TIRE THE RIGHT REAR TIRE DEFIED AL ATTEMPTS AT BALANCING. I AM AGAIN DRIVING WITH A VIBRATION AND FORD IS RESISTING SOLVING ALL OF MY HEADACHES AND REPLACING ALL OF THESE TIRES WITH OTHER THAN FIRESTONE WILDERNESS HT TIRES AND INSIST THEY HAVE TO REBALANCE AND DRIVE IT FIRST BUT EVEN IF THE TIRE IS DEFECTIVE THEY INSIST THEY CANT REPLACE ALL OF MY TIRES. IT WAS CLEAR THAT 2 TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE A YEAR AGO AND NOW I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/70R14 )

THUMPING NOISE NOTED. CHECKED TIRES. FOUND STEEL SHOWING THROUGH, TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. DEALER STATED TRUCK WAS NOT OUT OF ALIGNMENT, WAS A TIRE MANUFATURER DEFECT. TOOK VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE DEALER TOLD US THE TRUCK WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. CALLED FIRESTONE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE, TOLD ME IT WAS A FORD PROBLEM. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TWO NON FIRESTONE DEALERS, THEY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND THE TIRE AND SAID IT WAS A TIRE DEFECT. TOOK MY TRUCK TO A FIRESTONE DEALER OUT OF THE AREA, DID NOT SHOW HIM THE DEFECTIVE TIRE, HAD HIM CHECK MY TRUCK, SAID THE ALIGNMENT WAS FINE. THEN I HAD HIM LOOK AT THE TIRE, HE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL ME WELL MAYBE YOUR TRUCK IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT, YOU HAVENT ROTATED YOUR TIRES PROPERLY, HAVENT KEPT THEM INFLATED TO THE CORRECT PRESSURE. I DO HAVE DOCUMENTATION AS TO WHEN THE TIRES WERE ROTATED. WE CHECK THE AIR PRESSURE ONCE A WEEK WHEN WE FILL THE VEHICLE WITH FUEL. HE DID SAY THOUGH, TO KEEP THE CUSTOMER HAPPY I WILL REPLACE THE TIRE ON A 50% PRO-RATE. I ACCEPTED THIS AND BOUGHT TWO NEW TIRES. I FEEL FIRESTONE IS COVERING UP PROBLEMS.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 22570R15 )

IN OCTOBER 1999, A CO-WORKER BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT STEEL THREADS WERE POKING THROUGH THE TREAD ON THE LEFT FRONT TIRE OF MY 1998 FORD RANGER, WHICH ONLY HAD 12,840 MILES ON IT. I HAD PURCHASED IT BRAND NEW FOURTEEN MONTHS EARLIER FROM CAPITAL FORD. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ASKED HOW IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT MY TIRES WERE WEARING OUT. MY FRONT TIRES WERE VERY BAD, THE LEFT ONE WAS SO BAD THAT THE TECHNICIANS AT THE DEALERSHIP, CARRIE AND JOE, INSISTED THAT THEY PUT MY SPARE TIRE ON UNTIL I COULD RETURN TO HAVE TWO NEW FRONT TIRES. I INQUIRED AS TO WHY THE UNUSUAL WEAR WAS NOT BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION TWO MONTHS EARLIER WHEN I HAD AN ANNUAL INPECTION DONE AT THE VERY SAME DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS AN OVERSIGHT. CARRIE CONTACTED PETER DUERKSEN, THE SERVICE DIRECTOR, WHO AUTHORIZED HIS DEPARTMENT TO PAY FOR HALF THE COST OF REPLACEMENT TIRES AND AN ALLIGNMENT, WHICH WAS PERFORMED NOVEMBER 3, 1999. I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ALLIGNMENT. I MAINTAIN THAT THE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS HT IS A SUBSTANDARD AND UNSAFE TIRE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. I HAVE CORRESPONDED TO CAPITAL FORD AND FIRESTONE WITH RESPECT TO THIS MATTER AND HAVE HAD NO SATISFACTION.( DOT NUMBER: )