1999 Ford Ranger

THERE IS 3 OR 4 RECALLS ON MY RANGER AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF ANY. WITH THE TIRES I TRIED TO DO SOMETHING AND THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO BECAUSE I CHANGED THE TIRES MYSELF TO SOMETHING ELSE BEFORE I EVEN NEW THEY MAY BE PROBLEMS. I ALSO OWN A 1998 FORD ESCORT AND COULD NOT PULL UP THAT MODEL CAN YOU TELL ME IF THERE WAS ANY RECALLS ON THAT ONE. THANK YOU.*LA

AFTER HAVING BRAKE JOB DONE AND TIRES ROTATED I WAS DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEED. VIOLENT STEERING WHEEL JERKING OCCURRED. PULLED OVER AND CALLED AUTO REPAIR SERVICE WHO HAD JUST WORKED ON VEHICLE TO COME INSPECT. HE SAYS NOTHING THEY DID WRONG, BELTS IN TIRE APPEAR TO BE SEPARATING. NOT BELIEVING, TOOK VEHICLE TO 3RD PARTY WHO SAID SAME THING. ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON 1999 FOR RANGER PICK UP. FORD SAYS CONTACT FIRESTONE. FIRESTONE SAYS THAT PROBABLY ISN'T WHAT IT IS BUT WILL SELL ME NEW FIRESTONES WITH PRO-RATE FOR USAGE. THANKS, BUT NO THANKS. DT

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE TO REPLACE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES. CONSUMER HAD TIRES REPLACED AT LOCAL FIRESTONE MERCHANT WITH BRIDGESTONE WILDERNESS AT 15 INCH TIRES. SOON AFTER, CONSUMER RECEIVED ANOTHER RECALL NOTICE STATING THAT THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES WERE ALSO INSUFFICIENT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER, DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPLACE BRIDGESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES THAT WERE REPLACED BY FIRESTONE BECAUSE THE TIRES WERE PART OF THE FIRESTONE RECALL. CONSUMER IS SEEKING AUTHORIZATION FROM DEALERSHIP TO HAVE TIRES REPLACED. *TT

FOR 3 DAYS IN A ROW I HAVE HAD ALL 4 TIRES AND THE SPARE TIRES, MAKING THAT 5 TIRES ALL TOGETHER DISINTEGRATE. THESE WERE THE WILDERNESS HT SIZE 14 FROM FIRESTONE. NEITHER FORD NOR FIRESTONE WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE. THE STEEL BELTS HAVE COMPLETELY COME THROUGH THE TIRE AND I HAVE CRACKS AND GOUGES IN ALL 5 TIRES. NOONE WANTS TO REPLACE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PART OF THE RECALL. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE SIZE OF THE TIRE HAS TO DO WITH IT. OBVIOUSLY THE WAY THE TIRE IS MADE IS THE PROBLEM. IF THEY HAVE TO RECALL ANY OF THEM THAN OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEM IS WITH FIRESTONE. THEY SHOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BLAME THE CONSUMER FOR THEIR FAILURES.

I JUST DISCOVERED THAT MY 1999 FORD RANGER 4X4 OFF-ROAD PICKUP, WHICH WAS FACTORY EQUIPPED WITH 16" TIRES, HAS A 15" SPARE. THE ENGINEERS AT FORD HAVE DECIDED THAT MISMATCHING TIRE SIZES POSES NO ADVERSE DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR CONSUMERS. I FEEL THAT EMERGENCY HANDLING WITH A 15" SPARE MOUNTED ON THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE WOULD BE A CHALLENGE AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. I DOUBT THAT ANY TIRE MANUFACTURERS WOULD RECOMMEND OR SUPPORT THIS PRACTICE. WHAT DID THE DEALERSHIP OR FORD MOTOR COMPANY DO WHEN I BROUGHT THIS MATTER TO THEIR ATTENTION, YOU ASK? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! IT WOULD BE VERY INTERESTING TO SEE THE RESULTS FROM SOME INDEPENDENT TEST CONDUCTED BY A CONSUMER GROUP OR FROM ANY TESTS THAT FORD MAY HAVE PERFORMED. COULD THIS BE ANOTHER RECALL IN THE MAKING? I HOPE SO, AS I THINK THAT UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, DRIVING A VEHICLE IN THIS CONFIGURATION COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS! THIS IS NOT LIMITED TO THE 1999 MODEL YEAR. FORD HAS DONE THIS ON THE 2000, 2001 AND IS STILL DOING IT ON THEIR 2002 RANGERS EQUIPPED WITH 16 TIRES. APPARENTLY FORD HAS NO PROBLEM AGGRESSIVELY MARKETING AND UPGRADING THE STANDARD 15 TIRES TO OPTIONAL 16 TIRES. THEY JUST DONT SEE ANY NEED TO UPGRADE THE SPARE. I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH FORDS ATTITUDE, AS I SEE A REAL PROBLEM WITH DRIVING MISMATCHED TIRES EVEN TEMPORARILY, AND ESPECIALLY ON THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. (TIRESIZE: P235/75R15)