1996 Honda Accord

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT AN ACCIDENT THAT ALMOST OCCURRED YESTERDAY, 09/04/00, WITH MY 31 YEAR OLD WIFE, TONYA, AND MY 2 1/2 YEAR OLD SON, JACOB. THEY TRAVELED 300 MILES TO SPEND THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND WITH MY WIFE'S PARENTS. ON THE RETURN TRIP TONYA GOT APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILES FROM HOME. SHE NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVING SMOOTHLY AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE SHAKE TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR. SHE IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TRIED TO OBSERVE ANY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE THAT WOULD CAUSE IT TO DRIVE SO POORLY. SHE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING AND SHE LIMPED THE CAR THE REMAINING SEVEN MILES TO THE HOUSE. WHEN TONYA ARRIVED SHE TOLD ME ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I LOOKED AT IT AND COULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. I DROVE THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET AT A VERY LOW SPEED. I COULD TELL THAT THE CAR WAS NOT OPERATING NORMALLY. I AGAIN LOOKED THE CAR OVER AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE'S STEEL BELT HAD SEPARATED. THE TIRE, STILL HOLDING AIR PRESSURE AND BULGING, WAS THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM. I ALSO NOTED AT THIS TIME THAT THE BRAND WAS FIRESTONE, FIREHAWK SS10. (FURTHER INFO ON TIRES P195/60R15 87S M+S DOT VDV9 JBB 226). AFTER DOING SOME INVESTIGATING ABOUT THE FIRESTONE RECALL TIRES I HAVE LEARNED THAT THE SEPARATED TIRE ON MY 1996 HONDA ACCORD WAS MADE AT THE DECANTUR PLANT. TODAY I TOOK MY CAR TO THE LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTER, P.O. BOX 16388 MISSOULA MT 59808-6388 (406) 721-1770. I LEARNED UPON ARRIVING AT THE STORE THAT THE FIRESTONE TIRES THAT WERE RECALLED DID NOT INCLUDE THE TIRE THAT ALMOST CAUSED MY LIFE TO CHANGE. MY FAMILY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME AND I PURCHASED FOUR NEW TOYO SPECTRUM ALL SEASON TIRES. THIS SET ME BACK $300.00 AND I AM NOT A RICH MAN. THE INVOICE NUMBER FOR THIS TRANSACTION WAS 298921 ON 09/05/00... TO THE PEOPLE OF NHTSA, THANKYOU FOR YOUR TIME.( DOT NUMBER: VDV9 TIRE SIZE: P195/60R15 )

BOUGHT CAR USED IN JULY. TIRES LOOKED FINE AND SHOULD HAVE LASTED A LONG TIME. OWNER SAID TIRES WERE ONLY 6 MONTHS OLD. TWO FIRESTONE TIRES ON FRONT, TWO GOODYEAR TIRES ON BACK. FIRESTONE TIRES TWO MONTHS NEWER THAN GOODYEAR. TIRES LOOKED FINE WHEN PARKED, BUT WHEN STEERING WHEEL TURNED, THERE WAS NO TREAD ON THE INSIDE AND THE STEEL BELTS WERE SHOWING ALL THE WAY AROUND THE INSIDE OF BOTH FRONT TIRES. MY HUSBAND REFUSED TO LET ME DRIVE CAR UNLESS TIRES WERE REPLACED. BY THE TIME I DROVE MY CAR TO THE TIRE DEALER (APPROX 10 MILES), THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT. I CALLED FIRESTONE WHILE I WAS HAVING NEW TIRES PUT ON, AND THEY WOULD NOT DISCUSS IT BECAUSE THESE WERE NOT THE TIRES INVOLVED IN THE RECALL. I AM NOT SO MUCH INTERESTED IN REIMBURSEMENT AS IN GETTING ADDITIONAL TIRES RECALLED BY FIRESTONE THAT THERE ARE OTHER TIRES THAT FIRESTONE HAS NOT RECALLED THAT ARE AS DANGEROUS AS THE ONES THEY DID RECALL. THE TWO GOODYEAR TIRES ON THE BACK WERE STILL OKAY, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE TWO MONTHS OLDER THAN THE FIRESTONE. I WENT AHEAD AND REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 205/60/R15 )