1997 Chevrolet Suburban

WHILE DRVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED FELT VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL AND STOPPED TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS WRONG. DISCOVERED THAT A SECTION OF TREAD (4"X4") HAD COME OFF RIGHT FRONT TIRE. REPLACED WITH SPARE, AND CONTINUED TO NEXT TOWN. WAS UNABLE TO PURCHASE REPLACEMENT, AND CONTINUED TRIP WITHOUT SPARE. ON RETURN TRIP ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2000 AND PULLING A TRAILER, RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION. BECAUSE OF NO SPARE, HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE AND TRAILER TOWED HOME. FIRESTONE, STEELTEX R42 ON A 1997, CHEVEROLET, SUBURBAN; ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, 245/75R16, DOT# UNAVAILABLE. TIRE HAS ABOUT 60% OF TREAD LEFT. HAS TIRES AVAILABLE FOR ANALYSIS AND PHOTOS UPON REQUEST.

LEFT FRONT TIRE BELT SEPARATED AT 65MPH, VEHICLE STOPED, TIRE REPLACED AND UPON EXAMENING REMAINING TIRES, RIGHT FRONT TIRE SHOWED SIGNS OF BELT SEPERATING. CONSULTED FIRESTONE DEALER IN HOUMA, AND WAS TOLD THE SEPERATION WAS CAUSED BY ROAD HAZARDS. REPLACED BOTH FRONT TIRES ON 21/MAY/2000 WITH ANOTHER BRAND. THERE ARE 2 REMAINING TIRES ON VEHICLE WHICH WILL BE REPLACED THIS MONTH.*AK (DOT NUMBER: VN11B1A TIRESIZE: LT24575R16)

WHILE ON VACATION HAD TWO TIRES BLOW OUT ON I75 JUST SOUTH OF ATLANTA. HAD TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES FROM THE FIRESTONE DEALER ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF ATLANTA. THEY SAID THIS TIRE WAS NOT IN THE RECALL LIST BUT IT CAME APART JUST LIKE THE OTHERS. IT WAS A VERY, VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE THE TIRES THAT BLEW OUT WERE PURCHASED AT THE FIRESTONE DEALER ON US41 IN FORT MYERS, FL. WHICH IS MY HOME.*AK (TIRESIZE: 245/75R/16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 245/75R/16 )

TIRE ON HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE VEHICLE - U.S. GOVERNMENT OWNED TAG NO. I258844; TIRE IS IN EVIDENCE LOCKER; TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE AT HIGHWAY CRUISING SPEED OF 65 MPH - SPEED SET BY CRUISE CONTROL; TREAD WRAPPED AROUND WHEEL AXEL, BUT DID NOT GO FLAT; LEFT REAR TIRE ALSO REPLACED AFTER INSPECTION AT TIRE SHOP; ALL TIRES HAD BEEN REGULARLY CHECKED AND WERE PROPERLY INFLATED. *AK (DOT NUMBER: UNKNOWN TIRESIZE: LT245/75R1)

STEERING WHEEL SOMETIMES JERKS OUT OF MY HANDS AS IF I'VE HIT A PATCH OF ICE. ALSO FEEL THE TRUCK BOUNCING WHILE DRIVING AS IF THERE IS A BUBBLE IN THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER ABOUT 7 TIMES WITH NOT RESOLUTION. HAD THE TRUCK CHECKED AT GOODYEAR DEALER 6 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. GOODYEAR SAID THE THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. SAID THEY WERE CUPPED OR CHOPPED. I PAID $700 DOLLARS TO REPLACE TIRES AFTER DEALER REFUSED TO DO SO, BUT STILL EXPERIENCE BOUNCING SENSATION AT 60-70 MPH. NOTICED BOTH PROBLEMS THE DAY I BOUGHT THE TRUCK.*AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 245/75R16 )

WHILE TRAVELING LESS THAN 5 MPH IN A "ROLLING BACKUP" THE RIGHT REAR TIRE ON OUR SUBURBAN LITERALLY EXPLODED. I PULLED OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY, AND FOUND A VERY LARGE HOLE IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. THERE WERE NO FOREIGN OBJECTS IN THE ROAD, AND NO INDICATION OF ANY KIND OF PUNCTURE TO THE TIRE. THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE BLEW OUTWARD, AND LEFT A HOLE APPROXIMATELY 4" WIDE BY 7 INCHES LONG. THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN TWO MONTHS OLD, AND HAD APPROXMATELY 1200 MILES ON IT. I HAD THE VEHICLE IN FOR ITS FIRST OIL CHANGE 3 DAYS EARLIER, AND AMONG OTHER THINGS HAD THE TIRE PRESSURE CHECKED. I CONTACTED A LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER ABOUT REPLACING THE TIRE, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRE WITH AN EXACT MATCH, SINCE THAT PARTICULAR LINE OF TIRES (STEELTEX AT) WAS A TIRE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR GM TRUCKS AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. I CONTACTED THE GM DEALER (GILCHRIST CHEVROLET IN TACOMA WA) AND THEY REPLACED THE TIRE AT NO CHARGE. WITH THE RECENT REVELATIONS ABOUT FIRESTONE TIRE DEFECTS, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE FIRESTONE TIRES ON MY SUBURBAN. THE "STEELTEX AT" SERIES HAS NOT BEEN MENTIONED IN ANY OF THE NEWS REPORTS, BUT I KNOW OF ONE OTHER PERSON WHO HAS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES ON HIS GM TRUCK.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P265R16 )