1997 Ford Club Wagon

DURATURN TRAVIA H/T DELAMINATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MONDAY OCTOBER 26, 2020. 1 TON VAN SHUDDERED AND SHOOK THE STEERING WHEEL. REDUCED SPEED AND LEFT THE FREEWAY. CHANGED TO SPARE TIRE. DURATURN VISIBLY MIS-SHAPED BUT REMAINED ON THE RIM. VIEWED RECALL IN PROGRESS FOR DURATURN TRAVIA A/T TIRES, INCLUDING MY SIZE 245/75R16 (WHICH ARE LOAD RANGE E). THE DATE RANGE ON MY TIRES IS IN THE DATE RANGE OF THE RECALL (2016). CALLED THE RECALL WEBPAGE PROVIDED REP (DAVE 626-513-8989) TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND LEFT MESSAGES EACH DAY. NO REPLY. NO OTHER CONTACT PHONE NUMBER OPTIONS FOUND ONLINE. MY 4 VAN TIRES HAVE ABOUT 85% TREAD LEFT AND ARE ALL THE SAME BRAND ETC. DOT UFRN EL8 1116 IS MOLDED INTO THE FAILED TIRE. VAN IS 1997 FORD CLUBWAGON WHICH HOLDS UP TO 15 PASSENGERS.

UPON RETURNING FROM A ROUTINE DRIVE, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT TWO LUGS: NUTS WERE COMPLETELY MISSING AND FIVE OF THE REMAINING SIX WERE LOOSE. THE WHEELS ARE CONSTRUCTED OF POLISHED ALUMINUM AND ARE OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT FROM THE MANUFACTURER (WHEELED COACH). FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWED DETERIORATION AS A POSSIBLE RESULT OF THE ALUMINUM IN THE WHEELS REACTING WITH THE STEEL OF THE LUGS. BECAUSE THIS IS AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE, ONE OF THOUSANDS ON THE ROAD, IT IS IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO EMS PROVIDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO ADVISE THEM TO ROUTINELY CHECK THEIR LUG NUTS, ESPECIALLY ON ALUMINUM WHEELS.*AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE TIRES. THE RECALL ONLY APPLIED TO THE SPARE BECAUSE CONSUMER HAD PREVIOUSLY REPLACED THE OTHER FOUR TIRES. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE IN TO HAVE THE RECALL PERFORMED. THE SALES ASSOCIATE INSPECTED THE TIRE AND INFORMED CONSUMER HE COULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRE WITH OUT A CODE FROM GOODYEAR. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE AND TIRE TO ANOTHER DEALER. THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT HAVE ONE IN STOCK AND TOLD CONSUMER TO COME BACK ON MONDAY TO HAVE THE TIRE REPLACED. ON MONDAY THE TIRE HAD NOT BEEN ORDERED. IT TOOK CONSUMER 5 TRIES TO HAVE THE TIRE REPLACED AS STATED IN THE RECALL. *JG

THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH A MODIFICATION--ELECTRONIC HAND CONTROLS PROVIDED BY EMC CO IN LOUISIANA. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES: THEY ARE ELECTRONIC HAND CONTROLS THAT WORK WITH THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR. THREE TIMES THE CONTROLS HAVE FAILED TO WORK SO THAT EITHER THE ACCELERATOR HAS BEEN STUCK OR THE BRAKES HAVE NOT WORKED. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND DOING A LITTLE INVESTIGATION OF MY OWN, THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM, BUT I CAN FIND NO INFORMATION ON THE WWW REGARDING IT. I HOPE YOU'LL LOOK INTO IT.*AK

DUE TO A BAD VALVE STEM, THE TIRE AND RIM WERE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE AND TAKEN TO A TIRE DEALERSHIP (BIG O TIRES) IN MONUMENT CO. FOR REPAIR. THE VALVE STEM WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED WITHOUT THE TRIE BEING REMOVED FROM THE RIM. THE TIRE WAS REINFLATED TO MANUFACTURER SPECSOF 80 PSI COLD. THE TIRE AND RIM WERE PICKED UP AND PLACED IN THE BACK OF MY JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE FOR TRANSPORTATION BACK TO MY RESIDENCE. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES OF BEING IN THE BACK OF THE JEEP, THE TIRE EXPLODED TEARING A 6 INCH GASH IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE, AN INCH AND A QUARTER FROM THE TREAD SURFACE. THE TIRE HAD BEEN INFLATED ALL OF 10 MINUTES WHEN IT EXPLODED. I IMMEDEATELY RETURNED BACK TO BIG O TIRES AND CONFIRMED THE TIRE PRESSURE THEY HAD PLACED IN THE TIRE. I SHOWED THEM THE TIRE AND EXPLAINED HOW IT SEEMED TO SELD-DISTRUCT IN THE BACK ON MY VEHICLE. AGAIN, THE TIRE WAS NOT UNDER PRESSURE AS IT WAS ONLY IN THE BACK OF MY JEEP. THEY , BIG O TIRES, FELT THAT THERE HAD TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT IN THE TIRE AND SUGGESTED THAT IT BE TAKEN TO FIRESTONE FOR EXAMINATION. THE TIRE WAS TAKEN TO FIRESTONE OF CHAPLE HILLS. UPON EXAMINATION, THEY IMMEDEATELY IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS THE TIRE BEING CUT FROM THE OUTSIDE AND NOT THEIR PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED THE NATURE OF THE INCIDENT NUMEROUS TIMES TO THE FIRESTONE PEOPLE BUT RECEIVED NO HELP. I RETURNED TO BIG O TIRES AND ADVISED THEM OF WHAT FIRESTONE HAD SAID. THEY EXPLAINED THAT A CUT IN THE TIRE COULD CLEARLY NOT BE THE CASE AS IF IT HAD BEEN CUT TO THE DEPTH OF CUTTING THE SIDEWALL BELTING, IT WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO HOLD THE PRESSURE THAT THEY HAD PUT INTO IT. THEY CONTINUE TO BELIEVE, AS DO I, THAT THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF DEFECT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TIRE. FIRESTONE TREATED ME AS IF I HAD CUT THE TIRE AND MADE UP A STORY IN ORDER TO SAVE HAVING TO PURCHASE A NEW TIRE. THERE WAS NO REASON TO PURCHASE A NEW TIRE, PRIOR TO THIS EXPLOSION, AS THE TREAD WEAR WAS MINIMAL. (DOT NUMBER: VOIL1XA366 TIRESIZE: LT22575R16)