1999 Ford Ranger

ON 08/11/2000, I VISITED THE LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER BECAUSE ALL FOUR OF MY TIRES WERE AND STILL ARE CRACKING ALL THE WAY AROUND ABOUT 2 AND 1/2 INCHES IN FROM THE OUTER TREAD. THE DEALER SENT ME TO THE FIRESTONE FACTORY STORE ON BROADWAY AVE. IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. THE STORE MANAGER INSPECTED MY TIRES AND ADVISED THAT HE THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS A COSMETIC FLAW THAT NORMALLY SHOWS UP ON TIRES WITH 25,000 MILES ON THEM. HE ALSO ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRES FOR FREE AS WITH THE RECALLED MODELS AND WOULD ONLY SELL ME ANOTHER SET AFTER PRO-RATING THE TIRES. WELL ON 09/03/2000, THE SO CALLED COSMETIC FLAW ON THE LEFT FRONT TIRE ON MY TRUCK GAVE WAY. FOR SEVERAL DAYS THE TIRE HAD BEEN MAKING A BUMPING SOUND AND ON 09/03/2000 IT BECAME A ROAR THEN THE TIRE WENT. LUCKY FOR ME AND MY PASSENGER IT DID NOT TOTALLY BLOW OUT. THE TIRE ACTUALLY SPLIT APART LAYER BY LAYER AND MUST HAVE BEGAN LEAKING FROM THE CORE, THUS RELEASING THE PRESSURE BEFORE IT HAD TIME TO BLOW. I WILL HAVE PICTURES TAKEN OF THE TIRE FOR MY PROOF AND WILL PROVIDE COPIES UPON REQUEST.( DOT NUMBER: W270 TIRE SIZE: P245-75R16 )

TIRES DEVELOPED A "HOP" "SKITTER" BOUNCE, MOMENTARY LOSS OF TRACTION, WHATEVER,"PUSHED" THRU CURVES, OR DURING AVOIDANCE MANUVERS. THE SITUATION WAS SOMEWHAT AMELIORATED BY PUTTING THE COLD INFLATION UP TO "MAX" NOT FORDS' RECOMMENDS... THE GARAGE HAD THE PATENT OBFUSCATION READY, "IT'S THE NATURE OF THE BEAST" AND WOULD DO NOTHING. THE TIRES WERE EXCHANGED FOR ANOTHER BRAND ALL-WEATHER M+S TIRE, WHICH WAS SPEED RATED (SUSTAINED 130+) TRACTION A, TEMPERATURE A ... DURING THE TRADE-OUT IT WAS DISCOVERED; BY THE TIRE DEALER, THAT A RIM WAS DEFECTIVE. THE POINT BEING THE DEALER; EITHER MADE NO ATTEMPT TO REALLY DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, OR HIS STAFF WAS INCOMPETENT. THE NEW TIRES PERFORMED FLAWLESSLY, EVEN IN HEAVY RAINS AT HI-SPEED. WE WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THAT THE WILDERNESS AT AND THE FIRESTONE ATX HAVE WEAK SIDEWALLS THAT FLEX TOO MUCH, ESP' AT THE FORD RECOMMEND PSI' OR LAZY PEOPLE RUNNING THE TIRE UNDERINFLATED AT AN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS LEVEL, GENERATING TREMENDOUS HEAT AND FAILURES AT HIWAY SPEEDS, ESP WHERE THE AIR GETS VERY HOT... THERE IS ALSO A "COMPUTER CONTROLLED" ENGINE KILL/SHUT DOWN THAT MANIFESTED ITSELF AT THE APEX OF 7 VEHICLE PASS, ON A 2-LANE AND ALMOST GOT ME KILLED: THE DEALER DENIED ITS' EXISTENCE, FAILED TO SAY IT WAS THERE AFTER A FORD REP ADMITTED IT WAS THERE AS PART OF COMPLIANCE TO MEET CAFE REQUIREMENTS(THIS COULD HAVE ALREADY CAUSED A LOT ACCIDENTS, AND IS FRAUD). FINALLY THE LAST THING IS; MAYBE MINOR, BUT A LARGE NUMBER OF CONTROL WIRES FOR THE X-MISSION AND X-FER CASE ARE EXPOSED AND CAN BE RIPPED OUT TRAVELLING OVER "BUSH" OR "SCRUB." POTENTIAL FATAL PROBLEMS COULD ARISE... THANKS FOR LISTENING I( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 245/75/16 )

CONSUMER HAS 1999 FORD RANGER. FRONT RIGHT TIRES HAD A LUMP ON THE OUTSIDE. DEALER INSPECTED THE TIRE, AND SAID IT WAS NO PROBLEM TO GO AHEAD & DRIVE ON IT. CONSUMER WENT TO FIRESTONE & THEY CONFIRMED IT WASN'T A RECALL TIRE, BUT THEY WULD REPLACE IT FOR $43. VEHICLE NEEDED ALIGNMENT. CONSUMER GOT A 3RD OPINION & WAS TOLD THAT NO ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED & BUT THE TIRE WAS BAD. DOT# WZVV1PO508. TIRE SIZE P235/70R15. *AK THE CUSTOMER BOUGHT 5 NEW TIRES OF CHOICE TO REPLACE THE FIRESTONE TIRES AND WANTS TO BE REIMBURSED BY FORD OR FIRESTONE. *YH

ALL OF MY TIRES ARE SEPARATING AT THE TREAD JUST LIKE THE 15 INCH WILDERNESS AT TIRES. TWO OF WHICH ARE WORSE THAN THE OTHER TWO. THE DEALERSHIP WON'T LOOK AT THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT RECALLED, NOR WILL THE LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALERS. YOU CAN SEE THE SEPARATION (YOU CAN SEE WIRES HANGING OUT AT THE SEPARATION. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE REPLACEMENT TIRES(GOOD YEAR) THE COMPETITORS BRAND BEFORE SOMETHING TRAGIC HAPPENS TO MYSELF OR MY FAMILY.( DOT NUMBER: W270 TIRE SIZE: P245/75R16 )

TIRE UNDERWENT COMPLETE SIDEWALL FALIURE, AND PARTIAL TREAD SEPERATION WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ENTIRE SIDEWALL OF TIRE SHREADED AND SEPERATED FROM TIRE, WHILE THERE WAS PARTIAL TREAD SEPERATION. OTHER THAN REPLACEMENT OF TIRE AND MINOR DAMAGE TO RIM, THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO VEHICLE, POSSIBLY DUE TO THE SLOW SPEED AT WHICH THE TRUCK WAS PROCEEDING AT. AFTER CONTACTING A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP(MULLINAX FORD, NOW RENAMED MAROONE FORD OF MARGATE), I WAS INFORMED THAT WHILE THERE WAS A RECALL ON FIRESTONE WILDERNESS 15" TIRES, THE TYPE ON MY TRUCK, WILDERNESS HT'S, WERE NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL, AND EVEN THOUGH I HAD AN EQUIPMENT FALIURE, I WOULD NOT GET REPLACEMENT TIRES FOR MY VEHICLE, NOR BE COMPENSATED FOR THE TIRE I HAD TO REPLACE AT MY OWN EXPENSE.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/70R15 )