1996 Mercury Cougar

TIRE BLEW OUT ON CITY STREET GOING APPROX 35MPH. TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED ON 5-28-98 AND ALSO 9-2-98 BY FORD DEALER. HAVE INFO ON SERVICE TICKETS. FIRESTONE REP SAID TIRE HAD BEEN DRIVEN WITH LOW PRESSURE AND ALSO ON GLASS. SIDEWALL BLEW OUT. THIS PERSON WAS NOT WORTH TALKING TO. PURCHASED ANOTHER BRAND AND DISCARDED CARCASS.*AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P215 70R/1 )

ABOUT A MONTH AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR, I HAD A FLAT ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. WE TOOK THE CAR TO DISCOUNT TIRES WHO TOLD US THAT THE TIRE ON THE BACK DRIVERS SIDE WAS SEPARATING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE FLAT UNTIL WE REPLACED THE TIRE DUE TO SAFETY. WE BOUGHT A REPLACEMENT TIRE FROM DISCOUNT TIRES AND HAD IT PLACED ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE. ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON ONE OF OUR LOOPS, AT THE POSTED SPEEDLIMIT OF 70 MPH, WHEN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE SHREDDED AND BLEW OUT. THE CAR ENDED UP GOING SIDEWAYS DOWN THE LOOP IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. HE ENDED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF FREEWAY IN THE GRASS. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS HURT, BUT THE TIRE DID DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL WELL AND THE REAR BUMPER WHEN IT CAME LOOSE. WE REPLACED THAT TIRE AND THE OTHER FRONT TIRE AT THE SAME TIME. ABOUT TWO TO THREE WEEKS LATER I NOTICED A BAD VIBRATION WHILE DRIVING AND HAD THE FOURTH TIRE REPLACED. I HAD ASKED THE TECHNICIAN AT DISCOUNT TIRES, IF I SHOULD GO TO FIRESTONE AND HAVE THEM LOOK AT THE TIRE, AS THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEM TO COME APART LIKE THAT. I WAS TOLD I COULD TAKE IT TO THEM, HOWEVER THEY WOULD NOT GIVE ME VERY MUCH, AS THE TREAD WAS LOW, I MIGHT GET A LITTLE BIT OF REPLACEMENT VALUE BUT NOT MUCH. SINCE I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES, AND THE TIRE RETAILERS CHARGED ME A DISPOSAL FEE, AND KEPT THE BAD TIRES, I HAVE NO WAY OF PROVING THAT I HAD THE ORIGINAL FIRESTONE TIRES THE CAR CAME WITH. THESE TIRES LOOKED FINE AND APPEARED TO HAVE QUITE A BIT OF TREAD STILL ON THEM, BUT ALL FOUR OF THEM COMPLETLY SEPARATED THE TREAD FROM TIRE.IT MOUNTED. *AK( DOT NUMBER: )