Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||||
| 030310006D | 09/01/2005 | 030310006E | 10012161 | 20 inch wheels and tires available through gmspo. *eh *tt | 02/16/2005 |
| 030310002 | 06/01/2004 | 10012160 | Use of correct installation procedure for loose hubcap assembly. this service bulletin replaces 030310002. *eh | 02/16/2005 | |
| TIRES - TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE | |||||
| 02076 | 01/01/2004 | 10007773 | Recent shipment of flexible spare tire hoist tool. service vme. *tt | 07/09/2004 | |
| 01848 | 01/01/2004 | 10006583 | Spare tire flexible tool availability. *mr | 05/06/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 10/01/2008 | 130000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet silverado. the vehicle has steeltex radio a/t tires, size t245-75r16 e120l (na). the tires were purchased in 2005 and, at 30,000 miles, the contact began to feel a strong vibration from the front tires. the tires were inspected and he realized that there was strong tread separation in both front tires. the contact discovered nhtsa campaign id number 03t002000 (tires:tread/belt); however, the manufacturer stated that his tire size was not affected. the contact believes that the tires should be included in the recall if the failures are identical. the current and failure mileages were 130,000. | |||
| 11/11/2005 | 18600 | 3 | 03/29/2004 |
| To: | |||
| 07/16/2005 | 34900 | 1 | 04/18/2001 |
| Dt: contact stated the tread separated from the rear driver side tire, almost causing loss of control of the vehicle. the driver side rear fender was damaged because of the tread separation. consumer was not aware of any indication that there was a problem with the tire. two months prior to the incident the tires were rotated. at that time, there were no problems with the tires. the tires have not been inspected by a certified firestone dealer. the vehicle was purchased new in 2001, the tires were the original ones on the vehicle.*ak on original tire had to be replaced because it developed a bubble in its sidewall. *nm | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Chevrolet silverado 2001, replaced timing chain at 55,000 miles. *bf the consumer stated when he attempted to apply the brakes, the vehicle skidded and would not stop and when it occurred the vehicle made a noise. the consumer was told it was just the anti-lock brakes kicking in. the consumer also stated when the roads were wet and he applied the accelerator from a stop the back tire would spin out. *jb | |||
| 10/15/2002 | 13210 | ||
| Front tire prematurely worn on one side dealer replaced rack &pinion ,steering gear that was leaking dealer set toe refused to do full alignment.rotated tires.at18,100 front tire again worn on one side different dealer installed another remanufactured rack & pinion,steering gear an did a full alignment . vehicle then had slight vibration transmitted through steering wheel when taken back next day dealer said tires needed replaiced . | |||
| 09/22/2003 | 17000 | ||
| While driving at highway speeds the vehicle started to shake severely which made it difficult to control the vehicle. the vehicle was driven to the dealership and the consumer was informed by the mechanic that all four(4) tires were out of round and would need to be replaced. *nlm | |||
| 08/28/2003 | 13000 | 2 | 02/28/2001 |
| Rack&pinion steering was leaking and causing rapid/uneven front tire wear at 13000 mi.dealer replaced with remanufactured part that is now leaking again at 18000 mi. and is now making growling noise.dealer refused to align vehicle or replace either badly worn tire. defective rack & pinion caused loss of power steering fluid creating danger of loss of steering had it not been discovered.*ak | |||
| 08/26/2003 | 3 | 06/29/2001 | |
| Consumer states that the tires on a 2001 chevrolet silverado bounced while driving. consumer took the vehicle to the mechanic to have them balanced, and was told the tires maybe recalled tires. the tires did not have bubbles or splits on them, they just vibrated and bounced while driving. wilderness at, size p265/75r16.*ak all four tires were balanced time and time again, but the problem still existed. *ph *jb | |||
| 07/08/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states while driving on the freeway at about 60-65 mph he began to hear a grinding noise, he thought,it was front tire, but 30 minutes later, rear tire hub fell off. he was able to get to the side of the road and call a tow truck, and had it towed to a dealer for repair. once at the dealer/mechanic he was told that they could not repair it under warranty because he was 3 miles over the limit, but they would repair it at 100% out of pocket cost.*ak | |||
| 07/04/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states that while driving and without warning the left front side tires blewout, causing consumer to pull over. size#lt26575r16 please provide the dot#. *ak | |||
| 11/15/2002 | |||
| While driving 50 mph the left rear tire blew out. *nlm | |||
| 11/01/2000 | |||
| Per the manufactures directions i inflate the tires to 55psi front and 80psi rear. i tow a 30ft, 10,000lb fifth wheel whose king pin weight is 1600lbs. i drive up to 60mph towing and between 65 and 70 when not towing. i choose the truck to provide a one third safety margin for the trucks total capacity. have rotated the tires front to rear as chevy recommends and inflated accordingly. have noticed lately that the tires have a circumferential depression midway up the tire side wall on both sides. in this depression area there is checking on both sides. the checking does not show up on the rest of the side wall. being familiar with tire manufacturing this tells me that the rubber sheet layup prior to vulcanizing is not uniform from bead to bead around the tire. this may be a potential area of side wall seperation, due to loading or start up and stopping radial torque on the tire. all 4 tires exhibit this but i didn't notice it prior to rotating them. the tires were made in canada to tpc 2012 ms 23572 ur bm05326-2 if this helps. i am concerned about these tires and the possible problem they may have. they are not to the point, wear wise, that i would buy a new set. would like to know what you think amd how you view this issue. please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions. i had talked with mr. george gillespie and he advised me to fill out this questionaire, and he found this issue interesting. thank you for your attention. yours truley, mike grudt dt | |||
| 08/06/2001 | 1 | 03/01/2001 | |
| Tire began vibrating at 50mph. inspection of tire revealed no lost balance weights or bulge. upon continuing journey, tire blowout occurred within approximately 25 miles. dealer has refused to replace tire or fix fender damage and gm customer assistance division created claim # but will not return phone calls regarding status of claim.*ak | |||
| 04/24/2001 | 2 | 02/01/2001 | |
| While driving down the highway, consumer ran over a small nail, consumer stated the puncture was extremely small that should not have ruined the tire beyond repair, consumer stated on the second occasion a chunk of the tire came off, as consumer was driving no more than 43 mph, and once again the tire was damaged beyond repair, consumer feels that tires should not be ruined under such small circumstances.(no tire info given)*jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer states goodyear wrangler st tires (tire size / dot # unknown)have no traction, are dangerous and spin on damp surfaces and heavy rainy roads. *tt | |||
| 2 | |||
| While driving, seat belt becomes very tight, giving a feeling of clostraphobia. took vehicle to dealer.*ak consumer stated tires vibrated at a speed of 45-50, consumer was informed that the tires were out of round, also when the vehicle is driven for awhile, it seems to miss speeds, when making hard turns in either direction, there is a whining noise coming from the steering, and in cool weather the steering is hard to turn, also the service engine soon light illuminated and the vehicle would stall while driving.*jb | |||
| 10/26/2001 | 3 | 07/01/2001 | |
| Several goodyear tires went flat | |||
| 11/12/2001 | 2 | 10/01/2001 | |
| Experience vibration between 40 and 70 mph, feels as though tires are skipping on road surface. driver input is limited by the response of tires. all 5 tires were replaced, experiencing same condition again at 4,000 miles. have returned to dealer regarding same problem, and am going tor return once more as problem was not corrected. my father has a 2001 gmc sierra with the same problem, same size and model tires have been replaced 2 times, awaits third replacement. coworker has 2002 silverado, same tires same problem. both additional vehicles have under 5,000 miles. *ak (tiresize: 255/70/r16) | |||
| 07/15/2001 | 1 | 03/01/2000 | |
| Tire failure. *ak (dot number: ? tiresize: ?) | |||
| 5 | 04/01/2001 | ||
| We are experiencing exessive trembling of the steering wheel and shaking of both outside mirrors. truck has been taken to 3 different dealerships with no solution to the problems. the last dealership near our home has replaced both front tires, and during our last visit (12/03/01) they replaced all 4 tires!! please help, as we are afraid to drive the truck with our 2 kids in the back seat!! *ak | |||
| 12/01/2000 | |||
| Recall- tire placard- present placard and new placard do not match tires that are supposed to be spec tires for vehicle- original tires on vehicle- placards wrong or tires and tire specs listed for vehicle are wrong- no help from gm garage. *ak | |||
| 09/19/2001 | 1 | 05/01/2001 | |
| A brand new truck>>back at dealer a vibration in the body of truck at 38-42 mph >>639 miles on tires>>two tires out of round, dealer replaced 2 tires. problem still there>> tires at 7420 rotated and balanced>>problem still present>>> back to a dealer at 9,705 miles>>tires re-balanced>> problem still present>>taken to a firestone dealer at 11,366 miles>> they had to re-balance all four tires>>>>problem still present. these tires will not stay balanced, this truck has never been taked off road or abused for the tires to keep doing this.*ak (dot number: w273 tiresize: p265/75r16) | |||
| 09/01/2001 | 2 | 06/01/2001 | |
| Tires cupped before 8000 mile rotation, transmission- feels like clutch is slipping, has times in nuetral from a stop then slams into gear... motor sounds like a diesel at start up quiets some, yet all this is suppose to be normal. *ak (tiresize: 235/75/r16) | |||
| 3 | 04/01/2001 | ||
| Both front tires are wearing and dealer says there is nothing wrong, and will not repair front end. *ak | |||
| 03/30/2001 | 1 | 09/01/2000 | |
| The tire size is lt245/75r16. there wasn't enough room to fit it all in the space provided. after changing the tire, i found that a lug in the tread was torn from the tire with a one inch tear. it was not a straight line, and it followed the contour of the side of the lug. this told me that nothing punctured the tire. i haven't contacted firestone yet. i have the tire and don't want to give it up. i have been displeased with having these tires on my truck, but the dealer wouldn't replace them. now i've had a failure and i know you have been investigating these tires, and i want to add my name to the list of people with problems, with the hope that i can get all five of my tires replaced. i also am hoping that something can be done that will keep people from getting hurt by these tires. thank you for your time. david c. bray. *ak (dot number: vn11bad160 tiresize: lt24575r16) | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 01/13/2005 | 16549 | 1 | 03/24/2004 |
| The vehicle started shaking uncontrollably without warning,the driver was able to pull over. the driver noticed that the right side tire sidewall exploded. the driver was able to change the tire. the driver drove to the dealer for inspection. firestone steeltex at 245/75r16 #dot yn11bab. please provide additional information. *nm | |||
| 09/15/2004 | 1 | ||
| The consumer noticed while inspecting the vehicle all four tire had stress marks located on the exterior of the sidewall wheel. the consumer has contacted the manufacturer for an appointment and inspection. goodyear wrangler at p245/70r16 please fill in additional information on the #dot. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| While the consumer looked over the tires he noticed that the two front tires had bubbles on the side walls. *nlm | |||
| 04/20/2002 | 1 | 11/01/2000 | |
| My wife took my truck to work. at the end of the day she drove about a half mile and stopped at a stop sign. while waiting for traffic she heard a pop. when she took off the tire was flat. the sidewall blew out. there is a blowout from the rim to the pavement.*ak | |||
| TIRES - TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE | |||
| 12/26/2005 | 36000 | 1 | 10/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the spare tire was damaged while stored in the well of the vehicle. there was a hole in the sidewall due to the tire not being securely attached to the vehicle. although the tire pressure had been monitored by the contact on a regular basis, three to four times a year, the contact never released the tire from the well. he only checked the pressure while the tire was still attached to the vehicle, therefore, the contact was unaware that the tire was not securely attached. the owner's manual did not provide instructions on how to remove the spare tire for regular inspection. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 09/15/2006 | 32000 | 1 | 06/06/2005 |
| While driving north on hwy 89 to paulden, az. at about 70 mph i noticed a severe vibration coming from my front end. i drive a 2001 chevy 2500 silverado which had firestone steeltex r4s tires all the way around with approximately 32000, miles on them. the tread life looked like maybe 10000 more miles. before i had a chance to pull over, my front left tire blew. i swerved into the south bound lane and luckily no oncoming traffic was coming and i was able to slow down and stop on the north bound shoulder. the tread had separated from my tire causing a blow out. my mirror broke and also my fender guard got partially torn off and the truck has damage from the tire thread hitting the side of the truck. i found pieces of shattered mirror inside my truck from when the treads hit my mirror. i had my window open and am fortunate that none of that mirror went into my eyes. *jb | |||
| 05/17/2006 | 1 | 12/18/2001 | |
| Tire tread completely separated from casing all at once causing a blowout that caused substantial damage to my vehicle. *nm | |||
| 01/01/2006 | 25000 | 4 | 01/01/2001 |
| I own a 2001 silverado 1500 with goodyear wrangler st, p245-75r16. with @25000 miles all 4 tires have tread separation. mfg canada/dot 4b70dadr/0302 d08r/d08l. removed all 4 tires from vehicle to prevent possible incident. still retain replaced tires. realignment at owners expense. *jb | |||
| 06/24/2005 | 24500 | 1 | 07/24/2001 |
| 2001 chevy silverado 2500hd crew cab, with pickup camper, towing light catamaran sailboat on trailer. temperatures 85-90. had been on freeway for 1 1/2 hours, driving 75 mph, all of a sudden lots of noise from back of vehicle. thought a trailer tire may have gone. stopped on side of freeway immediately. saw right rear tire carcass with no tread. tread had separated and was in about 6 pieces on roadway. tread had whipped around wheel well & done significant damage to vehicle. ($4,500 repairs). thank god it wasn't a front tire that failed!! put on spare and replaced all 4 tires at next closest town. had checked tire pressure before leaving home & all was to spec. tires were original. i still have the failed tire. firestone has refused three times to take responsibility, claiming under inflation & i'm fastidious re: maintaining my vehicles.*jb | |||
| 08/23/2004 | 49944 | 1 | |
| 2001 chevrolet 2500 tire tread separated while driving at 40 mph.*mr when the tread of the driver's side rear tire separated it damaged the rear fender and wheel well. *nm | |||
| 07/11/2004 | 51330 | 2 | |
| Firestone tire failure, tread lost on left and right rear tires, have to be replaced. *bf damage was caused on the left side of the vehicle. *tc | |||
| 07/06/2004 | 24182 | 1 | |
| Problems with steeltex radial tire equipment on 2001 silverado truck. *mr the consumer requested reimbursement. the vehicle was in motion when the vehicle started bucking and fish tailing due to tread separation. the tire did not go flat. *sc the consumer was denied reimbursement because the manufacturer stated they found evidence of deformation and rim flange grooving, they also stated the tire had been operated for an unknown period of time while being in an over-deflated state.*jb | |||
| 08/07/2004 | 39478 | 1 | 08/11/2001 |
| While driving, the tire blew out and caused damage to the left side mirror and left front bumper. the consumer replaced all tires. *ak the consumer stated the left tired tread separated. *jb | |||
| 07/31/2004 | 35000 | 1 | 02/19/2002 |
| While driving 60 mph left rear tire experienced tread separation. firestone, original equipment, tire size lt 245/75r16, dot# vn11b1cs300. vehicle sustained quarter panel damage from the tread flapping against that area. dealer and the manufacturer were both notified. *ak | |||
| 07/23/2004 | 43170 | 4 | 12/02/2000 |
| (1)high vibration felt especially at slower speeds. steering pulling firmly to the right.(2)tread very bumpy aroung all four tires. thumping on tread ,causes hollow sound in various places around circumference of tires. (3) due to the history of firestone tires and reported failures of these tires, i had them replaced before catastrophic failure occurred.*ak | |||
| 06/06/2004 | 40689 | 1 | |
| While driving 70 mph rear passenger tire tread separated. as a result, consumer lost slight control of the vehicle. no impact reported. *ak | |||
| 06/25/2004 | 18000 | 1 | 09/30/2001 |
| While driving consumer was towing a trailerthe driver's side rear tire treads separated from the trailer. consumer was not able to maintain control of the vehicle, and collided into a concrete barrier. upon impact, both frontal air bags did not deploy. passenger sustained head injuries, and was transported to a hospital by an ambulance. vehicle and trailer were totaled. *ak *nm | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 31000 | 2 | 03/01/2001 |
| Firestone steeltex r4s,size lt245/75r16, dot vn11b103600. a bubble developed in the middle of the tires, causing shimmying and vibration when driving at 40 mph. *ak firestone suggested that the problem was due to road hazard. *sc | |||
| 05/02/2004 | 1 | 10/06/2000 | |
| Husband noticed that 2001 chevy silverado equipped with firestone wilderness at p265/75r16 tires was pulling to the right...upon inspecting the vehicle, he noticed tread separation on right side front tire. brought vehicle to firestone, they refused to inspect tire and they refused to replace tires. although tire is defective they are not concerned with my particular tire since it was not on a ford vehicle and not part of the tire recall a few years back. tire that is falling apart was replaced with a full sized spare tire until new tires can be purchased.*ak | |||
| 03/10/2004 | 26460 | 2 | 11/10/2000 |
| Tire blow out and other tire separated on firesotne steetex r4s lt245r75rx16 that is two on same vehicle. *ak | |||
| 03/03/2004 | 38000 | 1 | 10/28/2001 |
| While driving 55 mph a loud noise was heard coming from the rear. driver was able to pull over, and noticed that the passenger side tire tread separated from the wheel, but the tire was still inflated. driver contacted road side assistance to change the tire. firestone steeltex at, lt245/75r16. *ak *jb | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 30150 | 1 | 10/10/2001 |
| On august 15, 2003, the right rear firestone steeltex r4s tire on my 2001 chevy silverado suffered complete tread separation, commonly referred to as capping, on the interstate. i filed a claim with gm since the truck was still under mfr warranty. gm referred me to firestone and i filed a claim with them, incident report #826379. sent the tire to firestone for evaluation per their instructions. firestone refused to honor my claim stating the tire was underinflated for some period of time before the failure. i know this to be false because i checked the tire before leaving home on the trip and it had 80 psi (recommended pressure) and it still had 70 psi when i pulled over to check the tires after the tread separated. tire went flat only after i drove to a safe area to change it, while i was removing the spare from its carrier. i grew up on a farm and am retired military so i know how to care for a vehicle and especially tires. i have all the documentation/correspondence exchanged on the incident. if there is a lawsuit or other action against firestone i would like to know how to request inclusion in it to recover my financial loss.*ak | |||
| 08/23/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 40mph the passenger side rear tire blew out with tread seperation. please provide additional information. *ph | |||
| 300 | |||
| While driving 65 mph, with only the driver in a chevrolet, silverado 2001, aftermarket equipment installed at 300 miles, tire size lt 265/75r16, dot# utw8dmc3501, left front tire had a blowout which caused tread to separate from the sidewall. no damage was reported at this time. manufacturer was notified. *ak | |||
| 08/09/2003 | 300 | 1 | |
| While driving 65 mph left front tire had a blowout which caused tread to separate from the sidewall. this occurred with only the driver in a 2001, chevrolet, silverado, aftermarket equipment installed at 300 miles, tire size lt 215/75r16, dot# utw8dmc3501. manufactuerer was notified.*ak | |||
| 09/25/2000 | 2 | 09/20/2000 | |
| Firestone, wilderness at, dot vn73wma3406 265/75ra6. original tires on 2001, chevrolet, silverado. while driving 45mph right, rear tire had tread separation. two weeks later, tread separated on right front. *ak when the right front tire tread separated the vehicle skidded across to the left hand ditch line and hit the bank. the vehicle was damaged and the driver was injured.*yh | |||
| 07/12/2001 | 0 | ||
| Was traveling 45mph on the highway entering onto a ramp andtire went flat. was able to pull vehicle over to the shoulders, and noticed that passenger rear tire tread separated from tire. goodyear, wrangler #st, p23575 r16 . dealership was aware of problem. *ak | |||
| 03/04/2001 | 4 | ||
| Original tires, p26575r16-114m&s consumer noticed on all 4 tires little ripples, and consumer felt this may have been a sign of tread separation. *ak noone would help consumer replace tires, dot# w273wmb, firestone wilderness at tires. *slc | |||