Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | ||||||
| EA02018 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/19/2002 | 08/22/2003 | RAPID TIRE DEFLATION | ||
| This investigation was opened on certain ford pickup trucks and vans to evaluate the effects of a valve stem ejection (with rapid air loss) and a slow leaking valve stem on vehicle handing.during the investigation, odi evaluated over 1,100 complaints and warranty claims, conducted vehicle dynamic testing on a subject vehicle with the failure mode replicated, interviewed owners, and examined complaint vehicles in the field.the results of the test program indicates the effect of a valve stem ejection on these vehicles is easily controlled. further, with a population of almost 900,000 vehicles, having two to four years of exposure, odi is aware of only 3 minor crashes and is unaware of any injuries.the small number of crashes relative to the large population of vehicles is consistent with the testing which was performed. therefore, this investigation is closed.see the attached report for full technical details. | ||||||
| TIRES - VALVE | ||||||
| EA02018 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/19/2002 | 08/22/2003 | RAPID TIRE DEFLATION | ||
| This investigation was opened on certain ford pickup trucks and vans to evaluate the effects of a valve stem ejection (with rapid air loss) and a slow leaking valve stem on vehicle handing.during the investigation, odi evaluated over 1,100 complaints and warranty claims, conducted vehicle dynamic testing on a subject vehicle with the failure mode replicated, interviewed owners, and examined complaint vehicles in the field.the results of the test program indicates the effect of a valve stem ejection on these vehicles is easily controlled. further, with a population of almost 900,000 vehicles, having two to four years of exposure, odi is aware of only 3 minor crashes and is unaware of any injuries.the small number of crashes relative to the large population of vehicles is consistent with the testing which was performed. therefore, this investigation is closed.see the attached report for full technical details. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 04/15/2009 | 20500 | 1 | |
| Multiple failures of nearly new nexen roadian lt tire used on two separate ford e-450 limo/shuttle chassis. four failures were experienced within a 6 month period, and included cord/tread/inner liner separation, bulging and related failures. one failure resulted in a blow-out at speed, one failure resulted in a serious and/or catastrophic bulge/separation, and the remaining failures were similar, but caught prior to becoming dangerous. the remaining two tires were replaced/discarded w/o observed failure. all tires were replaced. one experienced, heavy truck repair and mobile truck tire service located in southern california indicated that the tires were unsafe. the brand, nexen, made in korea, is not listed in the cpsc list of tire manufacturers? *tr | |||
| 08/03/2002 | 1 | 04/01/2001 | |
| I was driving down i94 in mpls, when the tire blew. i had 3 kids in the rv and a boat behind. almost lost complete control of vehicle. was able to steer rv to shoulder of road. the entire tire had been completed demolished. it looks like complete tread separation, similar to other firestone issues. tire damaged underneath storage compartment of the rv, cost me $200 for emergency roadside repair, approx. $2000 in damage to vehicle, and cost of a new spare (which i haven't bought yet). i was travelling the speed limit, no road issues, no objects - nothing. tire completing separated with no provocation. i could have been killed, along with my entire family.*ak | |||
| 05/27/2002 | 2 | 03/01/2001 | |
| I had two of these tires blew out within 400 miles of each other. if ypu put the tires side by side the damage to tires look almost exactley the same. ther is 10,000 miles on these tires. the sidewall on both tires seperate from thread. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 08/06/2006 | 28500 | 1 | |
| I just had a tire blowout/tread separation on a 2001 ford e450 rv. the vehicle has 28000 miles and the treads show little wear. the tires are firestone steeltex radial r4s ii lt225/75 r 16 load range e. upon inspection of the other tires, notices cracks on the sidewalls of all the remaining tires and a bubble on the sidewall of one tire. what are my actions in regards to replacement of these tires? thanks. *nm | |||
| 09/14/2003 | 47400 | 2 | 09/21/2001 |
| I have a 2001 jayco 33' class c motor home on a ford e-450 v-10 chassis. i was traveling on hi i 5 south about 45 miles from sacramento, at 65 mph when the right rear dual tires blew out. the outside tire tread came off and flew onto the hawaii, the inside dual tread came off and wrapped around the axel. the tires are firestone steeltex lt/225/75r16. i have both complete treads and the inside is very smooth all the way around. i have what is left of the rest of the tires. i contacted ford and firestone on sept. 19th and gave the same report. the blowouts caused some damage to the motor home storage compartment. ford took my info and did not know what ford would do with the info. firestone said they would send me complaint forms. i am telling you folks about this as i have talked to other people that have had the same problem and firestone has been no help. i think this is a very serious safety issue. my wife and i credit the excellent design, and performance of the ford vehicle and braking system. i had no trouble handling the vehicle and stopping other than the crazy drivers that would not get out of the way. i can send pictures of the tires to you by email if you want. i am positive that i was not overweight and the tire pressure was correct. the inside tire had about 5 to 7000 miles on it and the outside had about 42000 on it however there is a lot of tread left. i had two other blowouts in november 2002 near barstow, calif. the right front blew from a road hazard and when i got home the inside right dual was flat. i bought two new michelins tires for the front. my tire shop said the others were good to use. i am taking rv to my tire shop on sept. 22 and getting all firestone tires taken off and putting on michelin's. i have also had 3 flats on this mh in the past two years. i think it was valve stem failures. please respond by phone or email prior to oct 3rd. *jb | |||
| 05/17/2003 | 1 | ||
| Firestone steeltex lt22575r16 tread seperation. tire pres:75psi, speed 65, temp:80f, road surface: smooth highway,. this is also the third tire failure on this rv. ( at work our ford suv has had three tire failures just like my rv) | |||
| 09/15/2001 | 2 | 08/31/2001 | |
| Vehicle experienced blow out of the right side and left side dual tires, both on different occasions. first incident the entire face came off the right side leaving only the sidewalls, second incident had partial separation of tread.(firestone tires lt225/75r16 dot#8x1l 1x1 4700 dh5515x d08r, the second tire was a dot 8x1l 1x1 4700 dh515x d16r) *jg | |||