Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES - PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS | |||||
| 0746 | 06/01/2007 | 10022720 | Certain 2007 model year lincoln mkx and ford edge vehicles equipped with tire pressure monitor system (tpms) - tpms activation. *nj | 09/25/2007 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES - VALVE | ||||||
| PE08060 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 10/14/2008 | 04/09/2009 | TIRE VALVE CRACKING | ||
| On october 14, 2008, odi opened pe08-060 to investigate allegations of cracked and leaking snap-in tire valves in model year (my) 2007 vehicles manufactured by ford motor company.the valves were supplied to ford by topseal auto-parts, a subsidiary of the shanghai baolong automotive corporation in china.valves made by topseal for aftermarket sale were the subject of two recent safety recalls by tech international (08t-018) and dill air controls (08t-028), the latter of which was investigated by odi in pe08-036 and ea08-022.the defect conditions addressed by the aftermarket tire valve recalls both involved inadequate resistance to ozone cracking due to issues with the supply of anti-ozonant chemicals to topseal for a period from july to mid-november 2006.the aftermarket valves were compounded with a blend of epdm and natural rubber, using a relatively low percentage of epdm (epdm provides inherent resistance to ozone cracking).hence, the need for anti-ozonant chemicals and the problems with cracking when those chemicals were missing or out of specification in some lots of valves.both recall campaigns involved inspection programs to identify and replace valves with visible surface cracking.although the topseal valves supplied to ford also appear to have been affected by the anti-ozonant supply issues in mid to late-2006, ford indicated that its valves were made at a different topseal production line and were compounded with a higher percentage of epdm rubber to meet more stringent specifications from ford.odi's analysis of complaint and warranty data provided by ford showed that problems with cracked tire valves were significantly higher for my 2007 vehicles produced from december 2006 through march 2007.ford responded by implementing changes in its material specifications for snap-in rubber tire valves and also increasing the quality and acceptance standards for valves imported for use in its vehicles.while the complaint and warranty claim rates are elevated for subject vehicles produced from december 2006 through march 2007, the rates of leaking valves are well below one percent of production for each of the peak months for all of the affected models.a substantial majority of the subject vehicles are equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems (tpms) which warn the driver when any tire pressures drops below 25 percent of recommended inflation pressure. as outlined in a letter to odi dated april 6, 2009, ford has agreed to send letters to owners of certain my 2007 and 2008 ford, lincoln and mercury vehicles to provide information about the cracking concern. letters will be sent to owners of vehicles built from november 2006 through may 2007.owners can opt for a free dealer inspection.valves exhibiting surface cracks or air leakage related to ozone attack will be replaced by ford under its normal warranty terms.ford expects to send the letter by approximately mid-may 2009. based on the use of tpms in the majority of subject vehicles and the relatively low rates of repairs associated with leaking valves and resultant tire damage, odi believes that the actions ford has agreed to take will provide effective and expeditious resolution for vehicles that were built during the period when valves with inadequate resistance to ozone cracking were most likely to have been used in vehicle production.further investigation of this matter would not be an efficient allocation of agency resources.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 09/18/2009 | 15038 | 1 | |
| I have a 2007 ford edge with continental tires size p245/60 r18-------104t this vehicle only has 16,000 miles on it and the front tires have worn down dramatically and the back tires have worn down on the insides only, which wasn't seen until the tires were rotated in september. now that the tires have been rotated the tires that were removed from the back and put on the front are now wearing down, like the ones that were in the front did. i have contacted continental tire who says the problem belongs to ford and ford says the problem is the tire companies problem. i have a 3 year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and they deny having any responsibility and continental tire says they don't warranty the tires for the purchaser of the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 07/30/2009 | 34260 | 1 | |
| We own a 2007 ford edge and during our trip this past weekend had two of the four valve stems go bad on us and cause the sensor to activate. when we checked each time we found that the stems had split and air was coming out causing flat tires. the first event was on the 30th of july on our way to destination and the second was on the 2nd of august on our way back home. this was especially frustrating as we were in a nomans land area with no services and had to limp for a few hours on the donut spare tire to get to a town that had service. as a result we will be having the other two replaced today! *tr | |||
| 06/13/2009 | 32298 | 1 | |
| Tire valve stem broke off of my 2007 ford edge. *tr | |||
| 06/08/2009 | 21000 | 1 | |
| Within a matter of one month i am replacing 3 out of 4 valve stems on my 2007 ford edge tires. of course i am making them change the 4th tire today as well. my concern is the wheel now, has this issued cause additional defects on the wheel it self???? ~freda agner~ orlando fl *tr | |||
| 07/30/2007 | 13980 | 1 | |
| 2 tires on 2007 edge- 1st failure was 'valve stem problem' sudden loss of pressure- july, 2008 near sheboygan, wi. 2 hours later, 1 tire -blow out on interstate in milwaukee. lucky to have maintained control of vehicle. bought 4 new tires that afternoon as a result of being on vacation, and nearest ford dealer did not have matching hankook tires available. as not having 4 exactly same tires can lead to other driving problems, i bought 4 new tires to avert any further harrowing experiences on the interstate. *tr | |||
| 12/23/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2007 ford edge and have had two blowouts on the highway. both caused by a faulty valve stem. *tr | |||
| 11/28/2008 | 25300 | 1 | |
| Three valve stems have gone bad on our 2007 for edge in the past two weeks. ford refuses to change remaining stems until a leak occurs. *tr | |||
| 12/06/2008 | 14400 | 1 | |
| Flat tire with my 2007 ford edge. same valve was replaced earlier this year. flat again, ford dealership wants me to replace tire. valve was cause of flat. tire is hankook dynapro as// dot 5m7c djnh// p235 65r17103t. same complaints as on internet. *tr | |||
| 09/19/2008 | 20000 | 1 | |
| My tire valve stems were cracked and leaking on all four tires of my 2007 ford edge and the tire pressure dropped dramatically in one day. when i called my ford dealer they had no idea what i was talking about. i had to have the valve stems replaced on two tires and replace two entire tires at my own expense. *tr | |||
| 09/21/2008 | 41330 | 1 | |
| In sept. we noticed that we were losing air in our tires, upon closer look we discovered that the valve stems were cracked around the bottom. we took the car into our nearest ford dealer and at a cost of $42.39 they put four new tire valve stems on. *tr | |||
| 09/20/2008 | 1 | ||
| Took my car in to have my tires rotated and noticed that the stem on the front driver side tire was torn, nearly eroding off. had to purchase a new tire to avoid a possible future accident. i saw on the news that this seems to be a problem with most 2007 fords, so i'm contributing my incident. *tr | |||
| 08/26/2008 | 15398 | 1 | |
| My 2007 sensor detected low pressure. (please note: i took my car to beach ford 757--486-2717 last week and requested they change out all of the valves-------they changed out only the flat one and only put new caps on the others!!!!) my concern is they may have done this with other consumers. i drove from virginia beach to wash. dc on sunday. on i95 averaging 65-80 mph. the inconvenience of spending yesterday at the dealership again is nothing in comparison to the impact of losing my life like the man in florida due to a faulty valve. to date: rear passenger went bad. replaced by non dealer (paul's auto) front driver's tire last week back driver's tire yesterday. (i watched yesterday to ensure they changed out the remaining one. *tr | |||
| 07/29/2008 | 14965 | 1 | |
| 2007 ford edge right back tire went flat. took to shop. bad valve' two weeks later, front left has a bad valve. *tr | |||
| 06/12/2008 | 15500 | 1 | |
| On the way to work in my new car, signal went off for low tire pressure. took to a tire place and the valve stem was leaking air at the point of the join of the tire. i have never in all my years of driving experienced such a thing. *tr | |||
| 02/13/2008 | 1250 | 12 | 09/08/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 ford edge. the vehicle has hankook dynapro as, size p235/70r17s tires. while driving 35 mph, the tires do not grip and the abs activates. the contact feels that the stopping distance between his vehicle and others is too excessive. he also feels that the tires are the source of the failure. the current and failure mileages were 1,250. | |||
| 08/29/2007 | 301 | 1 | 08/29/2007 |
| After driving out of the dealers lot not more than ten miles down the road the tpms system went off telling me i had low tires on the vehicle (200 miles on it). called dealer and was told to air up the tires and it would reset it's self in 2 minutes. did not happen. drove home only to find that the left back-up light was also not working. *tr | |||
| TIRES - PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS | |||
| 12/08/2008 | 40000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 ford edge. the contact stated that the tire pressure sensor disintegrated inside the right rear tire which caused the tire to be off balance. the remaining three tires have not been affected. the dealer stated that the tires are not covered by the warranty and they would have to pay out of pocket for the repairs. the failure mileage was 40,000. | |||
| 08/25/2008 | 35723 | 1 | |
| Tire pressure sensor light came on dashboard. pulled off highway and tire was almost completely flat instantly. found that the left front valve stem was cracked and faulty. as of 7/7/2009; all four valve stems have gone bad and been replaced. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2009 | 19995 | 1 | |
| Sudden deflation of front drivers tire. upon inspection three of the four tire valve stems on the vehicle are cracked. also the scissor type jack provided in the ford edge collapsed under the weight of the suv. had to call 911 for a tow truck. *tr | |||
| 07/21/2008 | 13798 | 1 | |
| Valve stems were leaking..continually..replaced all five of them. *tr | |||
| 09/06/2008 | 30000 | 1 | |
| While traveling on i-35 the left front tire suddenly lost air pressure at highway speeds. upon inspection of tire, no damage other than what was inflicted from the event of traveling at 70mph while flat was found. the problem was that the valve stem failed. it was cracked at the base allowing a sudden loss of tire pressure. the other valve stems on the car are also cracked at the base but not completely failed yet. *tr | |||
| 05/25/2008 | 16200 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2007 ford edge sel plus, and 6 months later i kept getting a low pressure message. i would refill the tire and a day later it was low. i took it in to the dealer and the valve stem was broken, as well as 3 other cracked valve stems. they replaced them all but charged me a discounted rate of $65 for the labor. ford refused to cover it, and i had very low miles on the car. this was frightening, knowing this was the problem with the explorer in the 1990's. *tr | |||
| 07/21/2007 | 1500 | 1 | |
| While driving my 2007 ford edge it displays tire pressure sensor fault. this occurs generally during highway driving. when i took it to the dealer for repair, i was told that they couldn't figure out why the message was displayed. it has not been fixed. it would seem to me that this highly touted safety feature should work. *tr | |||
| 08/29/2007 | 301 | 1 | 08/29/2007 |
| After driving out of the dealers lot not more than ten miles down the road the tpms system went off telling me i had low tires on the vehicle (200 miles on it). called dealer and was told to air up the tires and it would reset it's self in 2 minutes. did not happen. drove home only to find that the left back-up light was also not working. *tr | |||
| TIRES - VALVE | |||
| 07/21/2008 | 13798 | 1 | |
| Valve stems were leaking..continually..replaced all five of them. *tr | |||
| 07/16/2008 | 17000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns tech international valve stems, model tr413. on july 16, 2008, while driving 65 mph, the tires blew out. the contact moved to the side of the road and replaced the tire with a spare. he took the vehicle to discount tire and the mechanic informed him that all four of the valve stems were defective. the mechanic also stated that the valve stems were included in a recall. tech international stated that they would only reimburse the contact for repairing the tires if they had been replaced instead of the originals. they advised him to contact ford. ford confirmed that they were the original tires and would be unable to reimburse him because they were not the manufacturers of the tires. the tire manufacturer stated that they could not reimburse him because they were not the manufacturers of the valve stem. the serial and part numbers were unknown. the failure mileage was 17,000 and current mileage was 19,000. | |||