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 | |||
| 08/17/2011 | 25000 | 7 | |
| Driving 40 mph when low pressure warning came on. check tire in one the pressure was 25 psi. this has happen over 7 times on the tires . it has cost me oer $250 to fix all tires. nobody seems to know why. i bought the fortera triplethread tire seeming there were the best. now i have 30000 miles on tires and the tire place saus i have about a year on them . to this day i am still having low pressure warnings come up monthly. the tire place where i went said to put extra air in tires an keep doing that till i get new tires.don't know what to do? ..... [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 11/28/2010 | 42300 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 ford exlporer sport trac xlt. the tire brand was definity dakota a/t and the tire size was p235/70/r16. while driving approximately 75 mph, the contact stated that the tire in the left rear quarter panel shredded. the tires were replaced. the manufacture was informed, but offered no assistance. the contact purchased the vehicle used two months prior and was not sure if the tires were new, when they were purchased or if they had been rotated. there were no recalls or warranties on the tires. the current and failure mileages was approximately 43,200. bw | |||
| 10/27/2010 | 56000 | ||
| Have had three sets of goodyear fortera tires - rapid wear - 60,000 mile warranty and wearing out at 15-18000 miles. company indicated that the tires are made of soft rubber and made to wear out early. | |||
| 09/07/2009 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2007 ford explorer (eddie bauer) and i am having a tire problem. i have michelin tires on the car with 13000 miles and the tires are worn past the wear bars. i have rotated the tires every 6000 miles. this is a lease car and i can't pass the lease inspection with these bad tires. michelin(on their website) says these tires should last 6yrs 65,000 miles. the car is not safe to drive in the rain. *tr | |||
| 10/03/2007 | 63292 | 1 | |
| Tire inspection revealed significant side wall deterioration at the bead. the tire was still holding air, however, the condition of the side wall & bead indicated catastrophic failure was imminent. the tire was removed from service. this is the third tire to exhibit bead & side wall deterioration for this vehicle, tire brand/model, and dot number. the tire carcass has been retained for inspection until june 30 2009. tires: goodyear fortera hl p235/70r16 photos may be downloaded at: http://whatllama.com/tirephotos/tires081003.gz*tr | |||
| 10/01/2008 | 62200 | 1 | |
| While traveling at highway speed of 70-mph on smooth pavement i experienced a tire blowout. no road hazard was noted. the tire exhibited significant side wall deterioration at the bead and the perpendicular site wall separation. the side wall separated from the bead for approximately one quarter of the diameter. this is the second incident for this vehicle, tire brand/model, and dot number. the tire carcass has been retained for inspection until june 30 2009. tires: goodyear fortera hl p235/70r16 photos may be downloaded at: http://whatllama.com/tirephotos/tires081001.gz. *tr | |||
| 07/03/2008 | 54200 | 1 | |
| While traveling at about 30-mph on smooth pavement i experienced tire failure. no road hazard was noted. when i removed the failed tire i was shocked by the extent of side wall deterioration at the bead and the perpendicular site wall separation. the side wall separated from the bead for approximately one quarter of the diameter. tires: goodyear fortera hl p235/70r16 photos may be downloaded at: http://whatllama.com/tirephotos/tires080703.gz. *tr | |||
| 09/04/2008 | 17517 | 1 | |
| While driving tire went suddenly flat and tire shredded (2nd time one of my ford explorers went flat or low pressure). took tire to a dealer was not notified of any recalls or known valve stem problems. wanted to charge too much for replacement ,so took tire to 3rd party vendor and had it replaced for $204.50. they also did not inform me any stem issues at the 3rd party...............to date 12/03/08 had another low pressure signal went straight to the closest tire shop. it was there they informed me of a known ford valve problem cracking. replaced 3 stems which 2 were cracked the 3rd one was not. the forth i left alone due to being replaced already by 3rd party vendor back in september. *tr | |||
| 11/02/2008 | 1780 | 1 | |
| I have an 2007 explorer that on three different occassions( fir=st two were not put into computer as being done by ford dealership and big ten tires and they didn't charge me), last tire that has had valve stem needing to be replaced (total of three different tires on my car) ,replaced at big ten tire and i had told the person how strange it was that three of my four tires had to have valve stem replacements. i want ford to step up and recall the tires so we can get these replaced for free and get money back for last time i had to get it replaced. no injuries or blow outs but its just a matter of time and i take my 2yr old granddaughter and 10 yr old daughter in this car, i worry about what might happen. how many deaths and crashes from these defective valve stems from china have to cause major damage to families before they do something about them? *tr | |||
| 04/01/2008 | 11000 | 1 | |
| The valve stems on my tires are causing constant low tire pressure, to the point that one of my tires now has a hole in the side wall. the dealership will not help, and i have under 12k miles on it. i've been there 4 times for this problem and it has not been resolved! *tr | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 34700 | 1 | |
| 2007 ford explorer with original factory tires. approximately may or early june 2008 my vehicle low tire pressure light came on. i discovered a cracked valve stem causing leak. dealer repaired and attempted to file road hazard claim. no paperwork, exact date or mileage available. approximately aug 08, 2008 low pressure indicator again came on. discovered another cracked stem leaking air on a different tire. vehicle mileage was approximately 34,700. repaired at dealer on aug 09 2008 for a fee. invoice available. on sept 30, 2008 i read news report about dill valve stem issue (nhtsa action number : pe08036). inspected tires - and discovered same splitting of valve stems as depicted in news article and dill air controls web site on the other two remaining original equipment tires. dealer replaced both valve stems and replaced for a fee. removed valve stems with no additional damage and returned to me. invoice available as well as defective valve stems. spare tire visually inspected and found no visible defects on stem. spare is mounted under vehicle with valve facing up against underbody protecting stem from elements. ford statement to news media indicates that ford's position is that their original equipment is not subject to same issue. i believe they have the same issue. i find that all 4 original equipment valve stems exhibited same cracking defect as dill recall. stems replaced on oct 01,2008 show 07 tr414 030 and 08 tr414 018 and both have a triangular logo. as all 4 stems were replaced, the only original valve cap i have came from the spare tire and displays topseal ,the numbers 317 and 630 and what appears to be the same triangular logo as is on the valve stems. i have the two most recent replaced valve stems and the cap from the factory spare in my possession as well as photos of both (numbers and damage) that can be forwarded electronically if needed. *tr | |||
| 08/20/2008 | 32000 | 1 | |
| Within approximately one week in august, i've had two faulty tire valve stems cause low tire pressure and necessitate a trip to the dealer for repairs. these were on the same side of the car (right front and right rear). i park in a carport and the right side of my car is the more exposed side. the mechanic identified the problem by pressing sideways on the tire stem and hearing the air hiss as it escaped. this seems to be the cracking problem that i've read about in consumer reports magazine. i approached the dealer about fixing the others so that i would not have a crisis later. they pulled up a report based on the vin and since there were no official recalls, they would not fix them. i called ford customer relations on september 10, 2008 to file a complaint. i spoke to a representative who identified herself as jamie. her response was even more frustrating as she appeared to be giving me scripted answers: no recalls on my car, we don't fix things that aren't broke. apparently safety issues are not a consideration. i returned to the dealer who sold me the car and he fixed rest of my tires at no charge to me. *tr | |||
| 04/02/2007 | 25 | 1 | 04/02/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 ford explorer. the contact originally owned a 2004 ford explorer. the contact stated that the better business bureau, under the lemon law, informed ford to replace the vehicle with the 2007 model. the vehicle has a feature called iron man with 18 inch michelin tires, however, the spare tire is a smaller 17 inch goodyear mud and snow tire. the vehicle has the rsc feature which makes the vehicle unstable. ford stated that they can do as they please. this occurred april 2, 2007. the vehicle arrived straight from the factory and the sticker stated that the vehicle has to have a specific tire, but ford disagrees. the contact stated that ford has been unstable since the beginning and needs to be reported. he stated that ford only installs certain tires on vehicles for emergency situations and he feels that this is an emergency situation. the engine size was unknown. the current mileage is 2,000 and failure mileage was 25. the consumer stated that the dealer after being contacted by nhtsa that they would in fact replace the tire for the correct type and size as the others on the vehicle. the consumer stated on 06/07/07 a replacement tire was provided. updated 06/26/07 *tr | |||
| TIRES - PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS | |||
| 07/15/2008 | 11000 | 1 | |
| Tire valve stems leaking causing constant low tire pressure. *tr | |||
| TIRES - VALVE | |||
| 12/08/2008 | 16837 | 1 | |
| Tire valve failed causing the tire to lose air.*tr | |||
| 07/15/2008 | 11000 | 1 | |
| Tire valve stems leaking causing constant low tire pressure. *tr | |||