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 | |||
| 08/04/2009 | 12800 | 1 | |
| Failure of tire valve stem resulting in a rapid flat tire. *tr | |||
| 04/13/2009 | 44970 | 1 | |
| Valve stems on 2007 f 150 bad valve stems on truck ford sent out a notice on them after losing 1 tire and spinning 3 other valves every week after ford would not stand buy the notice on the repairs. *tr | |||
| 06/15/2008 | 13000 | 1 | |
| Two flat tires on my 2007 f-150 because of faulty valve stems. i called the toll free number for ford roadside assistance to change the tires both times. colony tire of elizabeth city repaired both tires for me. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 24000 | 1 | |
| No events led up to the failure. three valve stems have leaked and had to be repaired/replaced to date. the valve stems all had a slow leak which then led to tires losing air to the point that the tire had to be changed to the spare tire, then taken to be repaired. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 12000 | 1 | |
| I had a valve stem failure which led to a flat tire while driving. when i took the truck in to discount tire to have it checked, they said all of the valve stems were bad and replaced them all. there was no cost to me and no damage. i saw the article in the paper about it and decided to report it for data gathering purposes. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2007 ford f-150,i have replaced two valve stems in the last 3 months. i felt that this was very strange. if i didn`t have a warning light i would have probably wreck because the tire pressure drop quickly. *tr | |||
| 08/06/2008 | 1 | ||
| We've had two valve stem failures on a 2007 ford f-150 truck. the valve stems had multiple cracks and caused the tire to deflate. the failures occurred have occurred on both front tires. *tr | |||
| 12/26/2007 | 5 | ||
| Excessive out-of-balance vibration with 20pirelli scorpion atr tires on 2007 f-150. the internet is full of similar complaints. my service ford dealership says there is a tsb that explains that this condition for the first 20 miles from rest is normal. that's hardly acceptable. my mileage is just under 12,000 and my tire warranty is soon expired. they have rebalanced the tires 4-5 times during this period. *tr | |||
| TIRES - PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS | |||
| 04/18/2009 | 20000 | 1 | |
| I have had to replace three tire valves on my 2007 ford f-150. upon inspection of the third, the number is t 414. looking it up, i discovered that there were previous problems with this valve stem. of course, i elected to replace the fourth as well. my dealer said that he had never heard of a recall. given the circumstances of their failure, i'm not happy. it could have been dangerous due to being on an expressway at higher speeds when the third failed. two stems failed in august of 2008. the third failed on april 18th, 2009. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2007 ford f-150,i have replaced two valve stems in the last 3 months. i felt that this was very strange. if i didn`t have a warning light i would have probably wreck because the tire pressure drop quickly. *tr | |||