Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||||
| TB-21399 | 07/01/2010 | 10034585 | Ford: premature front/rear tire wear and/or vehicle drift on wet or snow covered roads. if performing an alignment, record all align-ment angles prior to any adjustments, and enter in warranty claim if applicable. *pe | 12/08/2010 | |
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 | |||
| 09/16/2010 | |||
| I have had to replace the tires on my ford focus three times in 55,000. miles. the dealer says that focuses eat tires and that i have to rotate every oil change. that doesn't even help. i just keep buying tires to be safe. someone without resources to buy new tires could have a blow out on the road and it would be the ford explorer issue all over again. i searched the web and there are many, many other focus owners with the same problem | |||
| 07/18/2010 | 15000 | ||
| 3 valve stems all cracked in the exact same spot. ford will do nothing about it. | |||
| 09/16/2010 | |||
| I have had to replace the tires on my ford focus three times in 55,000. miles. the dealer says that focuses eat tires and that i have to rotate every oil change. that doesn't even help. i just keep buying tires to be safe. someone without resources to buy new tires could have a blow out on the road and it would be the ford explorer issue all over again. i searched the web and there are many, many other focus owners with the same problem | |||
| 07/18/2010 | 15000 | ||
| 3 valve stems all cracked in the exact same spot. ford will do nothing about it. | |||
| 09/16/2010 | |||
| I have had to replace the tires on my ford focus three times in 55,000. miles. the dealer says that focuses eat tires and that i have to rotate every oil change. that doesn't even help. i just keep buying tires to be safe. someone without resources to buy new tires could have a blow out on the road and it would be the ford explorer issue all over again. i searched the web and there are many, many other focus owners with the same problem | |||
| 07/18/2010 | 15000 | ||
| 3 valve stems all cracked in the exact same spot. ford will do nothing about it. | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 32000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle was going through tires a lot quicker than the suggested tire life and he was on his 3rd set of tires within the past year. on each set of tires the tread has been wearing down rapidly. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the vehicle had the alignment redone. the failure continues to recur. the failure mileage was 32,000 and the current mileage was 90,000. sm. | |||
| 08/15/2009 | 17542 | 1 | |
| Driving down the interstate, smelled a burning rubber like smell, checked gauges, everything was fine, continued driving, then noticed a loud thumping type noise, as i began to pull over to turn-around under a bridge the car began bucking and the entire tire rolled across the other lane of traffic into the weeds. the rim remained on the car. the tire was changed to the spare and a new tire was purchased and mounted onto the rim. slight bent spot in the rim after this incident. *tr | |||
| 06/13/2009 | 32000 | 1 | |
| On june 13, 2009, my husband, my 16 month old son and i were driving on i95 s from north carolina to south carolina when my rear left tire blew out. this sent us fish tailing across all lanes and finally when the back of my car spun around into the shoulder, the car flipped onto the driver side, then onto the top of the car, then finally landing back upright. not during any time did the airbags deploy on any side of my car. *tr | |||
| 04/15/2009 | 14100 | 1 | |
| Tire tread separtion on both rear tires of a 2007 ford focus zx4 ses.car only had 14,000 miles on them.tires were replaced new national tires. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| I recently had my 2007 ford focus in for an oil change and the automotive company told me i would need to replace my tires. i have rotated my tires every other oil change to ensure proper wear and even wear and also for safety and maintenance. i had approximately 40k miles at that time. i asked the automotive service company if pirelli warranties the tire and they said unfortunately not. i went to discount tire, they told me the tires need replacing and there is no warranty on the tire because it is an oem tire. discount tire said pirelli makes that tire differently for the oem than the tire dealers. no warranty. i went to the ford dealer and the automotive technician said the tires need replacing and that the pirelli's have been, in his words, junk. he said, miss, if you think your tires are bad, you should see the cupping and awful wear and hazard on the f150 pick-ups and expeditions. i asked him if he told ford about this and he said no. i contacted ford and no one cares to return my concern. pirelli told me flat out in an e-mail that the tire is not covered under any prorating and basically it is my problem. i could have a blow out or something happen due to poor manufacturing. this tire, the p6 is a safety threat. no one will listen, no one cares. i was shocked by pirelli's remark and i did not ask for a replacement, i was just thinking of some type of proration on a better tire. i also recommended to pirelli that they might want this set for their engineering teams to review and study. i am sending this complaint to nhtsa because i care enough about other people and wouldn't want anyone injured. *tr | |||
| 08/26/2008 | 32000 | 1 | 08/25/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 ford focus. the vehicle has goodyear tires, size p19560r15 (na). the contact stated that the tires had a slow leak, which forced her to place air in them every week or two weeks. she stated that the dealer sold her a defective vehicle due to the tires and cup holder. the dealer stated that all of the tires were good and contained no failures. in addition, there was a crack on the windshield when the vehicle was purchased. the tire line was unknown. the failure mileage was 32,000 and current mileage was 36,000. updated 2/23/09 *cn updated 02/25/09. *jb | |||
| 10/20/2008 | 13000 | 1 | |
| Noticed low tire, went to fill with air, and valve stem pulled out of tire. went to dealership, and they sold me a new tire. i explained the situation, with the valve stem, but they made no comment of any problems. i have the old valve stem. *tr | |||
| 06/09/2008 | 14143 | 1 | |
| The first incident occurred while parked during shopping hours; daylight. the left, back tire let out a hissing sound that was coming from the tire area. the valve stem was leaking air. the tire was going flat. this was the first incident; 06/09/08; mileage on the ford focus 2007 hatchback was 14,143. the second incident occurred on 07/31/08; the right front wheel, passenger side, also was losing air; again it was the valve stem; mileage 14,933; vehicle purchased on 02/16/07. hankook optimo h725 tire size p195/6or15 87t hankook usa corporate headquarters 1450 valley road wayne, new jersey 07470 www.hankooktireusa.com treadwear 620 traction b temperature b m + s radial tubeless standard load made in china (2) valve stem failures/2 door hatchback----ford motor company plies: thread 2 steel + 1 polyester sidewall 1 polyester vin# *tr | |||
| 07/07/2008 | 5040 | 1 | |
| I have now had two sidewall tire blowouts on pirelli p6 four season p205 50/16 black sidewalls on two different ford focus's in the past 8 months. *tr | |||
| 06/07/2008 | 18000 | 1 | |
| While traveling east on interstate 10 in arizona, rear tire (drivers side) on a 2007 ford focus separated (18,000 miles on car and tires) car slide sideways into the right shoulder and flipped twice. totaled car. *tr | |||
| 04/20/2008 | 1 | ||
| Severe tire wobble. took the car to dealer. they said it needed alignment and 2 new tires. took to a tire dealer they said that they have had many of the same cars in there with the same problem. it's that the rear wheels are toed-in 50% to much from the factory specs and it just chops the tires up. the car needs 2 new tires and a alignment job to fix the problem from the factory. i feel that the company should pay for it , since it comes off the line like that. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2007 ford focus with several problems with the tires. consumer states that he has had several problems incuding puncture in these tires. he states that it handled poorly, and he had to replace them at 26,000 miles. *kb the tires lost air, and a repair that was made did not hold.(hankook optimo tires). *jb | |||
| 08/16/2007 | 1 | 08/16/2007 | |
| I bought this new 2007 ford focus on 8-16-07 and when i left and headed down the highway my tires which are pirelli p6 four seasons 205/50r16 were making a terrible thumping noise. i called the dealer and was reassured by the salesman that the is what happens with low profile tires. i talked to him 5 or 6 times over a 2 to 3 week period and he kept telling me that is the sound of low performance tires. well i went in for my oil change and to have my tires rotated and they told me my car was out of alignment and my tires were shot. the two front ones were wore on the inside and the back two had a funny wear pattern that they had never seen before. they also told me how much it would cost to have 4 new tires put on and a alignment. i went back to the dealer and i was put off. i was told i have no warranty with the tires as i was told by my salesman (who by the was is no longer there). i am upset because the service guy who made my appointment said they are seeing this alot with the 2007 ford focus pirelli tires but i am going to have to pay for new ones. i don't think so this is a problem i have had since i bought this car and something should be done a.s.a.p. before someone gets killed out on the road. *tr | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 05/05/2007 | 5100 | 1 | 09/30/2006 |
| Sidewall of goodyear tire on driver's side separated. newwcar, 5100 miles. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 01/09/2007 | 15000 | 1 | 08/01/2006 |
| I bought a new 2007 ford focus and it is four months old with 20,000 miles on it. the tires are bald with different patterns. the tire that concerns me the most is the one that has a wave like pattern on it. the dealer said its normal wear and tear but all the people including mechanics i showed it too before i went to ford said they had never seen anything like it before. i am concerned that there is a major defect that could seriously injure someone. *jb | |||