Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | ||||||||||||||||
| 00T005000 | BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE, INC. | T (Tire) | 14400000 | 08/26/2000 | ODI | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/21/2000 | 08/10/2000 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Tire description: firestone wilderness at, size p235/75r15, produced at the decatur, illinois tire plant and all firestone radial atx and radial atx ii tires, size p235/75r15. operation of these tires at low inflation pressures, high speed, and in hot weather, can contribute to separation of the tire tread. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If the tread separates from the tire, the driver can lose control of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash causing injury or death. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | The replacement/reimbursement program for this campaign expired on august 29, 2001. however, customers should contact firestone customer service at 1-800-465-1904 for possible assistance. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||||||
| 01X001000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | X | 13000000 | 06/04/2001 | MFR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 05/22/2001 | 05/22/2001 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | This is not a safety recall in accordance with the safety act. however, it is deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. equipment description: ford is replacing all firestone wilderness at 15, 16, and 17 inch tires mounted on ford trucks and suvs. ford reports tread separation can occur due to a combination of the sensitivity of the tire design to stress, aging, and manufacturing differences between plants. ford is replacing these tires to prevent possible premature tire failure. vehicle description: the vehicles listed below may have been originally equipped with firestone wilderness at tires or may have had wilderness at tires installed during the firestone recall launched in august 2000. certain 1991 throught 2002 ford explorer certain 2001 throught 2002 explorer sport, and sport trac certain 1997 through 2002 mercury mountaineer certain 1991 through 2001 ranger certain 1999 through 2001 expedition certain 1991 through 1994, and 1997 model year f-series certain 1991 through 1994 bronco note: both original equipment and replacement tires are affected. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Should the tread separate at highway speeds, a vehicle crash could occur, possibly resulting in personal injury or death. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | The replacement/reimbursement program for this campaign expired on march 31, 2002. however, customers can contact ford at 1-877-917-3673 or go on-line to www.ford.com for possible assistance. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||||
| 01B77 | 10/01/2001 | 628153 | Owner notification program supplement 7 revised information - regarding replacement of wilderness at tires. *tt | 03/05/2002 | |
| 995157 | 05/01/1999 | 606945 | Information on maintaining tire pressure. *tt | 09/08/1999 | |
| 9852 | 04/13/1998 | 601290 | Information on tire company telephone numbers for customer assistance. *yc | 07/17/1998 | |
| BC0316970201 | 01/02/1997 | 51115 | Tire wear- cannot adjust camber to specs. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0316972301 | 01/23/1997 | 51425 | Tire wear- cannot adjust camber to specs. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Nar 06/03/03 failure to honor firestone tire recall. *cb | |||
| 04/14/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2094 | |
| I purchased the firestone wilderness at tires at the tire station in sacramento, ca in june 1997. the first problem i had with the tires was a blowout of the rear left tire traveling at 60mph on interstate 5 from california to oregon. during most of the life of my wilderness at tires i was living in bishop, ca and yucca valley, ca, which are both hot desert climates, which i understand are where most of the other tread separations have occurred. the tread separation occurred on the left front tire as i was traveling down a hill on hwy 62 from yucca valley to palm springs, ca. i barely kept control of the vehicle. i thought that it was simply a flat tire, but the tire people said they could not repair it because the tread had separated, and they showed me a large bubbled up area of the tire. because i had heard of similar incidents with wilderness at tires involving fatalities, i opted to replace all four tires (though i still have a wilderness at under the truck as a spare). i replaced them with bridgestone duellers because they had a better reputation for quality, and i had heard at the time that the replacement tires for the faulty wilderness at's should be throught firestone or bridgestone. when the recall became official, i obtained a letter from the tire place noting the tire separation so that i could be reimbursed for the failed tires. shortly after obtaining the letter, not knowing where to send it, my job transferred me to cheyenne wyoming, and i only recently relocated the letter, as well as learned that the wilderness at tires that i purchased were officially deemed as faulty and unsafe. i was able to escape injury, but i attribute that to my excellent driving skills - the tires truly created an unsafe situation for me.*ak | |||
| 04/19/2002 | 1 | 02/01/2099 | |
| The tire failed as i began slowing down on an exit ramp from a limited access highway. the tire lost pressure rapidly (5-10 sec). i was able to bring the vehicle to a controlled stop. the tire was properly inflated at the time (35 psi) and the vehicle was unloaded (driver only). the tire did not fail due to puncture or treadwear. there was extensive damage to the sidewall and apparent tread separation. a photograph of the damaged tire is available. *ak | |||
| 09/01/1999 | |||
| Ford specifies only 235/60-15 tires on this vehicle. this size is not available in a winter tire. these tires are unacceptable for use in upstate new york in winter. what can be done to get ford to identify safe winter tires? i have had significant problems stopping the truck in bad conditions and these tires are just no good in winter weather. i believe it is technically unacceptable and fundamentally irresponsible for an automobile company to only recommend a summer tire and then sell the vehicles throughout the country. please help me. i have talked to ford customer service and they stick with the single size recommendation. this is stupid.*ak | |||
| 08/17/2001 | 2 | 08/01/1994 | |
| I had a blowout with the back left tire. had my tires checked. front right tire starting to separate also. shipped blown tire to firestone. denied compensation for damages. denied compensation for proration on replacement tire. tires had less than 40,000 miles on them. firestone said that the tire had a cut in the tread face which allowed moisture to contaminate the steel belts causing a break down in the rubber to steel adhesion causing the detachment. because i had another tire beginning to separate at the same time, i am not satisfied with their decision. all i have is the word of their own inspector. the inspection of the tires should be conducted by an impartial party and the fact that i had another ruined tire should have been included in the decision. *ak (dot number: vdfcjba257 tiresize: 22570r14) | |||
| 03/01/2001 | 1 | 06/01/1994 | |
| Tires felt unstable and sometimes abnormal sounding for several months at 60mph on highway. no problems found during vehicle alignment and tire balancing. normal use and proper inflation since purchase of tires in september of 1997.*ak (tiresize: p265/75r15)( dot number: tire size: p265/75r15 ) | |||
| 1 | |||
| Firestone tire blewout while driving, consumer request reimbursement. nlm | |||
| 1 | |||
| The front firestone tires (p235/75r15) were showing metal wires. nlm | |||
| 11/03/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1994 | |
| I was driving down the interstate at night, aproximately 75 mph. when all of a sudden, i felt a jerk, and the vehicle was out of control. i have had flat tires in the past, and this was a completely different feel. my steering was almost inop, and breaking was almost non existant. i only thank god for looking down on me at that moment. after nearly crashing, i was able to make it over two lanes and finally come to a stop. when i inspected the tire, i had found it completely seperated in one whole piece. after removing the tire, i had to literally unrap the whole tread that had rapped around my tie rod end, and kick the other portion that was jammed in by brake. i have worked on airplanes i n the usaf for the past ten years and never once experienced a tire that badly mutilated. it appeared to be a manufacturing defect. you might ask yourself how can i make that assumption? i have been working in quality assurance for the past two years in aviation, and i see manufacturing defects all the time. i have a bachelors in professional aeronautics, with a minor in aviation safety. i think you guys are making a serious mistake by only recalling atx p35/75 r15s. there is an obvious problem with more atx tires. the question is, how many lives will it take before more tire sizes are recalled. reminds me of the blood priority. i will be taking pictures tomorrow of the damaged tire and the whole tread that was seperated. if you are interested in the pictures, i will gladly send them. i am still severely shaken up over this whole episode, so i apoligize for any typos or gramatical errors. besides, it is very hard to type in this small skinny window. i dont quite understand the rational of it. i'm sure you get thousands of complaints a day, and yet, i hope you see the severity of this issue. thank you for your time.*ak (tiresize: p265/75r15)( dot number: tire size: p265/75r15 ) | |||
| 10/03/2000 | 1 | ||
| Conditions: entire tread and attached side wall extending about half way to the wheel rim seperated. there was no audable sound. weather: clear day, about 80 deg. f. speed: about 70 mph. tire installed 6/6/00 and run for about 8,300 miles. identical tire on right side has not failed but will be replaced. the serial number on the failed tire appears to be: 32097. preceeding that number in a column of numbers are: p1107aa2 followed by e-25931 (dot number: cn72u479 tiresize: p225/70r14) | |||
| 10/01/2000 | 4 | ||
| Pe00 020; consumer said that rock gravel went inside of tires, and tires wouldn't hold air pressure. tires were flat. firestone, wilderness#at, p23570r16. there were no injuries.*ak | |||
| 09/19/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1995 | |
| A large chunk of tread came off of this tire. luckily traffic was light and we were able to pull off.*ak (tiresize: p225/70r14)( dot number: tire size: p225/70r14 ) | |||
| 09/18/2000 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| At 4:50 pm on monday, september 18, 200, i was driving west bound on the 210, a half mile before the 2 interchange in the pasadena, california area. i was driving 65 mph in the second lane when i began to feel like i was driving on a wash board. my back end began fishtailing back and forth. i had to fight to keep my truck in the lane i was in at the time. i glanced into my drivers side mirror and saw chunks and strips of tire flying away from my truck . i looked over my right shoulder and saw that the lanes were clear. i drove directly to the shoulder and stopped. on exiting my vehicle, i saw that all the tread had seperated from the driver's side rear tire. there is no tread left on the tire. i had aaa come and put on the spare. i had a safety check done the next morning at a tire shop. two more of my tires are cracked just outside the tread, around the entire perimeter of the tires on both sides. as i bought the truck used with 26,000 miles on it, i am not really sure if the affected tire was original or a replacement.*ak( dot number: w2fc1m9393 tire size: p225/70r14 ) | |||
| 8 | 08/01/1994 | ||
| I have noticed that 14 inch tires are not being recalled. are there significant engineering design differences in 14 inch and 15 inch tires, or have they just been overlooked since they are not a very common size. i have had to special order them. i am currently needing to replace my second set of wilderness ht tires. both sets only lasted about 20,000 miles even though i maintained them the same as any other tires i owned which lasted 60,000 miles. thankyou. will be monitoring your press releases. contact me if you'd like. karen( dot number: tire size: p225/70r14 ) | |||
| 12/01/1993 | |||
| I have been waiting several weeks and still haven't received replacement tires. never received recall notice either. *ak( dot number: tire size: 15 ) | |||
| 08/16/1999 | 1 | 01/01/1998 | |
| I owned a 1994 ford ranger i went into a slide & rolled the truck 4 times & totaled it out , i had wilderness at tires on this truck 265/75r/15 ........ i then bought a 1997 ford ranger with 265/75r/15 wilderness tires ,,,,, now comes this recall on wilderness at tires ...... i am concerned about these tires....... yet the ford dealer says my tires are not on the list , then i call firestone & they tell me my tires are not on the list , yet i recently rolled a ford ranger & lived through it , that had wilderness at tires on it , & i was beat up pretty good , so i am concerned about the tires i have on my truck now...... i work at a hospital & there are alot of people who say i am very lucky to be alive .......... so in closing yes i am worried about these wilderness at tires i have on my truck ...........( dot number: ?????????? tire size: 265/r75/15 ) | |||
| 11/18/1997 | 1 | ||
| Firestone atx tires, p26575r15, dot w29vins423 experienced vibration, consumer stated vehicle jumped and left road into a ditch causing damage to vehicle, consumer feels that the tires shook so bad and caused the 4wd hub to engage causing vehicle to drag on left front wheel and steer left, consumer also states the hub did fail in the summer or fall of 2000 and it was replaced. *slc | |||
| 08/10/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1999 | |
| No summary( dot number: w29v tire size: p265/75r15 ) | |||
| 06/16/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| On 6/6/00, while driving home with 2 carpool passengers the left rear tire disintegrated at 70 mph in 105 degree heat. the first indication that something was wrong was an extremely violent thumping from the rear. i thought at first that the driveline broke and was smashing the pavement, but then, after no more than a second, the noise stopped and the steering wheel was almost wrenched from my hands as the truck lurched severely to the left, hurtling us towards the bushes that are the only separation from oncoming traffic on that stretch of hwy 99 near selma ca. the wheel had actually locked up for an instant as the failed tread wrapped around the axle before ripping free. in the fraction of a second it took to realize i was no longer in control of the vehicle and was probably going to crash into oncoming traffic, the tread peeled off all the way. instantly, the noise and violent motion stopped and i watched the tire's tread tumble into the median through the left side mirror. i noticed i had instinctivly took my foot off the gas at the first sign of trouble, and i was now cruising at 60mph with no trouble. i eased into the right lane, slowing further, thing to pull over but the truck was handling fine. seeing an exit 1/4 mi. ahead, i headed for it with flashers at about 50mph. upon stopping we were amazed to find the left rear tire stripped of tread, but still fully inflated, (30 psi according to my guage). the shredded tire imploded my rear fender, left black gouges above and around the fender, and striped away the mudguard and interior of the wheel well. after changing the tire and depositing my shaken passengers at our carpool site,i went to the nearest tire dealer and bought a set of uniroyal tiger paws. they threw away the firestones and i have no record of them, but i do have a record from my local goodyear dealear when i took the truck soon after i bought it with a complaint of a strong pull to the right. they did an alignment test and told me a be | |||
| 08/25/2000 | 1 | 12/01/1999 | |
| The tire tread on the front driver side peeled completely off of the tire at approximately 65 mph.( dot number: w2hf1m2519 tire size: p215 75r15 ) | |||
| 6 | |||
| Two tires have been replaced because of separation, now the remaining four tires have separated, the truck pulls to the right, vibrates in the rear, and front. my tires are on my truck and i can deliver my truck to anyone wanting to examine it.( dot number: obbn pua tire size: p235/75r15 ) | |||
| 12/01/1999 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Tire had become flat and noticed significant wear but assumed that it had been punctured by a sharp object but never considered product failure. a new atx tire was bought to replace the old one at a firestone dealership.( dot number: tire size: p235/75r15 ) | |||
| 12/12/1994 | 2 | ||
| Two firestone tire failures. *ak | |||
| 12/01/1994 | 1 | ||
| Excessive firestone tire wear, also three front end alignments. *skd | |||
| 07/22/1994 | 1 | ||
| Left rear firestone tire blew out. *skd | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 09/07/2000 | 2 | 08/01/1995 | |
| One tire located on the right rear developed a crack in the sidewall, going completely around the right rear tire in the same line as the tire size. this tire also has a crack beginning to form at the outer base of the tread. after having the tires removed i found a hairline crack beginning at the base of the tread on the inside of another tire. i'm not sure where the tire was located on the vehicle, because they had already been removed and weren't marked. the other two tires dot vd 60 aw4 108 show signs that a crack may be beginning to form on the outer sidewall but show no obvious failure at this point. i had the tires replaced in concern for safety and have them in storage pending recall or warranty adjustment. the complete tire size is 31x10.50 lt r15. the box wouldn't take this many letters in the questionaire. if anyone has questions concerning the tires, since they are not under recall, they need to contact me promptly. i must return them for adjustment if they are not recalled.*ak (dot number: vd60aw4288 tiresize: 31x10.50lt) | |||
| 06/12/1998 | 1 | 04/01/1995 | |
| Firestone tire blew out (sidewall ruptured) 60 mph. plenty of treadwear left. rear bumper unusually weak, heavy damage under 2 mph collision, windshields abnormally weak, crack very easily. parking brake fails to operate correctly even after recall work is performed.( dot number: tire size: p22570r14 ) | |||
| 08/14/1994 | 1 | ||
| Right front firestone tire failed due to sidewall separation. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 09/05/2006 | 111830 | 1 | 03/21/1995 |
| Rear tire on my 1994 ford ranger separated , the tread came loose from the tire at 70 mph doing body damage to the vehicle and caused me to momentarily loose control of the vehicle. i was able to regain control of the vehicle luckily avoiding a serious accident. *nm | |||
| 02/09/2005 | 1 | ||
| The thread on the driver's side rear tire was separating ,and had the wires coming out, which was dangerous because the tire could blow up on the road. owner will contact manufacturer.*ak | |||
| 05/28/2004 | 2 | ||
| On four different occasions while driving, the tread separated from the tires, dealership and consumer agreed to prorated the tires and replaced. consumer again experienced the same tread separation problem. *la | |||
| 11/27/1999 | 55000 | 4 | |
| The tires have had a problem with tread separation. the consumer has replaced four tires due to tread separation. the consumer has noticed bulges around the tread area of the tires and knows that the tread will be separating soon. *nm | |||
| 10/01/2003 | 162626 | 1 | |
| While driving 70 mph rear driver's side tire tread separated, causing damage to the rear of vehicle. *ak | |||
| 01/07/2000 | 2 | ||
| On two occasions, the tire experience tread separation, customer was denied reimbursement because driver purchased competitor brand tires (firestone atx and at p235/75 r15). *tt | |||
| 3 | |||
| One of consumers firestone tires started coming loose while driving on interstate, consumer drove directly to tire dealer and upon inspection found that two other tires were also starting to come apart and he replaced all three, once the consumer heard abot recall 00t-005 he was denied replacement tires. nlm | |||
| 10/10/2000 | 1 | ||
| Firestone tires experienced belt separation, consumer replaced tires and firestone is denying her a reimbursement due to the early failure of the tires, consumer is requesting reimbursement. *slc | |||
| 01/03/2001 | 1 | ||
| While parked, consumer noticed a split, where tread met sidewall on right front firestone fr480 tire. firestone was notified and informed consumer that tire was not covered under recall, but they were willing to prorate tires at 50%. original equipment, tire size p225/70r14, dot# vnfc1m9 *ak *slc | |||
| 10/12/2000 | 1 | ||
| Firestone (p255/70r14 m+s) tire experienced tread separation. *slc | |||
| 1 | |||
| The firestone atx p235/75r15 tires on the vehicle experienced separation and were replaced prior to recall (00t-005), consumer is being denied reimbursement from the manufacturer. *mjs | |||
| 07/26/2000 | 1 | ||
| The firestone tires that are being re-called, blew out and driver lost control damage to truck. (claim# 42-1281-305) *mw | |||
| 01/24/2000 | 2 | ||
| Left rear firestone atx radial tire p235/75r15 experienced tread separation, upon inspection of the other tires, dealer noticed right front tire was beginning to separation, consumer had all 4 tires replaced with a different brand of tires, when recall was announced consumer was told he could get no compensation due to the failures happening before august. *slc | |||
| 11/01/1999 | 2 | ||
| Pe-00020; replacement tires on a 1994 ford ranger. tire size p21570r14. tread is separating from sidewall. *ak tire tread separation resulted in bulging causing vibration and steering malfunction. all tires were replaced with different brand. *yh | |||
| 01/01/2000 | |||
| Pe00.020; was traveling about 50mph on highway and vehicle began to shake. consumer was able to pull over, and the right front tire tread separated, and there were no injuries. firestone, wilderness#ht, p235/7515. he has contacted firestone.*ak | |||
| 4 | 12/01/1993 | ||
| All 4 of comsumer firstone tires experienced tread separation between 17000 and 26000 miles. nlm | |||
| 1 | |||
| After market tires, p235/75r15, dot#vdhl. tires began to crack along the sidewall. *ak | |||
| 12/12/1999 | |||
| Pe00 020; consumer was traveling 68mph on highway and heard a popping noise. vehicle thrown into center of the meredian strip. front left hand side tire tread had separated. there were no injuries. *ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | |||
| Pe00 020; consumer said that the tire were wobbling when he traveled down the road. tires had bubbles and stress marks. consumer notified the firestone.*ak | |||
| 10/15/1999 | 2 | 05/01/1994 | |
| Complete tread separation and blowout of left front tire with no advance warning in october of 1999. damaged left front fender. belt failure and partial tread separation resulting in large bulge on left rear tire in august of 2000.( dot number: tire size: p235/60r15 ) | |||
| 1 | |||
| Original equipment on a 1994 ranger, p265/7515 size . tread on all four tires has separated. *ak the tire were prorated on price under the warranty. the customer replaced the firestone atx tires with new and identical tires. *yh | |||
| 08/19/2000 | 0 | ||
| Pe00 020; consumer was traveling about 65 mph on highway, and the left rear tire separated and blew out. then he hit a concrete barrier, and veered over to the right, hitting a guardrail. vehicle was totaled. tires were firestone, size p215 70r14 m/s, and dot w2hy1nk142. *ak | |||
| 07/22/2000 | 1 | ||
| While driving 75mph tread separated from left rear tire. left side of truck was toren up due to tire hitting it. tire was still inflated. changed tire & contacted firestone. mailed tire to firestone. brought new tires. had brought vehicle with used tires already on it. *ak | |||