Problems with 1999 Ford Expedition TIRES

Belt seperation and vibration in the tires dealer will not replace( dot number: vncu tire size: p25570r16 )

Recent firestone tire recall only covers 15" wilderness at tires. i had a tire loose pressure/flat at approximately 55 mph. the tires came on my newly purchased 1999 expedition. with only 3900 miles, the tire was destroyed, including the sidewall from slowing the vehicle to a stop after the flat. i did not inspect the tire, i was just told by the ford dealer that replaced it that they would inspect the tire and replace it if recommended. the only documentation i have regarding the replacement is a note by the dealer/service that there was a puncture to the sidewall. the sidewall puncture did not cause the flat. the sidewall damage was due to the tire failure at the high rate of speed. the ford dealer would not replace the tire under warranty with only 3900 miles. now that the firestone recall is in force, 16 " tires are not included. should they be? had i known about the problems, or the recall would have been in place, i would have inspected the tire, or even kept the tire for further inspection for my complaint. my family was on vacation when the tire failure occured, i check my tire pressure regulary and it was at the recommended manufactures specs (35psi). should these tires be included in the recall? i am taking my family on another vacation in 5 weeks. we will be driving 4000-5000 miles on these tires. i will do my part by continuing to inspect and check tire pressure. please keep firestone honest and if the 16" wilderness tires should be included, i would like to know before our family vacation. thanks for your investigation and all your efforts. steve sandquist. *ak( dot number: tire size: p255/70r16 )

I was returning to ga from florida, and i heard this chopper noise!! there were no choppers above. a passerby motioned to my left rear tire. i pulled over and the tread was coming off the tire! a college student removed the tire and installed my spare. he would not take any money for the outstanding job to install the spare tire. i had my 4 children in the suv!!( dot number: tire size: 25570r16 )

17 inch firestone tires went flat frequently, the consumer replaced the tires and is requesting reimbursement. *slc

Tire tread seperation on both left and right rear( dot number: w2t6 tire size: p265/70r17 )

The first tire (left rear) blew out while travelling at freeway speed. the vehicle swung to the left. fortunately no one was near me and i was able to bring the vehicle to a safe stop. the second incident occurred approximately one week later. again at freeway speed, the right rear tire suddenly went flat. the vehicle was safely brought to as stop. both tires have been replaced with new tires of the same model.( dot number: w2t6 tire size: p265/70r17 )

Pe00020; original equipment on a ford, expidition 1999. there are little slices going all the way around tire, consumer took to firestone and they are going to replace them. consumer will be charged. *ak

Car coasted to stop. spare installed. commercial motor co in aransas pass sold me two new tires because the right failure shredded the tire. that way i have two new tires on front end. commercial discarded the tire. it took a whole day to get the two new ones because the dealer was not stocking them. i thought it strange at the time but they never explained the problem.( dot number: tire size: 735x16 )

While driving about 55 mph left rear tire had a blowout, and found tread had separated. ford, expedition, 1999, p-255/70r16, dot vncu1rd259. *ak tire is a firestone wilderness, failure caused damage to vehicle. *slc

All four tires were found to be "cracked" along the tread/sidewall at 11,500 miles. local firestone dealer replaced all four. while at the crown ford dealership earlier that day i had them check my tires and they sent me to the firestone dealer, the service manage checked other expeditions in the shop and found simular cracks on at least one more expedition in the shop. i realize the 16" tires are not on the recall program. however, i do not think the problem begins and ends with only 15" tires. i have sent complaints via e-mail to ford and firestone and have received their standard replies ref. the recall. i have lost confidence in firestone and desire anothner brand of tire. please help. thanks (tiresize: 25570r16)( dot number: tire size: 25570r16 )

Pe00020; tire tread separation: while driving about 45 mph tread on the rear driver's side came off. driver was able to control expediton, and did not receive any injuries. tire was a wilderness atx, 16, original tire equipment. in july, tire on the rear passenger's side blewout with 21,000 miles. please provide dot # if possible and any further information.*ak

Tire defect: driving under normal conditions with my family of five we heard a "bang" and realized the rear right tire had blown. because of the severity of the blow out we felt immediately that this was a manufacturing defect and expressed our concern to nemer ford. the ford expedition has never been used for any off-road purpose. nemer ford refused to do anything and simply referred us to the firestone dealer. we contacted our local firestone dealer and they told us it must have been punctured, which we knew was not true. we have not replaced the tire and still have the original tire to prove to someone that the tire is defective! firestone told us we needed to purchase another tire, i will not risk my family's safety by purchasing another firestone product.( dot number: tire size: p265/70r )

Tire exploded for no apparent reason while driving down the highway.( dot number: tire size: p255/70r16 )

Tire had complete failure (blowout) on interstate 95 at 70 mph at approximately 0700 on may 16th, 2000. was able to keep control and return to outside emergency lane and replace with the spare. the spare also has four serious indentations in the sidewall and i do not consider safe to use.i went to a tire kingdom store the next day and purchased 4 new michelin tires and had the spare replaced under the vehicle. this was before a recall was announced and i did not keep the blown tire.*ak( dot number: 109s tire size: p255/70r16 )

I am now having the same problem with the same front passenger tire. i changed the first tire with my spare rim & tire and now the air is decreasing in the tire the same way the first tire did. in the first incident we were on the freeway and my suv spent around and swerved . i had five children in my car and when i got out to look at the tire it was split in half and the tread was torn apart (as seen on t.v.). i fear for me & my family's lifes and i am afraid to drive my suv. please investigate these tires, at this time i can't afford to replace these malfunctioned tires. *ak

Firestone wilderness at tire p255/70r16 experienced tread separation, while driving, consumer heard a noise from the front passenger tire which made her pull over to the shoulder and see tire. *slc

Cracks along edge of tread around entire tire. we have received 3 flats in less then 4 months between 13k and 18k milage on tires. the spare only has 3k on it and has no crakcs. the cracks were noticed 4/2000 when first flat occurred and repair man said the new tires should not look like that.notified indepent firestone dealer 5/2000. the cracks were noticed when car had less then 3k but did not know there was a problem. now with the recall in process this tire is not included, should it be???( dot number: w2cuird249 tire size: p255/70r16 )

I want these tires off of my car ford has had many of problems with building safe cars( dot number: )

Tires: had a blowout on the highway in april of this year. i went to the nearest firestone dealer. he inspected the tire and reported that it was defective and not repairable, so i bought a new one. ever since this happened, the vehicle vibrated terribly at highway speeds. reported (3times) to dealership since april. each report is documented. allegedly fixed each time. finally on 8/04/00 the tire was declared defective by the dealership and was replaced.(i have documentation/receipts on all work). problem is that the truck still vibrates at highway speeds although at lower mph than previously reported. air conditioning: first reported strong moldy odor back in jan 1999. was told by ford service rep. that it was due to the truck's having been idle in the hot sun/parking lot prior to my purchasing it. i was told that it would dissipate in time. it did not. i brought it in three times since then. each time i asked that the cause be fixed and not just the symptoms. on the 4th visit, i involved the owner and his dealership hired an outside company to remove the mold from the system. they claimed to have done so but during the cleaning process they added a chemical/perfume that is so strong, one cannot tell if the actual problem is still present or not. i was told (by the service rep) the owner was so offended by this smell that he had the company come back out & redo the truck to remove the added chemical. they were unsuccessful as it smells very strong even today (2 weeks later). my concern is as follows; if they removed the mold and smell then why would they need to add a chemical/perfume? i believe that they added this chemical to mask the fact that the mold is still present. i think that all they were able to do was overpower the stench of mold by adding this fragrance. i want the cause of the problem fixed, not just the symptoms. having mold spores blown into my face is a risk to my health and is of serious concern to all. my truck is not the only one.

I took the tire into a firestone dealer due to a slow leak, they checked the tire, dismounted it and after reassembly said there was nothing wrong with the tire. the tire continued to exibit a slow leak rate of about 10 lb in 2 weeks. due to the problems with firestone tires in general i replaced all of them. they all exibit tread seperation ridges in the sidewalls. i had firestone tires in 1974 and after a total of 19 tires 12 plus the original 5 i went to bias ply they were l 78 r 15 c range tires also. *ak (dot number: w2t6ire149 tiresize: p265/70r17)

Pe00-020; firestone , wilderness at p255/70r16 with original equipment ford expedition 1999, consumer experienced 2 blowouts,once while driving at approximately 70 mph with 10-15,000 miles, and another while driving at aprroximately 60 mph. with 17-20,000 miles. consumer decided to replace rest of tires. *ak the customer replaced failed tires as well as others due to safety concern. *yh

Pe-00-020-tire on a 1999 ford expedition tire, size not available, and dot number not available. tires only have 10 thousand mile on them. consumer noted that tires has cracked around the sidewall area. tires have a 2-3 inch crack on the tires, and tread could be pulled back at the sidewall which exposed the rubber portion of the tire. please provide any further details. *ak firestone atx p255/70/r16 *mw

Developed a separation ( split ) in outer sidewall of tire. *ak( dot number: tire size: p255/70r16 )

While driving on a highway front left tire was leaking air, then blewout. *ak

The tread separated from firestone wilderness at owl tire, currently the 17 inch tires are not included in the recall (p265/70r17). nlm

The tire on my suv separated so bad that it looked shredded off on the rim. i didnt think much about it at the time until the firestone recall on the same brand tire. according to what ive seen and read, firestone is saying they only have a problem with the 15 inch tire not the 17. i disagree after seeing pictures on tv and in the paper, my tire looked the same. i would like to know if anyone else has had any problems like this with the same size/brand tire as mine. thanks( dot number: tire size: p265\70r-1 )

All four tires are dry rotting on the tread and ford and general will not replace the tires at there cost. since all four tires have the same issue, this appears to be a defect in the tire. attached is an email i sent to general tire and ford, neither of which offered any assistance other than point the finger at each other. email: i own a 1999 ford expedition with grabber aw 255-r70-16 tires. in january my wife brought in the car to ford for routine maintenance and pointed out unusual ware on the tires. ford said it was nothing to worry about. i let it go. because of all the firestone issues i decided to inspect my tires in august, and discovered that they appear to be dry rotting on the outer treads on all four tires. i called your customer service number and was told to go to sears and have them inspect my tires. i did this and the young man who handles the register made a two minute inspection of my tires and said the dry rotting was not severe and not effecting the tire.( dot number: tire size: 255-r70-16 )

While driving about 60mph right rear tire blewout . dealer said it was owner's fault. owner replaced it with the same type of tire. *ak firestone wilderness p255/70/r16 * mw

Spare tire fell off vehicle. the cable holding the spare tire broke letting the spare tire fall from under the vehicle and bouncing around on the road.*ak

Driving on expressway, tire failed, pulled over to side of road, tread gone, nothing but sidewalls remained. took tire to dealer, said it was run on the rim for extensive time, this was not true. paid for new tire as well as new rim.( dot number: w2t6ire368 tire size: p265/70r17 )

L/f tire blew out (peeled off) between 65-70 mph, i was able to keep to maintain control and pull over safely to shoulder and change tire.( dot number: tire size: 255/70r16 )

Rear passenger tire blewout...sounded like a gunshot then the vehicle immediately dropped onto the rim,ii coasted to a stop. had the car towed to a firestone dealer, asked the technician what could cause this to occur on a tire with less than 3000 miles on it. he said he couldn't tell, but because of the location of the rupture he didn't think i ran over anything. he said i was "lucky to have firestone tires because the rupture was so close to the sidewall on a cheaper tire it would not have been able to be repaired. right now i dont feel so lucky to own firestone tires. should i replace all 4 tires with another brand? thank you. *ak (dot number: w2cuird019 tiresize: p255-70r16)

(sent to firestone and ford) dear sirs: we own a 1999 ford expedition with wilderness at, white letter, size p255/70r16 tires. today, the vehicle has 22,000 miles on it. last year, as we approached about 9,000 miles on the vehicle, we noticed excessive vibration especially on the highway. we had the tires balanced -- first at a retail tire store. this did not resolve the problem. we then took the vehicle to be serviced at a ford dealership where the tires were again balanced. the vibration continued even after ford performed their own balancing. it seems these tires could not and cannot be properly balanced. the situation has worsened over time where even at lower around town speeds, the vibration is readily evident. there are also noticeable cracks in the treads; it almost looks like dry rot! the air pressure in the tires have been meticulously monitored in order to maximize our gas mileage; so we know air pressure is not the culprit. as parents of two small children, one 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl, we now fear for our family's safety after seeing what happens with these tires. what do you intend to do to resolve this situation? we will appreciate your prompt response, anita j. and walter l. hilliard, jr.( dot number: w2cu tire size: p255/70r16 )

All four tires started seperating / cracking around 11/99 . took vehicile to firestone dealer 08/00 they inspected tires and said it was normal . i asked for a reciept they said they do not give reciepts for inspections. i told them i never had tires do that before . they had no comment. i assure you tires with 35000 miles should not do that. i sent letters to ford & firestone they never addressed my concerns. thats why i contacted nhtsa( dot number: tire size: 265/70/17 )

Blowout on left front tire, firestone wilderness at p25570r16, tire sent to firestone, firestone paid for a new tire, wheel and shipping expenses, in october 2000, owner replaced all four tires out of fear, would like for ford or firestone to pay for replacements.

Left front wilderness firestone (p255/70r16) tire blew out, tread came off and there was sign of damage from a nail. *jb

Tread separated just as described in recall of smaller size tires. tire blew out at highway speed.( dot number: )

Sidewall blewout where tread was put together. i asked the service dept. if they had any problems with that tire and was told no. i am a father of three and am very concerned. this size has yet to be added to the recall or advisery.( dot number: tire size: 255/70r16 )

Original equipment on a 99 expedition p265/70r17. while driving 70mph right rear tire tread separated, causing minir damage to vehicle.*ak

Defects to our oem tires on our new expedition, similar to those described in the media. in mid0august, after only having our truck four months and with only 2500 miles on it, the front left side tire's belts began to separate from the tire. firestone replaced. four months later, rear right tire began to go flat after heating up, firestone took over a month of testing on the tire on the tire and refused to replace it even though we returned it four times due to these flats. finalyy, after a month of complaints, they reluctantly replaced the second tire. two defective tires in less than eight months of the vehicle being new and they reported no complaints about the tire. i notified firestone and ford of my concerns on 8/28/99 after the first defect and have all documentation.( dot number: tire size: 255-70-16 )

In aug, 99, i was driving my 1999 ford expedition on interstate 80 between auburn, california and lake tahoe, when my wife and 3 children heard a loud noise, and the vehicle began swerving all over the freeway. after the noise, my kids looked back and saw what they described as smoke and debris flying behind the car. fortunately, i was able to steer the vehicle to the shoulder of the road without an accident. i got everyone out of the car and we called the auto club on our cell phone to come fix the flat. i looked at the flat tire, and i was very surprised to see the nature of the flat. the tire sidewall was totally disintegrated, but the tire tread remained is one round piece. i jacked up the car and removed the wheel, and the separated tread that surrounded the aluminum wheel. i looked closely at the separated tread, expecting to see a nail or some other evidence of a puncture. there wasn_x0012_t any puncture or hole in the tread. i thought that was very unusual so i took some photos right there. then i changed the tire and put the wheel and separated tread in my car. the auto club tow truck arrived just as i was completing the change. the day after the incident, i went to a firestone dealer in roseville, california and brought the wheel and the separated tread. i was pretty upset and requested a free replacement because it appeared to me to be a defective tire. however, the man at the firestone dealership said it was _x0013_road hazard_x0014_ and that warranty did not apply. i commented to my son afterwards that he seemed almost pre-programmed for that response. i wasn_x0012_t happy with their attitude at firestone so i went to the closest ford dealership. they were nicer about it, and agreed that it looked like a tire problem, but they said ford doesn_x0012_t warrant tires on new cars. i ended up just buying a replacement wilderness at in redding the next day because that was our vacation destination. when we returned home about one week later, my wife wrote a letter to firestone, but we

Tread separation at relatively low speed; nothing in roadway. *ak (dot number: ? tiresize: 17 inches)

Tires won't stay balanced (balanced 3 times - still shimmy). tires run very hot to the touch. dealer said this condition is normal? suprised they were not recalled by firestone also....more must die before a statistical analysis shows a problem.( dot number: tire size: p245r16 )

After having the car for only three days, we were traveling 60 mph on a highway when the left rear tire disintegrated - no steering or control problems occurred and we were able to pull over and put on the spare. we returned home and took the car to the ford dealer where we purchased the vehicle three days prior and they at first refused to cover the cost of replacing the tire. after much debate and reluctance on their part ("this never happens, you must have hit a nail") - we argued that there was no way the tire should have blown after only being drive on for less than 300 miles and that we did not hit anything we were aware of (their inspection of the tire also yielded no punctures that they could find). ford finally agreed to pay for a new wilderness tire and it was replaced. we are reporting this so that you know this happened over one year ago on a virually brand new tire.( dot number: vncu tire size: 16 )

There was a passenger in vehicle going 70mph. driver lost control, vehicle crossed over several lanes, and flipped over 4 times. landed on wheels & hit guardrail & flipped again. landed on right side & skidded 92 feet. upon impact with guardrail, air bags failed to deploy. child 2 1/2mos. in rear facing seat was thrown from seat as vehicle flipped. police report indicated hyroplaned on water on highway. pictures showing front right tire blown & possible rear. firestone tires on vehicle that was totaled. occupants suffered minor injuries & treated at emergency room. child seat cosco model #0273310 dom 06 oct 97. *ak

1 tire blew hole through tread, 3 others various patchable hole, 1 questionable( dot number: tire size: 265 70 r17 )

I've had 5 flat tires in the 20 months i've owned this truck. three of the 5 (including the spare) tires are showing signs of the tread cracking at the base.( dot number: tire size: 265/70-17 )

On a clear open road, highway 15, our tire blew out. fortunately i was able to control the car. first we heard a loud noise, then smoke from the rear of car, then the car became very difficult to control. since the car was almost new we took the tire to gaudin ford in las vegas to complain about the tire. we were told that it had to be a road hazard and that we would need to buy a new tire, which we did. on our local news they have had several stories about the same tires blowing out the same way, but unfortuneatly for them, these people were killed. i think the tires are unsafe. *ak( dot number: )

Firestone wilderness at tire (p255 70 r16) experienced tread separation. *slc

From the first day of ownership of our 1999 ford expedition -- we had difficulty with the factory equipped 17 inch wilderness at tires pulling to either side of the road while driving strait ahead at any speed. we proceeded with a lemon law complaint with massachusetts attorney general. at least 3 front end aliegnments were unsuccessful in fixing the problem. a ford motor company engineer said the 17 inch tires were inherently unstable and nothing could be done to improve the pulling of tires. our own mechanic detuned the front end aliegnment with in factory specifiations and this allowed the vehicle to be driven. the only problem was increase tire wear. we have replaced at approx 16,000 miles all five wilderness at tires with goodyear tires and do not appear to have th same stearing problems. (dot number: w216-1re-0 tiresize: 17)