Problems with 2001 Ford Ranger TIRES

I bought my ranger 12 months ago. 6 months ago i noticed the bed of the truck was starting to lean to the left. also the spare tire came up missing. i thought it was stlolen but upon inspection it had simply rusted the holder under the truck and fallen off. 3 months ago the truck started making a grinding noise upon braking. the right front a arm had rusted and broken off the frame. a mechanic had to weld a piece of metal to the frame because there was nothing to weld to. then i finally decided to look under the truck and was shocked at what i found. the bed floor was nearly non excistant. rusted almost completely gone. the spring shackle on the right which is attached to frame with a bracket were sticking up against the bed liner, the bracket completely gone. the tube that holds the right shock absorber is completely rusted off, the shock absorber just hanging there. mechanics have told me theres no way to repair because theres no viable metal left to weld to. its simply rusted away. so now im left with over 3 more years of car payments on a vehicle that's useless. i will upload pictures as soon as i can. thank you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The spare tire mounted under the bed rusted off and fell off unto the highway. *tr

The spare tire rusted off and fell of when driving and shock mounts also broke due to rust. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford ranger equipped with cooper cobra radial g/t tires, size p225/60r15. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle began to shimmy and then spun out of control in circles on the highway. the police officer noticed that the tire tread was completely separated. the manufacturer stated that the failure was not related to nhtsa campaign number: 06t016000 (tires). the tires were not replaced. the tire and vehicle failure mileage was 96,405.

Traveling east on interstate 10 west of indio, ca when the kumho solis k21 rear passenger tire exploded. ranger pickup swayed back and forth until the pickup went down a 15' embankment. rolled at least 3 times with injuries to both passengers. the pickup was a total loss. tire was purchase 11/22/2010 and was a p225/70r-15. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford ranger. the contact has goodyear wrangler rts tires on his vehicle. he replaced the driver side rear tire. the contact stated that the driver side front tire has a crack near the bead and sidewall. he feels that it is a safety issue because the tire can blow out at anytime. the tire has approximately 45,000 miles. the contact has pictures. the tire dot number and vin were unavailable. the current mileage is 80,000 and failure mileage was 40,000. updated 12/12/07 *bf updated *jb

My 2001 xlt had the factory firestone wilderness ht tire side wall blew out on the freeway. i almost lost control. the truck only has 053265 miles on it, the tire tread was good and tires have been rotated and balance every 6000 miles. i e-mailed ford and firestone, i have pictures of the tire. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle vibrated while driving 55 mph. it was taken to the dealer who determined the tires needed to be replaced. additionally, the dealer informed the contact of recall campaign # 01x001000, concerning the tires. however, the dealer did not replace the tires under this recall; they suggested the contact file a safety complaint. updated 04/11/06. *jb

On february 27,2004, i purchased four (4) new tires (hoosier tires - dot adyk 9j0037) from a k&d offroad auto accessories,702 s.collins street, plant city florida, 33563 (mike taylor-owner). eleven months later (january 15, 2005), my vehicle showed signs of severe tire vibration in the ride and handling. i immediately took my vehicle to the nearest tire service company, long tire & auto service (authorized goodyear dealer) and was told that both front tires showed tire separation and all four (4) tires had cracking as a result of dry rot for age. the technician indicated that the tires were originally manufactured in 1997, apparently, seven (7) years before they were sold to me as new tires in 2004. *nm

After 15,000 miles on good year tires i had strange wear of all 4 tires. i went to the ford dealership burt ford 303-643-9020 and approved through ford all tires had been replaced. (this was bought new off of ford lot with goodyear tires) they stated the tires had coupled? bad tires and replace. 20,000 miles later the same thing happened all 4 tires and i was told by ford customer care, 1-800-241- ford, and burt ford that again it was the tires and again the new tires have started coupling. i feel this is the ford ranger 2001, 4 wheel drive, build defect that is making this happen. i at this time fear the vehicle has a major defect and this will make the truck unsafe and possibly cause loss of life. ford stated they checked front end only. they are not taking this as a real issue and have now placed me and my family in danger. *jb

Dayton tire separated from vehicle which caused fatal auto accident that killed my daughter (tammy renee egbert) on 21 april 2004 in rockledge, florida, bevard county on highway interstate 95. *la

I purchased this vehicle in may of 2001. today i was checking the air in the spare tire when i noticed the tire is 15" on a 15" wheel. the other wheels and tires are all 16". these tires were all changed from firestone to goodyear when the scare appeared. the dealer changed the tires and surely had to know the problem, but no one mentioned it or corrected it. what do i have to do to get a proper sized wheel and tire? i'm sure this could be a safety hazard or cause me problems if i have to use this spare. *jb

The right rear tire separated on my 2001 ford ranger pickup, while driving at approximately 58 mph on i-5 south in portland, or. contacted the local firestone dealer in vancouver, wa & they passed the buck to ford, stating that they do not cover a warranty for the tires, that it falls under the auto company to cover the warranty on the tires. (tiresize: p225/70rx15 a/s owl tires. *ak)

The consumer received a notice from ford 10/01 about a defect with the firestone wilderness at tires. the dealer said the tire program had been discontinued (manufacturer recall # 0np01b77; nhtsa campaign # 01x001000). *nlm *ts

Goodyear wrangler rt/s front tires cupping badly, recommended tire rotation caused all four tires to be badly cupped resulting in serious vibration and difficulty in control on wet or icy surfaces. internet search shows many people have the same problem. tires were a replacement by ford of firestone tires which were oem. it seems that tire failure or accidents may well result with the cupping of goodyear tires. ford dealer says tires are defective but the warranty has run out and ford is not responsible. ford dealer (tasca ford cranston, ri) recommended all tires be replaced at my expense! these tires have only 14,000 miles on them! *jb

Consumer states that the spare tire is too small for vehicle. dealer notified.*ak

Firestone has always been a good name brand. they have had some problems as of late. i did not like these tires on this truck when i bought it. now i'm just stuck with them until something else happens. dt

The vehicle fish tailed while driving, because the tires were designed for a passenger car not a truck.*jb

The wall on the tire shredded. the tread has completely separated from the rim on the outer wall. dt

While driving the vehicle started to vibrate in the front end. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the tires were rotated but the vibration became worse (225/70r15100s m/s radial tubeless). *mr *nlm

The consumer experienced constant vibration in the tires while traveling, approximately a few weeks after the vehicle was purchased. the dealer stated that there is tread usage in the front end and something may be wrong with the transmission. scc

While driving 65mph, left rear tire exploded, sidewall on outside was in pieces, tire came off the rim. tire size p225/70r15, dot # unavailable. *ak consumer stated there was a loud noise and pieces of the tire began flying everywhere, when consumer started to apply the brakes, the vehicle began to swerve, consumer has replaced all 5 tires.*slc

Ford company took off a firestone tire and replaced it with b.f.goodrich of a different size. currently tire is turning more resolutions than vehicle was designed to turn. *ak consumer stated that ford motor company replaced the firestone tire size 16? with b.f. goodrich spare tire size 15?, the tire will not fit in the spare compartment and leaving him to drive with one 15? and three 16?. consumer is stating that this is a dangerous situation for his safety. *yd

Spare tire is not the same size as regular tires, regular tires are size 24575r16, and spare tire size is 23575r15. owners manual states that all tires should be the same size. *ak *slc

I was driving south on route 5 in southern maryland. i had jsu gone through st mary's city and was speding up to about 40 when i heard a rumbling that sounded like a door had come partially open. my turnoff was in a couple of miles so i just ignored it. after about 2 miles the left rear side lurched down and i heard the rumbling of a flat tire. i pulled off in about a 1/4 mile (coast to stop and pulled off) and the entire outer side wall of the tire was completely shreaded. i went to my local firestone dealer (9400 main street in fairfax va) and he said this is normal for a tire. somehow i don't think a complete side wall disengeration is normal under these conditions. i have the tire and will be happy to bring it in if you would like.*ak (dot number: w2uu 1501 tiresize: 225/70r-15)

Pe00.048; consumer was traveling at highway speed and heard vibration noises. was able to pull over to shoulders, and saw that right rear tire tread separated from vehicle. firestone, wilderness at, p22570r15 dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Pe00 020; was traveling about 45mph on highway and heard a noise. lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle rolled and hit a enbankment. tire was a firestone, wilderness at, p23575r15. *ak