1998 Ford Explorer Sport Tires & wheels Problems

THESE TIRES ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. WHEN THEY WERE FIRST INSTALLED, WE NOTICED A STRANGE SOUND. WE DID NOT ASSUME IT WAS FROM THE TIRES, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS RELATED TO THE ROTORS. THIS IS NOT OUR ONLY VEHICLE AND WE DON'T DRIVE IT ALL OF THE TIME; IN FACT IT IS PARKED MUCH OF THE TIME. WE DID NOT GET THE ROTORS REPLACED UNTIL AUGUST OF 2013. THE SOUND CONTINUED EVEN WITH THE NEW ROTORS, TO OUR SURPRISE. SO WE WENT BACK AND CHECKED A SECOND MECHANIC WHO THEN REMOVED ALL OF THE TIRES. AFTER INSPECTING THE TIRES, THE MECHANIC SHOWED US WHERE THEY WERE DEFECTIVE. HE PHYSICALLY POINTED OUT SOME AREAS WHERE THEY WERE DEFORMED. HE TOLD US TO TAKE THEM BACK TO WHERE WE PURCHASED THEM FOR REPLACEMENT. IN SHORT, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO GET THEM REPLACED AT WAL MART WHERE THEY WERE PURCHASED. I WOULD LIKE THESE TIRES INDEPENDENTLY INSPECTED SO THAT WE CAN VERIFY THAT THEY ARE INDEED DEFECTIVE. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10547763

Incident

Aug 31, 2013

Mileage

174,559 mi

GENERAL TIRE TREAD SEPARATION FORD EXPLORER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10396034

Incident

Apr 10, 2011

Mileage

155,000 mi

I HAVE HAD TWO FLAT TIRES AS A RESULT OF DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS. BF GOODRICH RADIALS WERE INSTALLED AT SEARS ON MY 1998 EXPLORER SPORT IN 12/06. THE FIRST VALVE COMPLETELY DEFLATED MY TIRE 4 OR SO MONTHS AGO WHILE SITTING OVERNIGHT IN MY GARAGE. I ASSUMED I HAD CAUSED THE SLICE IN THE VALVE BY DRIVING, BUT HADN'T HIT ANYTHING. ON 11/26/08 AT 7:00 P.M. I WAS DRIVING I-95 S AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND NOTICED UNUSUAL DRIVING SENSATIONS. AFTER SEVERAL MILES, I FIGURED OUT IT WAS A TIRE GOING DOWN, AND TOOK APPROPRIATE ACTION--SLOWING, BEING ACUTELY AWARE OF TRAFFIC, AND SEEKING A SAFE EXIT. WHEN I EXITED INTO A GROCERY PARKING LOT, I IMMEDIATELY GOT OUT AND DISCOVERED MY REAR PASSENGER TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT, AND ONCE AGAIN, THE VALVE WAS SLICED. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR DEFECTIVE VALVES AFTER RECALLING HEARING ABOUT DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS MANUFACTURED IN CHINA SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. I LEARNED DILL AIR CONTROLS PRODUCTS AND THE NHTSA HAD ISSUED WARNINGS REGARDING SAME AFTER A DEATH OF AN ORLANDO, FL MAN. I AM RETURNING TO SEARS TO HAVE ALL 4 OF MY TIRES INSPECTED FOR FAULTY VALVES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10250079

Incident

Nov 26, 2008

1998 FORD EXPLORER SPORT WITH TIRES THAT WERE RECALLED **CC THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS DENIED NEW TIRES. THE TIRES THAT ARE ON THE VEHICLE WERE RECALLED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10181588

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER PERTAINING TO THE TIRES ON MY VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES DUE TO A BLOW OUT THAT HAD OCCURRED ALL TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE PRIOR TO THE LETTER. I DO STILL CARRY THE P255/70R16 WILDERNESS AS A SPARE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I AM ENTITLED TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF MY TIRES. *JB

NHTSA ID

10169774

Incident

Mar 24, 2006

DT: THE CONTACT OWNED A 1998 FORD EXPLORER SPORT. HAD FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES ON VEHICLE. WENT FOR INSPECTION AND FAILED BECAUSE THE TIRES WERE RECALLED. HE CONTACTED FORD AS WELL AS FIRESTONE, AND THEY TOLD HIM THE RECALL WAS OVER AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THE TIRE SIZE WAS P235/70R16. THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE SPLIT BETWEEN THE THREADS, AND SIDEWALLS. IT WAS LIKE THEY WERE SEPARATING ON ALL FIVE OF THE TIRES, INCLUDING THE SPARE TIRE. *AK *NM

NHTSA ID

10129499

Incident

Jul 20, 2005

MY HUSBAND, NINE YEAR OLD NEPHEW AND I WERE DRIVING BACK FROM OUR SUMMER VACATION. THE NIGHT BEFORE OUR ACTUAL ACCIDENT, OUR FRONT RIGHT TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION. MY HUSBAND PUT THE SPARE ON AND WE WENT ON TO OUR HOTEL. THE NEXT DAY OUR LEFT REAR TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION AND FORCED MY 1998 FORD EXPLORER SPORT ONTO THE MEDIAN. SOMEWHERE DURING THAT OUR RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. THEN WE ROLLED OVER THREE TIMES. WE WERE TRAVELING THE SPEED LIMIT AT 70 MPH. WE STRONGLY FEEL THAT THE DUNLOP TIRES WERE THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT. MY EXPLORER WAS A TOTAL LOSS. DESPITE THE EVENTS, MY HUSBAND NEPHEW AND I WALKED AWAY WITH ONLY SCRATCHES AND MINOR CUTS. I THANK FORD FOR THAT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT ABOUT A YEAR AGO I HAD TO REPLACE ONE OF THE DUNLOP TIRES FOR TREAD SEPARATION. I RECEIVED ANOTHER TIRE. THAT TIRE WHICH WAS ON THE FRONT LEFT AND THE SPARE (WHICH WAS A FIRESTONE) DID NOT GIVE OUT BUT BASICALLY THE FOUR DUNLOP TIRES THAT I PURCHASED, I STRONGLY FEEL, WERE DEFECTIVE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10082201

Incident

Jul 14, 2004

WHILE DRIVING 98 FORD EXPLORER SPORT .AFTER ABOUT 2 HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING AT 65 MPH THE REAR PASSANGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT.TIRE WAS A GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S 255/70R16.TIRE SEPERATED FROM SIDEWALL 3/4 OF THE WAY AROUND.HAD RAGGED EDGE LIKE IT WAS PULLED APART.TIRE DEFECTIVE ? LOOKED LIKE DRY ROT.98 EXPLORER HAS 49,000 MILES ON IT .NOT SURE IF TIRES WERE ORIGINAL EGUITMENT.BOUGHT CAR USED.*AK

NHTSA ID

10048868

Incident

Oct 5, 2003

Mileage

49,000 mi

THE CONSUMER SWERVED TO AVOID AN ONCOMING CAR, AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS BACK ON THE ROAD THE RIGHT REAR FIRESTONE (WILDERNESS AT P235/75R15) TIRE BLEWOUT CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ROLLOVER THREE TIMES, ONE PASSENGER WAS TREATED FOR CONTUSIONS AND A SEVERED FINGER, THE OTHER THREE OCCUPANTS WERE TREATED FOR MINOR CONTUSIONS. NLM

NHTSA ID

561637

Incident

Jul 4, 2000

WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, CONSUMER STATES SHE HEARD A TREMENDOUS NOISE AND THE VEHICLE BECAME HARD TO STEER, SHE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DISCOVERED THAT THE LEFT REAR TIRE WAS IN SHREDS, CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO A FIRESTONE DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRE (P235/75R15) WAS NOT DEFECTIVE, CONSUMER HAD TIRE REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ID

561295

Incident

Jun 1, 1998

THE FIRESTONE TIRE BLEWOUT CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASH INTO A TREE, THE DRIVER SUSTAINED WHIPLASH, BACK, NECK, UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY BRUISES AND MUSCLE SPASMS (FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT P235/75R15 1055 M/S DOT W2HLIPY407). NLM

NHTSA ID

560435

Incident

Aug 1, 2000