1996 Chevrolet Suburban Tires

SATURDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER, MY WIFE AND I BEGAN A TRIP, TUCSON TO YUMA, IN A NEWLY ACQUIRED '96 SUBURBAN 2500. EARLIER THAT MORNING I HAD BEEN READING SOME OF THE NEWS THAT HAD BEEN POSTED ON THE INTERNET AND HAD COME ACROSS ANOTHER IN THE NEVER ENDING STORIES OF THE WOES OF FIRESTONE (TIRES). THE (BAD) NEWS HAD SPILLED OVER FROM THE FORD APPLICATIONS TO REFERENCE FIRESTONE'S STEELTEX R4S AND AT MODEL TIRES... THAT COME AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON, OF ALL THINGS, THE CHEVROLET SUBURBAN! I WALKED OUT TO THE GARAGE AND LOOKED AT THE TIRES THAT WERE INSTALLED ON THE "NEW" '96 AND FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE HAD LIKE NOW R4S TYPES INSTALLED ON ALL FOUR CORNERS! "NAH, IT CAN'T BE" I SAID TO MYSELF. I HAD READ FURTHER, ON THE INTERNET, THE RESPONSE OF FIRESTONE TO THE NEW ALLEGATIONS WAS FIRESTONE BELIEVED THAT THE SAFETY BOARD/GURUS WERE ONLY BEGINNING THEIR INVESTIGATION AND THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT ANY REAL PROBLEMS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE R4S AND AT MODEL TIRES. WITH RENEWED CONFIDENCE IN FIRESTONE (REINFORCED BY THEIR PUBLISHED STATEMENT) WE STARTED OUR TRIP TO YUMA. SEVENTEEN (17) MILES INTO THE TRIP, TRAVELLING AT 75 MPH (WHICH IS LEGAL SPEED LIMIT IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS), THINGS GOT REAL EXCITING. THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR STARTED TO "THUMP" THE TIRE CAME APART, AND CONTROL BECAME "DICEY". WE WERE IN THE LEFTMOST LANE OF THE INTERSTATE WITH AUTOMOBILES TO OUR RIGHT SIDE AND BEHIND US. I GOT THE SUBURBAN TO SLOW ENOUGH, WITHOUT USING BRAKES, TO ENTER THE MEDIAN SAFELY AND REVIEW "THE DAMAGE". A HIGHWAY PATROLMAN (STATE TROOPER) PULLED IN ALONG SIDE TO SEE IF WE WERE OK AND OFFER SOME ASSISTANCE. HE SEEMED TO THINK THAT WE WERE LUCKY NOT TO HAVE REALLY TAKEN A TUMBLE OR ROLLED THE VEHICLE. AN AVERAGE DRIVER WOULD HAVE LOST IT. WE RETURNED TO TUCSON AND IMMEDIATELY REPLACED ALL FIVE (5) FIRESTONE TIRES.*AK (DOT NUMBER: V611B1A378 TIRESIZE: LT24575R16)

2 OF THESE TIRES BLEW OUT AT DIFFERENT TIMES - FOR NO APPARENT REASON (TIRESIZE: LT245/75R1)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: LT245/75R1 )

@ TIRES HAVE BLOW OUT FORNO APPARENT REASON (TIRESIZE: LT245/75R1)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: LT245/75R1 )

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 OR 60 MPH TREAD ON THE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE CAME COMPELETELY OFF, BEATING THE TRUCK TO PIECES. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CONTROL TRUCK. ORIGINAL TIRE EQUIPMENT ON A 1996, SUBURBAN. TIRE SIZE LT24575R16. TIRE MILEAGE ABOUT 26,000 MILES. OWNER REPLACED TIRE WITH THE SAME TIRE. FIRESTONE WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE TIRE. CHEVROLET REPAIRED TRUCK, AND OWNER RECEIVED A NEW TIRE FREE OF CHARGE. *AK THE VEHICLE DEALER REPAIRED DAMAGED CAUSED BY THE TIRE FAILURE AS WELL AS REPLACED THE TIRE AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER. *YH

PE-00-020 REPLACEMENT TIRES ON A 1996 CHEVY SUBURBAN, TIRE SIZE LT24575R16, DOT NUMBER VN11B1A, TIRE HAVE ABOUT 35 THOUSANDS MILES ON THEM. WHEN DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED VIBRATION COMING FROM THE FRONT END, CONSUMER HAD TIRES INSPECTED AND RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS SHOWED EVIDENCE OF TREAD SEPARATION. CONSUMER ALSO EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WHEN DRIVING 70 MPH THE LEFT REAR ENTIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. TIRE WAS REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK *SLC

THE CAR CAME EQUIPPED WITH THESE TIRES. I HAVE HAD 2 BLOWOUTS CAUSED FROM TIRE SEPARATION; THE FIRST OCCURENCE WAS IN 6/98 WITH APPROX. 35K MILES ON THE TIRE AND THE SECOND IN 8/00 WITH APPROX . 54 K MILES ON THE TIRE. NO DAMAGE TO VEHICLE OR OCCUPENTS. I HAVE 3 TIRES LEFT THAT HAVE 20 K MILES OF USE. SINCE I TOW A RV TRAILER, MY CONCERN IS WHETHER I SHOULD REPLACE THE REMAINING TIRES. (DOT NUMBER: V611B1A TIRESIZE: LT24575R16)

MICHELIN (P235/75R15) TIRES BLOW OUT.

GOODYEAR TIRE BLEW OUT.