Ford Excursion Tire Recall

[74SovereignInt.]

Spoke with: Ford Corporate; Firestone Corporate; local Ford dealer (St Charles Ill.); Firestone (St Charles Ill.)

All agree that my (5) tires should be replaced at no cost.

It seems that the inflation range was set too low for the application. Firestone will even be pulling the inflation stickers off my Ex but there are no replacement inflation rate stickers available.

Now the rub: I would prefer another brand than Firestone/Bridgestone. Firestone tells me that Ford will need to do that but Ford tells me that there are 52,000 tires on backorder before I will get mine. The only replacements are Pirelli or BFG. I had to talk to Firestone to see about a refund so that I could purchase Michelins as I would prefer. Firestone tells me that is not an option.

I'm left with either taking a brand I would rather not stay with or waiting weeks for Pirelli or BFG. Still haven't made up my mind although I am on the list for the other brands.

[KIMILI]

I'm left with either taking a brand I would rather not stay with or waiting weeks for Pirelli or BFG. Still haven't made up my mind although I am on the list for the other brands.

same here

I don't know how you guys did it. I called Firestone and Ford several times and they just would not replace my Firestone R4S II D load. I had almost given up when Startrekker advised us to go to a "participating" store and not a dealer store directly.

We did and tada!!!
Got 5 E load R4S II tires as a replacement for free (just the alignment was not included).

We really wanted the Michelin, but since these are all they could give us, we'll give them a try. They feel much better than the D load. A stiffer ride.

Startrekker that was a fantastic tip!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[startrekker2001]

Kimili,
Glad you got yours free.

When my 5 tires came in I made arrangements with the Firestone dealer to have them mounted.

The young man I had been working with told me that he had made a mistake and the R4S's hadn't been recalled. His adjuster wouldn't pay for them. Since he had told me they were recalled, he said he would honor the commitment he made and install them free of charge.

He would eat the loss.

I am not one to take advantage of someone else's misfortune so we struck a deal. I gave him $70 for each of the 4 that had been on the ground and got the spare on an even exchange. His cost for the tires is $101/tire so we both win. His loss is mitigated and I get 5 new load range 'E' tires for $280+tax.

The A/T's are the only one's on the recall. But, I would not be comfortable running 'D' tires.

As an aside, I saw a 2000 Excursion in a parking lot that was for sale. Out of curiosity, I looked at the tires and they were Load Range 'C'. (shudder... shudder) Don't think they were OEM.

Vic

[KIMILI]

I am not one to take advantage of someone else's misfortune

Nor are we! We only insisted because we thought that all D load Firestone tires were actually being recalled since some people did get them replaced even if the article and customer service said different. Everyone (dealers, mechanics, members) agree D loads are not good for an Exc. We did not feel safe.

He would eat the loss.

That is not exactly true. Firestone and Ford will, as they should since they saved pennies!!

When I called the participating dealer I clearly explained to him that I had the R4SII tires on and asked if they were part of the recall. I also mentioned to him that I did not want the Firestone tires and that if they were giving a $ refund I would take that instead and purchase the Michelin tires from him. He told me we were the first Excursion to call and that he hadn't yet done his homework. A few hours later, after having spoken with his regional manager, he called me back and said it was ok to bring the exc. He also added that unfortunately they were not giving refunds but just replacing the D load with the E load. So we took the car and as said before, they replaced the 5 tires with the E load ones free of charge. We paid only for the alignment. When I thanked him and asked him for a receipt he gave me the official recall sheet with the tire's dot #'s.

He added that he too has had a bad experience with Firestone/Ford himself since he has an Explorer. He was glad to help a customer - his own decision, we NEVER asked him to do something he couldn't. He mentioned that they do not send the tires back to Firestone, they dispose of them for them. Only the paperwork is sent back.

My guess is they're more flexible than the actual dealers and that since it's only paperwork they can do what they want.

If he were to have a problem I'm sure he'd call us and maybe we could finally get the Michelins...

[bhsl8]

Just had my Scorpions mounted yesterday. Much smoother than the Steeltex but I sprung for an alignment also so who knows. Towing on the hiway will be the real test once all the snow is gone up here. Thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions.

[74SovereignInt.]

Wow, what a ride ! Smooth as silk especially on roads I know felt much rougher with the Firestones. Glad I waited the extra time for the Goodrich's. I hope this situation works out as well for everyone else needing to make the change as it did for me.