Ford Excursion Tire Recall

[startrekker2001]

The Firestone Steeltex radials load range 'D' are being recalled and replaced with Load range 'E' tires.

The tires are not strong enough to carry the weight imposed by towing a trailer.

The Load Range 'E' tires are 10 ply and will carry the load nicely.

If you have a Ford Excursion, with these tires, take action now. Firestone will happily replace all 5 tires for free. A Florida couple had a tire separate and caused their Excursion to roll over. They got away with a few bruises thanks to the Excursions construction. But it will ruin your day.

Vic

[RoadKingMoe]

Firestone Recall

IIRC, there were a number of Excursion owners on RV.net and iRV2 who replaced them on their own due to the mushy sidewalls that caused instability when towing.

[Silvertwinkie]

Poor Ford and Firestone....the hits just keep on this might effect besides the Excursion.

[85MH325]

Thanks Startrekker! got the PM too!

We've already been there... had to replace the "D" rated tires after our first trip with the Behemoth. The sidewalls just plain split on us. The last 100 miles home, then the 30 to the Firestone store were white knuckle all the way! I was expecting all four corners to blow out at once!

Firestone decided to replace the 'D' range and pro-rate the tread on mine. I think it's time to head back to the Firestone store and get a refund for the remainder now!

I'll report back on how they treat me. BTW, the "E" range Steeltex's have been excellent. No worries there! Just make sure they're inflated to 70psi for towing!

Roger

[Porky Pig]

If you are going to replace your tires .. consider the Pirelli Scorpions ... they are E rated ... my F-350 came with them from the Ford factory.

I used to run some Pirellis on a few of my bikes ... have always been impressed with the company and their products.

[KIMILI]

Startrekker was very kind and just PM us to his thread.

We have those tires and will take action Monday.

We had been thinking of replacing the tires this summer anyway so this recall is sweet.

After some research we narrowed our choice to these two - any suggestions/comments highly appreciated:

- Pirelli Scorpion 265/75 16 E SR

- Michelin LTX M/S 265/75 R 16 E

thanks

[overlander64]

Greetings KIMILI!

- Michelin LTX M/S 265/75 R 16 E

The Michelin LTX series that you are considering are the tires that I use on my K2500 Suburban tow vehicle. While they were somewhat more pricey than the other tires that I considered; they have been aboslutely wonderful. They replaced my OEM Firestone Steeltex radials at 44,000 miles. I now have 124,000 miles on the truck (80,000 miles on the tires) and my dealer tells me that they will likely go another 6,000 miles before replacement is needed. Things that I have learned about these tires include:

1. They are very sensitive to alignment. The shop who did my alignment indicated that they keep alignment tolerances closer on the Michelin tire than on the Steeltex to avoid tracking problems (I struggled with directional stability issues until I found this alignment shop after 10,000 miles with the Michelin tires).

2. The LTX series tires are happiest when inflated to their maximum sidewall pressure. Even when inflated to the maximum my ride was as good with the Michelins as with the Steeltex radials inflated to the factory recommendation.

3, Rotation at 6,000 mile interval is critical to their long-term life. In fact, this has become a regular every-other oil-change routine service with my mechanic.

Good luck with your decision!

Kevin

P.S.: My next set of tires for the Suburban will be another set of Michelin LTX. To replace my usual Good Years, these tires had to be very impressive - - and they have converted me to Michelin at least for my truck. My cars still ride on my favored Good Years.

[Janet H]

I wish you all better luck with this round of tire recalls than we had when the Firestones on Explorers were recalled.

We bought a new exploder a few years ago that came with those firestones (pre-recall) and almost immediatly replaced them because they didn't handle well - most especially at high speeds.... they felt really squirelly. 1 week after we bought a new set of tires for our 2 week old vehicle the recall was issued. Because we had replaced them prior to the recall, both Ford and Firestone refused to cover our costs. So much for customer service.

[wingfoot321]

If Firestone is replacing LRD with LRE Steeltex, take it.

I am in the Rio Grande valley for the winter. The number of 250 level trucks here is unbelievable. They are pulling heavier than any airstream and all of the guys I talk to love the Firestone E Steeltex. They are getting 40-50,000 miles and no problems.

Nothing wrong with the Michelin LTX.

If there is a problem with the Excursion tire, it is Ford's fault just like it was on the Explorer. They are counting pennies and it is their final decision on the tire to spec on a vehicle.

[davidz71]

As big and heavy as the Excursion is, what was Ford thinking of when going with D rated tires instead of E rated? Oh yea, pennies, nickles, dimes, etc., etc.

[RoadKingMoe]

Nope.... more like cushy ride than cost. I don't know for sure but I'd bet the springs and shocks are softer than the F series.

[KIMILI]

Thanks Kevin.
We too love Michelin and have had them on most of our cars with very high satisfaction.

The Pirelli cost less and have raving good comments in Europe but have not heard much about them here, especially from people who tow like us.

Porky seems to like them.

Anyone else has them?

thanks

PS
sorry Wingfoot but after all these mishaps with Firestone we really don't feel comfortable with the brand anymore. We'll try everything to get the refund ($500) and not the replacement.

[85MH325]

As many of you know, the Firestone Steeltex "D" ranges on my Excursion experienced near-failure of the sidewalls when I brought the Behemoth home last May. A quick trip to the Firestone dealer in Iowa City resulted in a coerced pro-rated adjustment on the "D" range tires when I upgraded to the Steeltex "E" ranges. I have to say I've been happy with the "E" range Steeltex tires.

Anyway, after a call to the Firestone Steeltex Hotline (800)465-1904 I'm pleased to say that Firestone has agreed to reimburse me for the difference I had to pay for the "E" range tires and is going to replace my spare at no cost as well. It seems they're very interested in retaining their customer base. We're waiting for the paperwork to arrive. I'll use THAT money to replace the crummy Ford rotors on the Excursion... but that's another rant altogether...

BTW, I believe RKM's earlier comment about cost savings was exactly the issue. The Excursion, at nearly 7,000 lbs unladen just flat overloaded the "D" range tires at the pressures that were recommended, although NHTSA, in their statements said that the tires are being recalled because of a number of different kinds of failures being seen, including both sidewall failures, throwing tread, and a number of other problems, none of which have apparently been seen on the "E" rated tires.

As another aside, I also recently acquired a '92 Toyota pickup with Wilderness AT's on it that the NHTSA says Firestone voluntarily recalled on October 4, 2001. After taking IT to the local Firestone dealer and being told that the tires hadn't been recalled, a call to Firestone Consumer Affairs (800)367-3872 found that the tires HAD been recalled. They called their store manager (with whom I had spoken) and are trying to convince him and his regional manager that the tires should be replaced, apparently over their objections. This should be resolved by next Tuesday or Wednesday... I think this is more an issue with the local Firestone store than Firestone Corporate at this point...

I'll report back on the continuing saga...

Roger

[KIMILI]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

I think this is more an issue with the local Firestone store than Firestone Corporate at this point...

Unfortunately we have to confirm this!!

When I called the customer service number they told me that we could either get the tires replaced with the E load or $100 per tire.

The local Firestone dealer claims our tires are not part of the recall and that even if they were there's no way he'd give us the $ instead of the new E load tires!

He also added that he would never drive an Excursion with D load tires on it and that Ford was saving pennies to the detriment of it's customers.

He desperately wants to sell us the: Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo E load.

Anyone know how these compare to the Michelin?

After further review we've opted out on the Pirelli. We also looked into the Goodyear Wrangler but the AT's are discontinued.

Are we correct in saying that the general opinion here is that an Excursion SHOULD have E load tires on and not D??

All advice welcome
Thanks

[85MH325]

Originally posted by KIMILI

Are we correct in saying that the general opinion here is that an Excursion SHOULD have E load tires on and not D??

Thanks

Yes, Kimili, without a doubt. It is my opinion that the Ex should have "E" range tires on it.

That said, though, part of the issue with the Steeltex "D" range tires were that Ford underrated the proper inflation for them for a more 'cushy' ride. The Ex, after all, IS supposed to be a luxury SUV (sarcasm dripping here.) There is a table that has tire inflation values for varying weights. The Steeltex "D"s were way underinflated for the weight of the Ex, especially if loaded or towing anything at all.

Roger

[KIMILI]

I just got off the phone with Firestone. They will not replace our D load tires even though they have discontinued the R4S II series.
They also insist - but refused to put it in writing - that the R4S II, D load is absolutely fine and guranteed for the Excursion towing up to 12,000lbs.

Now, I'm really worried.

Should we keep these tires or replace them with new E load ones?

Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear or...yet again Firestone...

[startrekker2001]

If your Firestone dealer told you your tires are not part of the recall, check another dealer.

Which tires do you have?

I have the Steeltex R4S tires, not the A/T and I am getting all 5 replaced, free of charge with the Load Range 'E' tires.

The recall is for the 265/75R16 load range 'D' tires. It doesn't seem to matter if they are A/T's or R4S's

Vic

[KIMILI]

The recall is for the 265/75R16 load range 'D' tires. It doesn't seem to matter if they are A/T's or R4S's

Unfortunately that's not what Firestone says, see link provided by RoadKingMoe.

We have the same R4S II and they just won't replace them. I've tried 3 times with customer service and two local dealers.

They showed me the fax Firestone sent them for the recall and it clearly states ONLY A/T tires, not ours. Maybe your dealer did not read the fax carefully...Lucky you!!

In which state are you??!!

[RivetED]

You got me to looking at our tires on the F-250. They are Firestones; load range 'E'. If the Excursion is rated to pull as much as their 3/4 ton F series I can't imagine them using 'D' tires other than for a 'softer' ride feel.... Doesn't make sence for a 'tow' vehicle though.

[85MH325]

The continuing saga draws near the end...

After four days of phone calls back and forth, Firestone has agreed that the Wilderness A/T tires I have on my Toyota pickup have been recalled. I have an appointment to have all four replaced at no charge tomorrow morning.

Apparently there was some confusion among Firestone corporate and the local tire store and district manager. Corporate said that the tires were recalled, the local and district folks didn't know about it. The Wilderness A/Ts were recalled in three stages. The initial recall was on the Explorers. The second recall was any of them sold aftermarket that had DOT numbers that began with "VD". Those tires were produced in the Illinois plant. Later, on October 4, 2001 in an effort to settle with the NHTSA and end the investigation, they agreed to voluntarily recall all Wilderness A/Ts with the last number (production year) of 4,5,6,7 and some of the tires with an 8 in a specific range. This translated to all of the Wilderness A/Ts produced in 1994 through 1997, and some produced in '98.

That voluntary recall was apparently discontinued for a time, and then reinstituted. It was the reinstatement that apparently didn't make the rounds much as most of the recalled tires are already back in Firestone hands, and most of those left after five years have already been replaced. In any event, Firestone is standing by their recall. I just had to wait out their internal communication issues. They're replacing the Wilderness A/Ts with Bridgestone Dueller A/T Revo tires, apparently a real step up. I should also add that the Duellers were my choice. The local store told me that they'd replace the Wilderness A/Ts with any tire of my choice. I was pleasantly surprised at that, expecting that Firestone would dictate the replacement tire.

Additionally, the local dealer told me to bring the Ex back in, and they'll take care of swapping the "D" range Steeltex spare for an "E" range, no problems. I'll probably do that on Friday.

We're still waiting for the paperwork for the reimbursement on the original "D" range replacements.

Roger