2000 GMC Sierra Tires & Wheels Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 GMC 3500 EQUIPPED WITH BF GOODRICH TIRES, SIZE LT245/75/R16. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12T019000 (TIRES:TREAD/BELT) AND WENT TO A LOCAL TIRE SHOP TO HAVE THE TIRES CHANGED HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE RECALL. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER WHO ADVISED HIM TO RETURN TO THE TIRE SHOP TO HAVE THE TIRES REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE NEVER REPLACED. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

ON 02/01/06 I PURCHASED 4 TIRES FOR MY TRUCK FROM FIRESTONE AND TODAY I TOOK IT TO THE FIRESTONE DEALER AS I HAVE A RADIAL PULL IN ONE OF THE TIRES. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIRES ON MY TRUCK WERE 8,9 AND 10 YEARS OLD AND THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX MY PROBLEM. THE DOT # ON MY RECEIPT IS 7XW8PIB5500 WHICH IS NOT CORRECT AND WITH THE 00 ON THE END THE TIRES WERE OVER 6 YEARS OLD WHEN SOLD TO ME. I CALLED THERE MAIN OFFICE AND THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD DO AN ADJUSTMENT AGAINST THE AGE OF MY TIRE AND MILEAGE AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE REST WHICH COMES TO OVER $565.00 DOLLARS. IN MY OLD PURCHASE I HAVE LIFETIME WHEEL BALANCE, LIFETIME WHEEL BALANCE FOR LABOR AND RUBBER VALVE, PLUS PROTECT TIRE REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT. I ALSO HAVE TIRE DRY ROT ALONG WITH THE RADIAL PULL AND FEEL THAT THE TIRES I GOT WERE WELL OVER THE 5 YEARS AND I EXPECT TO GET FOUR NEW TIRES WITH THE SAME WARRANTY BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I PAID FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY SOLD ME TIRES FIRST OF ALL THAT WERE TO OLD AND THEY DID NOT HAVE THE CORRECT DOT NUMBER. WITH THE WAY THE ONE FRONT TIRE THAT HAS A RADIAL PULL KEEPS PULLING TO THE LEFT IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND WITH THE TIRE ROT THEY COULD BLOW OUT AT ANY TIME AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT ALSO. *TR

TIRE FAILURE AFTER 15,000 MILES. STRONG RADIAL PULL FROM RIGHT TO LEFT AT HIGHWAY SPEED. ON FURTHER INSPECTION ALL FOUR TIRES HAD COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION ON OUTSIDE TREAD CHANNEL COVERING THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TIRES. SOME TREAD SEPARATION HAS STARTED ON THE FAR INSIDE CHANNEL OF THE FOUR TIRES. UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF WARE HAS OCCURRED ON THE OUTSIDE SHOULDER OF ALL FOUR TIRES. CRACKING WAS NOTED ON TREAD LUGS. REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

MY SPARE TIRE FELL FROM THE HOIST UNDERNEATH BED OF TRUCK SPARE TIRE LUCKILY FELL JUST AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY OR ELSE IT MAY HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO ANOTHER VEHICLE ESPECIALLY IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED I THINK IF THEIR IS A NEW TYPE OF HOIST THEY SHOULD REPLACE MINE FOR FREE MY VEHICLE IS A 2000 GMC SIERRA 1500 EXT CAB 5.3. *TR

ON AUGUST 6, 2007 MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED A SET OF USED 265/75/R E FIRESTONE STEELTEX FROM MYERS TIRES IN MORGAN CITY ,LA. WE DID BUY THEM USED. THE OWNER TOLD US THAT THEY JUST TOOK THEM OFF OF A FORD PICKUP A FEW DAYS BEFORE. SO WE HAD HIM PUT THEM ON OUR 2000 GMC SIERA STEPSIDE PICKUP TRUCK. ON SATURDAY AUGUST 11,2007 MY HUSBAND AND I ALONG WITH MY 11 YEAR OLD SON WAS ON HWY 90 GOING TO HOUMA LA FROM PATTERSON LA THE TIRE THAT WAS ON THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TORE APART AND DESTROYED THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE BED OF OUR TRUCK AND WE COULD NOT OPEN THE DRIVERS SIDE BACK DOOR AND IT ALMOST FLIPED US ON THE HIGHWAY. WE LET THE OWNER KNOW WHAT HAPPEN AND HE IS NOT HELPING US WITH NOTHING. I ASKED HIM IF HE CAN PAY FOR DAMAGES DONE AND REPLACE THE OTHER 3 TIRES AND HE REFUSED. HE TOLD ME TO GET AN ATTORNEY. NO ONE WAS INJURED BUT NOW I CAN BARLY GET MY 11 YEAR OLD SON IN THE TRUCK AND I AM SCARED TO EVEN DRIVE IT. WE NOW HAVE 4000.00 IN DAMAGES TO OUR TRUCK.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 GMC SIERRA 1500. ON JUNE 22, 2007, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE TIRE WAS THE ORIGINAL FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT I EQUIPMENT THAT WAS ON THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS PURCHASED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONE SIDE OF THE TIRE WAS SHREDDED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,989. UPDADATED 08/02/07. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE PAID FOR THE RECALL REPAIR AND EXPECTED TO BE REIMBURSED. THE DEALER REIMBURSED HIM $148, BUT DID NOT REIMBURSE HIM FOR THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE REPAIRS, BECAUSE THE RECEIPT WAS NOT IN HIS NAME. THE SALESMAN WHO SOLD HIM THE VEHICLE PURCHASED THE PART. *AK

I HAD JUST EXITED A BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHEN THE SPARE TIRE FELL FROM UNDER THE TRUCK. AFTER EXAMINING THE SPARE TIRE RETAINING CABLE I FOUND IT HAD RUSTED IN HALF ALLOWING THE TIRE TO FALL. IF THE TIRE HAD FALLEN OUT 30 SECONDS EARLIER IT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A MULTI CAR PILE UP WITH POSSIBLE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THOSE BEHIND ME. I FEEL THIS CABLE SHOULD BE REPLACED BY STAINLESS STEEL CABLE WHICH WILL NOT RUST OR AT THE VERY LEAST A SECONDARY SAFETY CHAIN BE ADDED TO AT LEAST KEEP THE TIRE WITH THE TRUCK !! I AM NOW AFRAID TO FOLLOW ANY GM MADE TRUCK ! *NM

FIRESTONE STEELTEX A/T, LT245/75R16, LOAD RANGE C, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT INSTALLED ON 2000 GMC SIERRA 1/2 TON, 4WD, PICKUP, PURCHASED NEW BY ME, APRIL 2000. ON AUG 14, 2004, APPROX 12:00NOON, I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30MPH , PULLING A BOAT/TRAILER ON A STATE MAINTAINED GRAVEL ROAD IN LEWIS & CLARK COUNTY, MT., WHEN THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY WENT FLAT WITH NO SOUND OF BLOW-OUT. AFTER IMMEDIATELY STOPPING, I NOTICED THE TIRE WAS COMLETELY SHREDDED. THE ENTIRE OUTER SIDEWALL HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TREAD AREA BY ABOUT 95%. THE WHEEL WAS SLIGHTLY BENT. NO OTHER DAMAGE. NO INJURIES. NOTHING DONE TO CORRECT AS YET.*AK

THE SPARE TIRE CABLE UNDER THE VEHICLE SNAPPED, CAUSING THE TIRE TO FALL TO THE GROUND. *AK *SC

WHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL PULLED IN EITHER DIRECTION. CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER, AND SAW THAT BOTH FRONT TIRE TREADS SEPARATED. FIRESTONE TIRES SIZE P265/75R16. *AK

THE SPARE TIRE HOLDER BROKE OFF AND THE SPARE TIRE WAS RELEASED FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE TRUCK ONTO THE ROADWAY. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF IT HAD OCCURRED ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AT A FASTER SPEED. AN INSPECTION OF THE FAILED ASSEMBLY SHOWS THAT IT IS HELD UP BY A SINGLE THIN STEEL CABLE, WHICH WAS BROKEN, ALLOWING THE ASSEMBLY TO RELEASE THE SPARE TIRE AND WHEEL. DT

PLEASE ADD TIRE MODEL AND DOT CODE, P235/75R16, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 2000 GMC SIERRA WITH 25000 MILES. FRONT PASSENGER TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION AT 75 MPH.*JB THE CONSUMER AND HIS LAWYER SENT TWO PETITIONS REQUESTING THAT NHTSA REOPEN ITS PREVIOUS INVESTIGATION INTO FIRESTONE STEEL TEX LIGHT TRUCK RADIAL TIRES DUE TO AN ALLEGED DEFECT IN THEIR DESIGN AND PERFOMANCE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THOSE TIRES INSTALLED ON AMBULANCE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLES. THE CONSUMER REPLACED ALL FIVE TIRES INCLUDING THE SPARE TIRE THAT ONLY HAD 300 MILES ON IT. *TC

CONSUMER NOTICED MASSIVE TIRE UNDULATION ON THREE OF THE FOUR TIRES ON THE GROUND. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A FIRESTONE DEALER, WHO ONLY ADJUSTED THE TIRES WITH THE TIRES THAT WOULD BE THE SAME AS THE FAILED TIRES. CONSUMER HAD PURCHASED A NEW SET OF TIRES BY ANOTHER BRAND. CONSUMER STATES THE DEALER HAD SHOWN THEM A LETTER STATING THE FIRESTONE TIRES ARE BUILT TO GM SPECIFICATIONS. MODEL/STEEL TEX TIRE 245/75R16 E *SCC

I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WENT FLAT FROM A SMALL, SHARP PIECE OF GRAVEL. I CHANGED THE TIRE AND DROVE HOME. AT HOME I INFLATED THE TIRE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. ALONG WITH DISCOVERING THE GRAVEL PUNCTURE, I OBSERVED 3-4 SPOTS AROUND THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE THAT WERE RAISED ABOVE THE REST OF THE SIDEWALL. THE RAISED PLACES CAN BE DESCRIBED AS LARGE BLISTERS OF 6-8 SQUARE INCHES IN SIZE. THE "BUBBLE" SPOTS WERE FOUND ONLY ON THE OUTSIDE SIDEWALL. NONE WERE OBSERVED ON THE INSIDE SIDEWALL. I THEN OBSERVED THE OTHER TIRES ON THE VEHICLE AND FOUND DEPRESSIONS OR UNEVENNESS IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE OTHER TIRES.*AK (DOT NUMBER: W273 WMA TIRESIZE: P265/75R16)

FIRESTONE STEEL TEX (DOT VN11 B1C) TIRE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, 35000 MILES MOUNTED ON A GMC, 2500, HD 2000. LEFT REAR TIRE HAD A TREAD SEPARATION WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 65 MPH. WHOLE TREAD SIDEWALL WAS MISSING. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. *AK *TT

TIRE BLEW OUT, EXPLODING SIDEWALL, COMPLETE TIRE FAILURE. *AK (DOT NUMBER: VNCUIRD019 TIRESIZE: P255/70R/1)

TIRE EXPERIENCED BELT TO BELT SEPARATION. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W273 TIRESIZE: P26575R16)

INITIALLY PATCHED THE TIRE IN THE CENTER OF THE TREAD, THE NEXT PROBLEM WAS AT LEAST TWO TO THREE INCHES AWAY AND WAS BURSTING ON THE INTERNAL WALL OF THE TIRE.

SIDEWALL SIDE OF TIRE COMPLETELY FAILED. *AK (DOT NUMBER: VN73 TIRESIZE: P26575R16)