WHILE ON A DRIVING VACATION WITH MY FAMILY, I FOUND ALL 4 FIRESTONE STEELTEX 265-75 AT TIRES ON OUR 2000 FORD EXCURSION TO BE EXPERIENCING SIDEWALL FAILURE.2 OF THE TIRES WERE NEAR IMMEDIATE FAILURE AND THE OTHER TWO WERE STARTING TO FAIL.I MAKE IT A HABIT TO CHECK MY TIRES AND VEHICLE CLOSELY WHENEVER I FUEL MY VEHICLES UP, AND THIS WAS THE ONLY THING PREVENTING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT ( I WAS TOWING A 24 FT BOAT AT THE TIME).
2003
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
DT: THE CONTACT STATES WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE WANDERED INTO ANOTHER LANE. THERE WAS POOR STEERING RETURN. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. HE TOOK THE SERVICE MANAGER ON A DRIVE, WHO AGREED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THIS WAS A DEATH TRAP, AND BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER DISCOVERED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) ON EARLIER MODELS THAT SUGGESTED REPLACING THE BALL JOINTS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS. SINCE THE REPAIRS THERE HAVE BEEN NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. *AK