Hi,

I have a 2000 Explorer XLT. Because of the firestone recall I got new Goodyear tires from a Firstone dealer when my truck was at 40k. I'm now at 88k. Over the weekend I had a puncture on one of the rear wheels. I brought the tire to wheelworks. They said it was "non-repairable due to sidewall damage".

Does anyone know if the tires are covered by warranty and if I can take the issue back to Firestone?

Also, what is the recommended course of action. Should I replace all 4? I figure that replaceing just the rear two is enough. Or is it okay to just replace the punctured tire only? My XLT is 4 wheel drive by the way.

thanks,
Declan

 

If you still have the paperwork from when you had the tires installed, then you may be able to get something for the blown tire. Take it back to where you had them installed, if that is possible, and see what can be done.
As for how many tires to replace... that is a grey area. It depends if you have the V8 AWD or the V6 Auto 4x4..... and there is a difference. If you have the AWD version, then you must replace all 4 tires. If you have the Auto 4x4 system.... I personally would still replace all 4, but you should be able to get away with 2. It all depends on how much tread is left on the other tires. Now this my own opinion... but I would get rid of the Goodyear tires and repalce them with BFG's. I currently run the BFG All Terrain TA's on my 99 and I have not had a better tire. Excelent traction in all conditions. The only thing is that they are speed rated to 99 mph.... so if you do a lot of highway driving, then they are not the tire for you. You can go with a different BFG or Michelin. Hope this helps... let us know how you make out.

 

I brought the tire to Goodyear. It had sidewall damage. I didn't have a warranty to cover it.

I have the V6 auto 4x4 so I just bought 1 new tire. The spare is as good as new so I had that plus the new one put on the front axle. The 2 'worn' tires from the front were then put on the back axle, and the tire from the original back line is now the spare.

$130 all-in for the new tire plus all the work above.

(I didn't get BFG all-terrains because most of my driving is on the freeway)

thanks,
Declan