Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving my Ford Explorer and my tire on the driver frontside went out and my steering wheel locked up on me and then my vehicle hit the curve and flipped over 15 or 16 times before it stopped I was feeling all over the road I had my set belt on but my air bags never came out and I was only going 25 or 30 and I was on a city street turning into the next lane when the tire went out and my vehicle flipped yes police account report #170042354 I'm not sure what happened I was in shock that it happened so quickly and I was happy to be a live my Ford Explorer is totally destroyed.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Ford Explorer. While driving 53 MPH, the vehicle's front passengers side Michelin tire blew out. The contact lost control of the vehicle and flipped over. She broke her back in four places on the right side and her right arm is currently in a splint. The contact was pregnant and lost her baby. She was airlifted to a hospital. A baby was in the vehicle and received several scratches. The vehicle was towed from the scene. A police report was filed. The engine size was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 285,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Ford Explorer. The vehicle had tbc corporation, stampede sigma tires, size p255/70/r16 with dot#upcutx61707. The contact stated when driving approximately 70 MPH, the rear passenger tire suddenly blew out, causing the driver to loose control of the vehicle and roll over 5 times before it went airborne. The driver sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was deemed destroyed on site. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
While driving 70 MPH rear right tire tread separated, causing the vehicle to hit a pole and roll once. Vehicle landed upside down on an embankment. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries.
On 2 seperate occassions, an original rear Firestone atx tires' tread peeled off resulting in 2 seperate accidents. Both of the incidents happened while the auto was being driven at a high rate of speed during hot days in southern california. During the first incident, 5 people were riding in the vehicle which almost rolled. Thankfully, traffic on the fwy was extremely light and we were able to avoid a collision and get the vehicle to the side of the road. All 5 passengers endured extreme mental anguish that prevented them from continuing their travel. We contacted Firestone who would not admit any defect with the tire, but did pay for the damage to the vehicle. However, we were very suspicous of the tires at that time since it seemed so unlikely that a tire would do that. So we asked to have all tires replaced. Firestone rejected our request. …
On July 28, at approx 4 pm est we experienced tread separation from the front passenger tire that caused our Ford Explorer to temporarily loss control. The tire was a Firestone wilderness tire that was provided by Ford for a recall replacement about 8 or 9 years ago. The right passenger front tire separated on rt i95 near the sharon, ma exit. Loud sounds came from engine area of car and tread hit side of car and fp window. Car began to loss control, but the driver was able to stabilize and pull off of the highway. We were traveling from pa to ma (we left conshohcken, pa at 9:45 am) and I was averaging 65 to 70 miles per hour, but was slowing down when tread separated. I was moving from the right to the left lane, exit was about 1 to 2 miles ahead of us. The right front wheel well plastic covering, some air conditioning equipment, and the radio antenna all have been damaged. …
On the morning on 6/14/2000 at 6 am I was traveling north on I-17 in az ( 1 mile n of sunsetpoint marker 254) at approx. 70 MPH (speed limit 75 MPH). My left rear tire suddenly separated and exploded spinning me across two lanes of highway and into a rugged deser median. The car continued to spin, start to roll to the side and then was uprigted as the side collided with a large boulder. The vehicle was wish boned and deemed a total loss by the insurance carrier. The three occupants were transported to yavapai county medical center in prescott by paramedics with bumps and bruises. The driver (michele) sustained a shattered left arm, hand and dislocated wrist. Immediate surgery was performed to stabilize the shattered bones and insert an external fixator. A second surgery took place approx. 5 weeks later to attempt to further reduce the dislocation and set more of the shattered bones. …
This is another case of Firestone atx tread separation and fatal rollover of a Ford exploer. I understand through our local cbs affiliate that this agency has opened a preliminary investigation of this defect. If NHTSA truly stands behind thier motto, "people saving people" then you must put consumer safety first by recalling these tires on these vehicles. By allowing Ford and Firestone to avoid an expensive recall, our government is standing by as people die. All this in the name of money. You must be well aware of the millions of dollars being paid to victem's families to keep this issue out of the courtroom. If your waiting for Ford and Firestone to recall these tires out of the goodness of their hearts and to save lives, keep waiting. Our only hope is NHTSA. This agency has the ability to save lives. Please do it.( dot number: )
While driving on the freeway, the right front tire blew out <shredded actually>. I lost control of vehicle, swerved to the left and sideswiped a vehicle in the lane next to me. I pulled to the right shoulder. I saw that the tire tread had seperated from the tire, and pounded the wheel well flat. I incurred damage to the left side of the vehicle as well. I am on a waiting list for tires, but I cannot find a tire replacement for my spare. I am therefor driving around on these dangerous tires, with no spare. I cannot sleep at night because of this accident, and I have to drive at least 500 miles a week for work. I still have nightmares. I have a $500 deductible to pay to fix my car, and I can't afford this. I am very dissapointed in Firestone.( dot number: vdhl1pm405 tire size: p235/75r15 )
I was driving on the freeway and the passenger rear tire blew. The tread separated and I skid all over the freeway. I was fortunate enough to not hit anything and managed to gain control of the car. However, at the time I did think I was going to flip the car. When the car stopped I looked at the damage. The tread had knocked of a part of the bumper, the running gaurd, and damaged the rear panel. In total it did about $2,500 worth of damage to the car. I also had all the tires replaced with a different brand of tire. At the time I thought this was an isolated incident and did not report the accident to anyone except for my insurance company. When I heard the reports on the news, I felt I should report the incident to help in the hearings.( dot number: tire size: p235/75r15 )
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1996 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 585 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1996 Ford Explorer, 40% of the model year's 1,450 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (369 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Ford Explorer wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 1996 Ford Explorer, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Explorer wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 139,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 106 crashes, 2 fires and 233 injuries and 39 deaths to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.