Wheel & Tire complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Set of 5 uniroyal liberator tires purchased new, lt265-75-16 load range e, 2002 f-250 4x4 (OEM size) *these tires are no longer available thru wal-mart where they were purchased and installed. The following occurrences were/are due to defective tires, not any actions committed by wal-mart, the installer/seller. Owner of vehicle is certified mechanic and maintains vehicle & tires to OEM specs. At approx. 10,000 miles on tires, we embarked on an interstate highway trip from florida to idaho and back, traveling thru utah, noticed an imbalance at 70mph. Entering idaho the imbalance now occurred at all speeds. Inspection of all tires revealed driver-side rear tire tread had a pronounced bulge a foot long in the center of tread. Spare tire was installed, and vehicle was driven to wal-mart in boise. …
Firestone steeltex r4s on my 2002 f250 Ford. At 4000 miles on the truck, blistered on the outside and started coming apart. The dealer replaced that tire and another he identified at no cost to me. However the failure of the tire could have been catasrophic if I didnt see it. This has been a common occurance with other f250 owners and I want to report it. The dealer kept the tires to attempt to turn into Firestone for replacement
Mullahey and atascadero Ford, two dealerships, said they could not exchange my tires because there was no recall on them. Wayne's tires, a general dealer, replaced the shredded tire but would give me only a 50% discount in replacing the other three. Again, because there was no recall on those tires. At 10,000 miles a tire should not disintegrate while going 50 MPH. I didn't feel safe on those tires, and just because there was no recall on them didn't mean they were. If you bought a new pair of shoes and the right shoe's sole came apart, wouldn't you think the left one would do the same? Ford and general see no point in preventative maintanence and will do nothing until a recall is issued. I wonder how many Firestone tragedies could have been prevented if these dealerships had listened to their consumers. How many maimings, deaths, and lawsuits do they need before they take action. …
Travelling with empty pickup truck bed and 1 adult and 3 children passengers. 50 miles from lake charles, la. After driving for 9 hours, the right rear Firestone steeltex 16 inch tire had a catastrophic sidewall failure. The sidewall separated entirely from the outside of the tire. I have photos and have the original tire and sidewall. I replaced all the Firestone tires with michelins. Someone needs to get Firestone to look into this. The tire was made in Canada and the following numbers are on the sidewall in various locations: 30362 ex bm14480-3 bm14973 and bm15211 on the tire bead. They are e rated tubeless radial original equipment tires on my Ford superduty. Feel free to contact me for photos or to see the tires.
Travelling along alcan highway in remote Canada. We had tread seperation blowout on the driver side front that damaged the f350 dually. Tire size was 285/75/16 with around 20,000 miles on them. Tire was unusable and replaced with spare. Scrapped the rim as well due to damage when arriving in anchorage alaska. Do not trust these tires for long road trips.
I have previously complained to this site and the Firestone customer relations of my steeltex a/t tire cracking on the side wall. I was told to have them checked at a Firestone dealer and I was told the integrity of the tire was not compromised. On July 7, 2004, my family and I were almost killed (minor injury) when the right front Firestone steeltex a/t tire exploded, the tread separated from the tire as we were traveling 70 miles an hour on I-85 north. This is a bad product and I believe my suspicions were correct when I previously complained to everyone.
While driving the vehicle I noticed a difference in the ride and handling characteristics which was not there on the previous day. It felt like an unresponsive steering and a vibration. When I arrived at my destination 50 miles from where I started and looked at all of my tires. Visually there was no apparent deformities or anything out of normal character. Later when I got in the vehicle and was driving home the same effects were present. About 10 miles later it suddenly got worse just before a bang and a sudden pull to the left as what happens when a tire blows out. I was able to control the steering enough to pull to the left side of the road and get out of the traveled portion of the highway. …
I was driving east bound on riverside drive felt a little shake and it went away with in a few seconds the tire tread came off and was beating the wheel well of my truck and then it blew after the tread separation and locked the front tire up and pulled me into oncoming traffic where I side swiped a van coming at me head on causing the van to roll over.I was traveling at about 55 or 60 mphs when all this occurred.there was one person transported to the hospital and later released. The tire had no reason to separate the way it did .it came apart like a retreaded tire would separate. (tiresize: lt265/75)( dot number: tire size: lt265/75 )
Related recalls (1)
Tires › Bead
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and chassis. The tires on these vehicles were damaged during mounting onto the wheels. Only trucks produced at the cuautitlan, Mexico plant between September 1, 1996, and July 17, 1997, were affected by the defect.
Remedy: Due to the age of the vehicles and this recall affecting original equipment tires only, Ford will no longer accept claims for this campaign.
NHTSA investigations
Front wheel bearing
There is no summary currently available
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford F Super Duty years have wheel & tire problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (18), 2000 (17), 1997 (13), 1998 (8) and 2001 (5) model years. Wheel & Tire complaints make up 19% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Ford F Super Duty wheel & tire problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 97V-187 (bead, Oct 29, 1997). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford F Super Duty wheel & tire problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 130,000 miles; 31% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the tread/belt (19 mentions), followed by the sidewall (12).
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.