Continental Tire is recalling 390,657 tires installed on Ford F-250 and F-350 heavy duty pickup trucks in the U.S. About 65,000 trucks are potentially affected by a tire tread separation defect – the same problem as the infamous Firestone tire recall on the Ford Explorer that dominated headlines a decade ago.
Separation of the belt edges could lead to tread belt separation, increasing the risk of a crash, Continental said in a NHTSA filing.
Some of these tires may experience uneven wear and vibration. Of particular concern are overloading or under inflation in high ambient temperature use, leading to separation between the belt edges – a rerun of the Firestone episode. Model year 2008 and 2009 trucks are affected. Ford is giving Continental its owner information.
These Continental Contitrac TR tires were also sold in the aftermarket in sizes LT275/70R18 125/122S and LT275/70R18 125/122S. The defective tires were manufactured from 6 May 2007 through 20 September 2008.
Continental Tire will notify owners and replace the affected tires free of charge as is required by U.S. regulation. The safety recall is expected to begin during March 2011. Owners may contact Continental Customer Service Toll-Free at 1-888-799-2168.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
I have a 2012 F-250 with Continental LT 275/65 R18 tires with 29,000 mi. I have had tread separation on 2 of the four tires. I have checked on line for recalls and have not found any. I have been lucky so far and found problem before any highway separation. The Ford dealer in my area would only give me a 30% discount on a new tire but I do not want these tires if there is a defect. If anyone knows of a recall of these tires please send information to me. Thanks JD.
I wrecked my Ford F250 because of front tire blowout on a Continental tire. Left front tire blew out while pulling a fifth wheel trailer causing truck and trailer to crash into concrete guard rail on left front bouncing across 4 lanes of interstate and left rear crashing into concrete guard rail on opposite side of expressway totaling both truck and trailer