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DAN WILLIAMS 

FIRESTONE TIRE INFORMATION

Saturn Corp. has voluntarily announced a voluntary enhancement of the standard new car tire warranty for all 1997 - 2002 Saturn vehicles still under the 3 year, 36,000 mile new car warranty:

1)    Tires are now included under the 3 year/36,000 mile new car limited warranty!

2)    All owner pro-rated expenses have been eliminated.  Under the standard Firestone warranty, any warranty claims after 12 months/12,000 miles are based on the amount of remaining tread ware (a tire industry standard warranty).  Saturn has voluntarily decided to eliminate the prorated expense.

3)    All tire warranty claims can now be handled at any Saturn retail facility in addition to all Firestone stores.

Please understand that NO SATURN TIRES HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN ANY RECALL. Saturn is voluntarily enhancing the warranty.  We are doing this to allay the understandable fears of Saturn owners.  

Differences Between Saturn Tires and Recalled Tires

1)    Size:  The tires used on Saturn cars are different from the tires being recalled.

2)    Construction:  Tires manufactured for Saturn vehicles employ different construction characteristics than those used by other manufacturers.  Saturn tires are made from some different materials and have been specifically tuned to meet Saturn ride, handling and durability requirements.

3)    Experience:  Saturn tires have 11 years of excellent real world experience.

4)    Recommended Air Pressure:  Saturn recommends inflation pressures consistent with the design of the tire.  One of the salvos lobbed at Ford by Firestone is the charge of improper tire inflation recommendations for the Explorer.  Saturn has always utilized inflation pressures consistent with the design and structure of the tires.  

UPDATE 7 SEPTEMBER, 2000:

August 2001 Note:  Some of the old links are not good anymore.  I recommend starting at the Firestone and Ford sites and going from there for your most current company info.  For media reports, CNN is a good jumping off point as is the Washington Post. 

Saturn Corp. received a letter from Bridgestone/Firestone stating, in part: 

None of the tires included in this action [the recall] were supplied at any time to your company and no aftermarket tires other than the P275/75R15 [SUV tires] sizes are affected.

Again, Saturn tires are NOT INVOLVED in the recall.  Saturn Corporation is NOT INVOLVED in the recall in any way.  

Remember:  Always keep tires inflated to the recommended pressure.  Part of the problem with the recall tires appears to involved under-inflation (increases heat). Tire pressure information is found on the sidewall of the tire.  I recommend investing in a tire pressure gauge so you can check you air pressure every time you add fuel.  A properly inflated tire will also maximize your gas mileage! 

More info:

1.    Are the Firestone tires on my Saturn involved in the recall?  NO.  Let me repeat that: NO.  The tires involved are specific to sport utility vehicles like the Ford Explorer.

2.    What tires are involved in the recall?

• ALL P235/75 R15 Radial ATX tires and Radial ATX II tires made in North America including Mexico and P235/75 R15 Wilderness AT tires produced at a plant in Decatur, Illinois. Only 15-inch tires are being recalled.

3.    What vehicles are involved?

4.    Where was my Wilderness tire made?  The following information is from NHTSA:

• You need to locate the DOT code to determine where your tire was built. The DOT number is located on the blackwall side of the tire, under the F in Firestone, and it is 10 characters long, and it starts with DOT. Since this code is on the blackwall side of the tire, and not on the outlined white letter side of the tire, you may need to crawl underneath your vehicle with a flashlight to find the code. There may be spaces in between some of the numbers, but be sure to count all 10 characters to ensure you have found the proper code. Examples include:

  DOT VDHL1PM046
  DOT W2HL1M0470
  DOT VDHLA16089

  The first two letters of the DOT code are the DOT plant code. If the first two letters of the DOT code are VD, your tires were built in the Decatur, Illinois plant and are being recalled. If they are not VD they are not included. For information:

  VD is Decatur, Illinois
  VN is Joliete, in Quebec Canada
  HY is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  W1 is Lavergne, Tennessee
  W2 is Wilson, North Carolina
  VC is Albany, Georgia

  NOTE: If you are unable to find your DOT number, if you are unable to determine whether your tire is included in the recall, or if you would rather not crawl under your vehicle, Firestone is offering to inspect all tires, so you may take your vehicle to a Firestone store and ask them to check your DOT number. Firestone will inspect the tire and let you know whether it is included in the recall.

5.    Where do I learn more? Like what to do if I have one of these vehicles or think I have this type of tire?

• The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers complete information here: 
  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/hot/firestone/index.html
• See an itemized  but not investigated list of complaints to NHTSA here:
  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/hot/firestone/update.html
• The Bridgestone-Firestone site offers complete instructions for identifying recall tires and finding a dealer to replace the tires.  Firestone is replacing the problem tires with a competitor brand if necessary.  The site also offers a thorough 10 chart breakdown of the claims.  Take a look if you have time.  It's interesting to note that most claims (80%) are from four states  (Arizona, California, Florida and Texas) and occurred within 2 - 5 years of purchase.  Go directly to the charts here.
  

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