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http://www.explorer4x4.com/zims.htm
Edmunds also votes the Explorer "most likely to break".
What a waste man. Thats ok. You'll learn.
That Explorer will be a rattly, hunk of junk at 60k.
Everyone learns sooner or later......
http://www.homestead.com/therangerstation/V8Conversions.html
Your correct, others can be swapped, however, the Ranger already has about a 65/35 weight distribution advantage to the front, more weight would increase the instability of such a vehicle.
So, for Toyotas, what would be the "common" V8 conversion?
That is why I do not buy Firestone tires any longer.
Hey, do you still have that Blue Oval report on Ford cutting corners? Please post it again if you have it. Thanks.
will cost families even more
Published: 23 August 2000
Date of revision:
Source: See Footnotes
By: Robert Lane, staff writer
"By the time all is said and done, including settling the many current suits that are pending, the total cost to Ford Motor Company could be in the billions, due to lost revenue as a result of the steep decline in consumer confidence regarding Firestone brand tires on Ford Motor Company products. However, the costs to families are even greater, as many have lost their loved ones due to the tire failures, and you can't put a value on the loss of a human life.
• Christy McKinney, 21 may suffer permanent disability from an August 11th accident in which her Ford Explorer flipped twice after the tread on a Firestone tire separated. Christy is still in the hospital.7
• Gary Hass, a heart surgeon was killed last week when the 1996 Ford Explorer he was riding in rolled three times after a Firestone's tire separated. 5
• Assistant Miami City Attorney Jose Amador Fernandez and his daughter were killed when their 1994 Explorer flipped several times after the left rear Firestone tire separated. His wife, Emma was also riding in the vehicle. She was unable to attend her husband and daughter's funeral because she was in a coma. 8
• A Brevard county, Florida pharmacist lost his wife and his daughter and became a paraplegic after an accident in October 1999 when a Firestone tire separated on his Ford Explorer. 4
Sympathy is a virtue the American public doesn't bestow upon a corporation when families are torn apart, as in this extremely volatile issue involving the failure of these tires that have led to over 60 deaths.
Ford Motor Company wants to ensure that consumers don't consider Ford Motor Company's SUV's to be a threat to their safety, especially since an all new 2002 Explorer has just been announced. But it's hard not to. Ford public affairs Wes Sherwood said "The clear message that we want to get out there is that the new Explorer has completely reengineered tires and the tires are designed specifically for this vehicle." 6 But, they do carry the Firestone Wilderness name on the side.
Ford Motor Company just announced the temporary closure of three plants to free up as many as 70,000 tires. Those also tires have the Firestone Wilderness name embossed on the sidewalls. So why, if consumer confidence is so low in these tires, does Ford insist on supplying the market with the same brand name? Simple economics.
Ford, literally has so much riding on these brand tires, the 2002 Explorer and many other current Ford products would see production halted because there simply isn't the supply to meet the demand if Ford were to drop Firestone and switch to a different tire manufacturer. Therefore, Ford Motor Company has no choice but to spend millions in a futile attempt to raise their consumers' confidence in the Firestone brand.
Ford sales analyst George Pipas added, "Without the strength of the Explorer brand, something like this could be a knockout punch." 6 But, according to the many studies of consumers regarding this Firestone fiasco, the punch has already landed.
An internal Ford Motor Company document obtained by lawyers suing the automaker and Firestone shows that Ford was originally going to use a higher tire pressure in the Firestone tires. However, Ford decided against it because the higher pressures increased the risk that Explorer sport utility vehicles using them would possibly roll over. 3 On the downside, a lower tire pressure generally places more strain on the tire and can often be attributed to early tire failure. When tires fail on a n SUV it's even more dangerous because they tend to roll over more often due to their high center of gravity.
Other benefits from Ford's side of utilizing a lower tire pressure include a softer ride and most importantly, shorter stopping distances of which Ford boasted the new 2002 Explorer as having the shortest stopping distance of all competitors.
The media won't let Ford wiggle out of this Firestone fiasco though. Jac Nasser set precedent when he exchanged Firestone tires on Ford SUV's in almost a dozen countries (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, ect) in the interest of "customer satisfaction" when in reality, it was to prevent the American press from finding out about the failures of both 15" and 16" tires. But what he didn't do is follow the same policy of replacing the tires with North American consumers - and it's going to cost Ford Motor Company billions. Ford has been acting swiftly - but that's probably because 6.5 million suspect tires were fitted almost exclusively on Explorers, which have generated about $13 billion in sales, each of the last two years 1 and those sales generate almost $2 billion in profits each year, according to industry analysts.
Ford spokesman Ken Zino claims that the consumer watch dog groups and lawyers are "looking for more lawsuits; we're looking for solutions." 1 Zeno is correct in stating that many of the consumer interest groups are influenced by trial lawyers, but it's largely because of a companies negligent attitude and business practices. That is what keeps trial lawyers in business in the first place.
Ford's past reluctance to confront consumer issues has spawned class action suits against them concerning: 3.8L V6 head gaskets, 1999 Cobra engine horsepower misrepresentation, numerous Taurus transmission suits, flaming ignition switches, peeling paint and the list continues. While trial lawyers might be making money hand over fist, companies like Ford are feeding them with all of the ammunition they need. It is the trial lawyers who are making roads, highways, vehicles and all products safer for everyone. And it's the trial lawyers who are urging Firestone and Ford to recall all suspect tires regardless of where they were made or the size.
Currently Firestone is only recalling ATX, ATX II and the 235/75R-15 Wilderness tires manufactured in Decatur and Ford is standing by them, even though multiple deaths have already been reported to the U.S. Government due to tires not made in Decatur and regardless of size. The trial lawyers, in essence are doing what you paid Ford Motor Company to provide when you purchased their product and that is providing peace of mind and a safe vehicle.
Lawsuits against Ford are stating in their briefs, "Ford should have known or had reason to know that there was a problem with the tires. . ." - and they had a responsibility to address those concerns with consumers. After all, tire defects are nothing new to Ford Motor Company. Public Citizen's President and former U.S. Government NHTSA chief Joan Claybrook said "There were enough lawsuits that they (Ford) knew there was something seriously wrong." 1
Melbourne attorney Bert Childress explains how big business settles cases to avoid publicity "The settlement is kept confidential. It becomes a closed file. All the public record says is that the case is over." Settlements are great for companies like Ford Motor Company to maintain consumer confidence in their products, but it is horrible for consumers.
"Many deaths could have been avoided, If earlier lawsuits had not been settled and without any type of publicity. The problems have been kept out of the public eye, which is what makes this so tragic," said Childress 4."
http://www.blueovalnews.com
Published: June 24, 2000
Date of revision: None
By: James Brennan tech staff writer
(Part four of a four part series)
" It seems that Ford Motor Company has trouble hitting their mark when it
comes to their slogan "Quality is Job 1". The number of recalls per vehicle
and overall reliability ratings appear to be moving in the wrong direction.
Ford owners everywhere are reluctant to convey confidence and satisfaction when discussing their car with friends, family and coworkers as of late. In fact, out of 32 car manufacturers worldwide, Ford has dropped to 28th place for overall customer satisfaction. One customer for every 400 vehicles sold is involved in an unresolved claim, meaning either there is no known repair for a problem they are experiencing, or they have become so frustrated that they wish to have their car bought back.
Saturn, by comparison, has one unresolved claim for every 14,000 vehicles sold. Despite these facts, Ford continues to be one of the largest car
companies in the world. This can only mean that their engineers and product
designers are second to none. To put it plainly, Ford makes several very
appealing cars. Those responsible for the new and redesigned Fords that hit the showroom floors really have their finger on the pulse of the car buying
public.
Since consumers often head straight for the Ford dealership when
shopping for a car, then how is it possible that the customer satisfaction
index continues to suffer? People buy cars to suit, or sometimes create their personality. The first symptom of the male mid-life crisis is the desire to get behind the wheel of a sports car. People nearly have love affairs with their cars, giving them names, garages at night, hand waxes on the weekends, and aftermarket accessories.
I have never known anyone to name a television, a pair of shoes, or even a home for that matter. Taking into account the emotion between a car
and its owner, the auto industry has carved its own niche in the business
world.
Those who hold high office at Ford Motor Company are excellent
businessmen. Men like Jac Nassar, and Carl Bergman were brought in for their expertise in running big businesses. This is exactly the problem, because the auto industry is unique in the business world. Businessmen look at facts and figures much differently than what a "car person" would.
Someone who understands what a car means to a person is interested in
selling a quality car for a reasonable price. A car person knows that a happy
customer will return later to purchase another vehicle. They will use parts
and assembly processes that will ensure a balance of reliability,
performance, ergonomics, safety, and overall value.
A businessman, on the other hand, is inclined to ignore the big picture
and look at today's facts. Once the design becomes a finished product and the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is determined, every cost cutting measure conceivable will be taken to increase the profit.
Replacing steel parts with aluminum and aluminum parts with plastic does indeed reduce vehicle weight and manufacturing cost. In moderation, the consequences are negligible, but when these steps are taken into practice on every part of the car, the whole vehicle suffers.
Car people are embarrassed when their product needs warranty repairs.
They are willing to pay a fair price to the dealer for satisfying their
customer. Businessmen look at what warranty repairs cost them and find
another way around it.
Ford, rather than justify the extra revenue required to improve the quality of their parts, has chosen another route. After studying which repairs are the most common, they looked to Carl Bergman, Head of Parts and Service for the answer. His decision was to slash the warranty labor standards across the board, forcing the dealerships to help bear the burden.
Service staff and technicians have watched helplessly as their monthly incomes have slowly decreased. The result was a $70 million savings in warranty costs last year alone. Carl Bergman insisted that technicians are grossly overpaid. For his efforts, Mr. Bergman collected a $16 million bonus.
Unfortunately, these business practices do not translate well to the
automotive world. Cutting corners in manufacturing procedures and warranty
repairs only serves to aggravate the customer satisfaction problem. Rather
than focus on one problem at a time, those who are running Ford Motor Company need to take a long hard look at the big picture. The public has definitely shown an unmatched level of enthusiasm for Ford's product line.
Sacrificing a few hundred dollars per vehicle at the factory will not only save thousands in warranty repairs, but will restore the pride of ownership that has been lacking lately in those who drive Fords. I am persuaded that Mr. Nassar, Mr. Bergman and the rest would be amazed at how thinking like "car people" could revolutionize the entire company."
Btw I was wondering if there was a good web site for sheet music.
I got to wonder why I can't find a TSB or a recall anywhere about the Toyota headgasket problems.. I have searched and searched with nothing coming up.. Many people know this was a huge problem for Toyota why isn't it out on the net??
You keep on and keep on about how Japanese quality is the best, yet you fail to mention that Firestone is Japanese. Firestone and Ford are two seperate companies. Both however are taking a sever beating with this tire issue. Ford because it has the #1 selling SUV and has had the number one selling SUV for about 5 years! Numbers are killing Ford because they sold so many Explorers with these defective tires FROM Firestone. Granted, I knew when I bought my Ranger the Firestones were garbage. This is why I traded them asap because I do offroad and I knew they wouldn't last.. Yet I am still over 2K ahead than a comparably equipped (NON TRD) Tacoma. With the upgraded I have done to my Ranger...
I will send a letter to NHTSA about the incident with my Ford van that could have killed me and others.
Probably out of round tires....this is something that Goodyear tires are sometimes guilty of, especially the wranger series. That's the stock tire that Chevy uses on their Z-71's and at my dealership we've had to have every single set that we've ever bought shaved. Eliminates the problem completely, this is sometimes the case with truck tires in general especially those over 32". I know everybody on this topic is going to jump on here and say the opposite but this has been MY experience with truck tires. It's not gospel and I'm not saying that Goodyear tires are bad at all(I do think though they wear verry fast - soft compound), just on man's experience.
I still remember well when my tire on the Ford conversion van nearly killed me back some 4 years ago on I-390. I believe that Ford has known of the problem for a long time.
". . .with the idling this week of three
Explorer and Ranger pickup truck assembly plants..."
You deleted 2 of my posts for being off topic. Post 480 is about 20 times as long as was my deleted posts. And it is OFF TOPIC. This is, to quote from the top of this page, a:
"...Pickups Conference..."
NOT a forum to rip Ford, Firestone and Explorer's.
Hmmm from the same crowd that brought you forest fires equal to the size of the states of DE, MD, NJ due to mismangement with lack of road access to the burning areas?
Or perhaps the parent behind the Dept of Transportation and/or the National Transportation and Safety Administration that was SUPPOSE to TEST and EVALUATE these tires prior to deployment for use?!?
Look for the ROOT cause of the problem, not just the symptom.
We have to realize that, unfortunately, we're all a product of our out-of-control media. this tire recall is serious, no question about it. -but people are overreacting in a huge way. I'm a perfect example: I replaced my wilderness tires last week with some kick-[non-permissible content removed] 31" BFG AT's. (and my tires weren't even the recalled ones)
Did ford know about this problem years ago? probably. but did they act any differently than any other profit-driven corportation would have? nope. would we have done anything differently if we were Jac Nasser? nope. (we like to think that we would, but we wouldn't)
anybody else agree with me on these thoughts?
I agree with what you say, I not 'ragging' on either brand but rather just stating that actually if it were Nissan then they wouldn't have to do anything at all. I imagine the manuals for the Ford and Toyotas are the same.
What do your manuals say? Anyway my point to the Toyota guys was that Ford or any of the other Manufacturers don't have to be responsible for the tires the disclosure about them NOT being covered under warranty releases them from that liability. However, if it's like allknowing says that the manufacturer KNEW about the danger(much like Ford - really Iaccoca knew about the Pinto..BTW it would have taken a $.78 part to fix that car in the '70's)then there would be a liability issue with Ford and Firestone. The real problem here is NONE of us REALLY know if Ford knew it was a danger. There were ONLY 60 deaths in ten years, not an alarming amount to catch the attention of Ford who is probably looking at many different things at once.
Understand I not trying to 'downplay' the number of deaths here because one death is TOO many in my opinion. I am just trying to say that I'm sure there's a research team at ford the investigates or researches alot of the accidents that their vehicles are in.
This tire thing will hurt Ford for a while. But this time next year people will forget all about it and the Explorer will continue to number 1 in sales.. It is amazing how the Toyota crowd beats up on Ford for a Firestone issue..
allknowing-
yeah I'm ticked at ford too. but at least they shut down 3 ranger plants to help the tire recall. it's probably too little too late, but at least it's something. BTW, I'm keeping my wilderness AT's just in case they expand the recall. I have a feeling they might before all is said and done.
Vince8-
Actually I have an Explorer not a ranger. but the 31" BFG KO's look AWESOME on it. probably the best all terrain tire out there for the money. i'd reccomend them to any explorer or ranger owner. -eagle
and just curious ... are the letters all worn off of you Ctrl and C keys