Ford spokesman Ken Zino says Ford doesn't have Venezuelan government figures to show fatality rates there. Ford filed the complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of its inquiry into whether the recall should be expanded. Many could not be cured, even after dealers changed tires, shock absorbers and driveshafts. That's a normal level of vibration complaints for Ford trucks, the analysis shows. But on Explorer, such vibrations might mask the larger danger of tread separation.
Vibration is the only known warning that tells a driver tread separation is about to occur.
Explorer drivers, used to vibrations that dealers can't fix, could mistake the warning of tire-tread failure for a more routine problem. Firestone spokesman Phil Pacsi disagrees. He says tire-tread vibration is more violent and unlikely to be mistaken for any other problem. Only the Ranger compact pickup, from which Explorer is derived, has a similar cupping rate. Ford admits it can't fix the problem but insists it is not connected to tread separation.