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Although there are no official recalls on Hankook tires for the Ford Explorer, Ford issued a technical service bulletin on March 29, 2018, highlighting concerns about unusual tread wear for those used on 2015-2018 models. Hankook provides prorated tire replacements for vehicles with less than 36,000 miles on them, but it's unlikely that a vehicle of this age would still have such low mileage today. To find more details, you can search for Ford TSB #SSM47195. This bulletin is significant because the tire wear issue is not caused by misalignment of the vehicle. The affected tires are the 255/50R20 105H Ventus S1 Noble 2, and if your vehicle has exceeded the 36,000-mile limit, you won't be eligible for replacement.
My tires had 17,000 miles on them. Hankook promised to cover the cost of replacement tires while I waited for the dealership to respond for over 6 months. The tires were removed and returned to the manufacturer. Surprisingly, the manufacturer claimed the measurements were different from what was originally reported by the tire expert, resulting in me not receiving any reimbursement. I feel deceived by their dishonest actions.
Upon discovering tread separation in the Hankook tires on my 2018 Ford Explorer with only 13,000 miles, I was quite taken aback. I found two instances of small 1/2 cuts around the sidewall of the tires - one on the passenger rear and the other on the driver front, each about 6 inches apart. I initially doubted myself and had my husband confirm the issue. With this being a lightly used vehicle, I began researching online for any reports of tread problems with Hankook tires, only to find that similar issues have been ongoing for years. It surprises me that these tires have not been recalled and removed from all vehicles, especially since Firestone faced a similar situation that nearly led to their downfall approximately 30 years ago. I am disappointed that Ford did not inform me about these tire problems and failed to check my vehicle for safety concerns during routine oil changes.
There have been no official recalls for Ford Explorers equipped with original Hankook tires. However, there have been reports of unusual tire wear, which Hankook has recognized and is assisting with rectifying.