--UPDATE Ford replaced my tires!--Bronco Tire vibration, sidewall bulge and tread Issue, What's happening here?!

[LLL]

A few weeks ago I noticed a sidewall bulge in the left rear tire of my bronco.
Recently at high speeds over 80 mph on toll roads I've noticed a sever vibration. (85mph is the speed limit on our Texas toll roads)
Last weekend I inspected the rear tires as the vibration wasn't in the steering wheel.

Both rear tires are concave across the contact surface.
I rotated the left rear that had the bulge in the sidewall to the spare and put the spare on and the left rear.
The vibration is now gone.

My question:
Why are my rear tires concave? The front are not.

Details
2021 Badlands 4d sasquatch
Tires run at 36 psi
9,800 miles on Bronco/tires

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[Kos]

I worked for GY for 5 years in management at a couple of manufacturing facilities.

The concave issue on the tread is normal wear and tear (when you drive the rotational forces cause the treads to slightly arch which results in the concave when it’s not under rotational forces). The wave in the sidewall has me a little concerned (I wouldn’t classify that as a bulge). You rotated it which is good. I would take it to your Ford dealership have them look at it. At the very least I’d have them balance it and possibly look into warranty replacement. Just a warning, tire warranties are not just swap it out for a new one, they prorate the cost of the new tire based on how many miles you’ve driven vs the warrantied mileage.

 

[LLL]

I worked for GY for 5 years in management at a couple of manufacturing facilities.

The concave issue on the tread is normal wear and tear (when you drive the rotational forces cause the treads to slightly arch which results in the concave when it’s not under rotational forces). The wave in the sidewall has me a little concerned (I wouldn’t classify that as a bulge). You rotated it which is good. I would take it to your Ford dealership have them look at it. At the very least I’d have them balance it and possibly look into warranty replacement. Just a warning, tire warranties are not just swap it out for a new one, they prorate the cost of the new tire based on how many miles you’ve driven vs the warrantied mileage.

Good to know, I'll try and get it in for balancing soon. They always want to keep it a couple weeks and leave me nothing to drive, even for the little stuff.

Why would the rear tires be concave but not the front? Is it because the front turn and scrub the rears?

 

[Kos]

Good to know, I'll try and get it in for balancing soon. They always want to keep it a couple weeks and leave me nothing to drive, even for the little stuff.

Why would the rear tires be concave but not the front? Is it because the front turn and scrub the rears?

Exactly. Each tire position wears a little differently. That’s why you need to rotate to maximize the life of your tires.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

A few weeks ago I noticed a sidewall bulge in the left rear tire of my bronco.
Recently at high speeds over 80 mph on toll roads I've noticed a sever vibration. (85mph is the speed limit on our Texas toll roads)
Last weekend I inspected the rear tires as the vibration wasn't in the steering wheel.

Both rear tires are concave across the contact surface.
I rotated the left rear that had the bulge in the sidewall to the spare and put the spare on and the left rear.
The vibration is now gone.

My question:
Why are my rear tires concave? The front are not.

Details
2021 Badlands 4d sasquatch
Tires run at 36 psi
9,800 miles on Bronco/tires

Hi there! please send a message to us with your VIN and the name & location of your Ford dealership, along with some more details about your situation. I’ll look into this for you. Thanks!

 

[zyglyrox]

So I had this “wave” issue on our Bronco Sport, dealer gave me the explanation that it’s from the straps used to hold down vehicles in transport.. we’ve put 16k on the tires since and the wave is gone.

 

[LLL]

Update as of today June 15th.
Ford reached out to me and after taking my Bronco to my local dealer and working with a Ford customer service rep I was able to get my tires replaced. Since I'd rotated my spare on to remove vibration in the left rear they ended up replacing all 5 tires.
Happy Customer here

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