Tires: BF Goodrich tires, bf goodrich tires, ford excursion

Question
Hi Barry,
The original BF Goodrich tires on my 05' Ford Excursion are starting to show signs of dry rot on the sidewall. The vehicle only has 27,000 miles on it and I have found no sign of recalls on the web. The Goodrich warranty states that I should  have a record of payment with paperwork showing regular tire rotation. Do you know where I might go to qualify for a discount?

Thank you, Kevin

Answer
Kevin,

I'm going to give you both the good and the bad.

First the bad:  Cracking is a natural phenomenon for rubber, so some cracking (dry rot) is to be expected.  After 2 1/2 years, there is a level that is considered acceptable.  So this becomes a matter of degree rather than kind.  

Further, this is not a recallable issue.  The degradation of the rubber might lead to some types of tire failures, but the condition isn't a problem by itself.

The good:  You should be able to take this to any tire dealer - including your Ford dealer - and get an assessment, and perhaps an adjustment.  This is all going to depend on whether the dealer agrees that the level is excessive.