This is now the third sidewall failure on this vehicle; all three times, it was the right front tire. Hancook Ventus S1 Noble 255/50R20 tires. First off, these tires are rated for 50,000 miles. At approximately 28,000 miles, dealership stated that these tires would need to be replaced soon. Have read numerous complaints about lousy tread life AND sidewall failures on this tire/vehicle. The dealership always tries to claim that we must have hit a pothole. This is not the case! These tires are crap! Ford needs to do something about this, and if they don't, then the government needs to step in. Fortunately, all three incidents have occurred at (relatively) low speed on surface streets. Thankfully, they didn't occur at highway speeds. My wife does not feel safe in this vehicle and we still have approximately 10 months left on the lease. We will not be getting same vehicle or tires.

hankook ventus s1 noble 2 sidewall failure

2016 Ford Explorer Limited with 4,186 miles. Vehicle is equipped with Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 tires size 255/50 R20. Shortly after backing out of the driveway and while driving out of our subdivision at approximately 25 mph the warning chime started sounding. Dash display indicated low tire pressure in the passenger side front tire. Display started at about 25psi but quickly fell. Before we could turn around and return to the house, 200 yards, the tire was completely flat. After removal we found that the inside sidewall had "blown out". Since it was the weekend I decided to use the time to do some research on Hankooks. (I have a 2015 Genesis and my Genesis dealer told me Hyundai had switched to Michelin for the Genesis due to "many complaints" about the Hankooks.) I was surprised and disappointed to find Hankook had issued a recall in January 2016 for this same model time, but not in the size used on the 2106 Explorer. The recall was for inside sidewall failures, the exact problem we suffered. Om Monday I went to my local Ford dealer, explained the problem as well as my research and requested that Ford replace all 4 tires with Michelin Premiere LTX. I told them I had no faith in the safety of the Hankooks. The service manager agreed to submit my request to Ford. The next day I opened a problem case with the Ford customer center as the service manager had informed me he was have trouble getting Ford to respond to the case. While the service manager kept me updated on his discussions with Ford and Hankook, I decided to stop in on Friday afternoon for a face-to-face update. The service manager informed me that Hankook came back with an offer to provide a 40% discount for the purchase of a new tire. The service manager said he had not contacted me about Hankook's offer as it was unsatisfactory to him and he knew it would be unsatisfactory to me. I re-contacted Ford customer service and escalated the issue to a manager after the customer service rep told me Ford has to stand behind their supplier's decision. Of course this means Ford does not really stand behind their product. I am quite disappointed that Ford would install these tires on the Explorer. While I am not a tire engineer, from my research it appears this tire does fine on lighter weight vehicles, but on heavier vehicles such as the Genesis and Explorer the thin sidewalls are a problem. I am especially disappointed that Ford would install this tire on a vehicle that was ordered with a tow package. Needless to say, these tires are going to be replaced one way or another and I will never buy another Hankook. I also suggest anyone buying an Explorer require the dealer replace the Hankooks.