# 2016 Ford Explorer - Rear tires are a symptom - what is the cause? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** ford\ **Created:** [September 15, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895 "2023-09-15T03:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@stopher](https://community.cartalk.com/u/stopher)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/1 "2023-09-15T03:21:00Z")
my 2016 explorer Limited is chewing up the rear tires. I bought the vehicle used with 140K on it. Not sure if the rear end recalls have anything to do with it. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this. ---
**Author:** ![GorehamJ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/gorehamj/32/24103_2.png) [@GorehamJ](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GorehamJ)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/2 "2023-09-15T12:40:13Z")
Start with an inspection of the control arms, shocks, and other suspension components for obvious problems or damage. Then a 4-wheel alignment. That’s under $200 to see if the cause can be determined. ---
**Author:** ![CapriRacer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/capriracer/32/22_2.png) [@CapriRacer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/CapriRacer)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/3 "2023-09-15T12:41:37Z")
Second vote for inspection and alignment. ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/4 "2023-09-15T14:14:39Z")
Chewing up how? Do you have a picture of the tire wear? ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/5 "2023-09-15T15:22:08Z")
Agree with above, including pictures of the tire wear… Take your vehicle to a pro shop, NOT Walmart, Sam’s, Costco, Discount tire etc cause they only install tires, they are not mechanics… A pro shop with an alignment machine will be able to check the vehicle suspension out for loose or bent parts as well as check the alignment to determine what the cause of the wear is… Be prepared to pay for the inspection… ---
**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/6 "2023-09-15T16:59:50Z")
Was the vehicle involved in a wreck, like a rear end collision, prior to your buying it? That was the first thought that crossed my mind. Maybe a poor repair job… ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/7 "2023-09-15T23:00:18Z")
Could be a rear toe-in problem. Your best bet is to ask a shop to correct the problem. However if you want to try something yourself, it is often possible to estimate the toe on a flat driveway using nothing more sophisticated than a tape measure and plum-bob. Google will likely have some how-to vdo links. Generally the way it is done, you make a small mark on the front side of the tires, roughly in the middle of each tire’s tread. At the 3 o-clock position if you are looking at the right rear tire for example. Then you transfer that mark to the driveway, using a plum-bob. Next you move the vehicle forward 1/2 tire revolution and transfer the marks to the driveway again. The difference of the two L/R distances is the appx toe number, usually spec’d in mm. ---
**Author:** ![eddo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/eddo/32/2594_2.png) [@eddo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/eddo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-ford-explorer-rear-tires-are-a-symptom-what-is-the-cause/192895/8 "2023-09-18T16:46:04Z")
another vote for inspection and alignment from an alignment shop. You said you bought the vehicle with 140,000 miles on it, but didn’t say how long ago that was or how long you have owned the vehicle. but that info wouldn’t change my opinion- you gotta get this looked at. also to keep in mind- I have seen certain makes of tires wear out faster than others on heavy Ford’s, like an expedition is. (and also on Chevy’s.) Timely tire rotations can help, but certain tires just wore out faster than others. If the alignment shop says all is good, maybe a swith to a different brand of tire would help.