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Attorneys of Record for
Taras Kick
C. Tab Turner
DOWNLOAD FORMS
(Requires Adobe Acrobat) FORD DEALERSHIPS FORD REFUND FORM APPROVED FORD TIRES APPROVED MAZDA TIRES (Mazda dealership should provide the appropriate refund form.)
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Ford Explorers & Firestone Tires:
October 4, 2001--TIRE ACTION GROUP (TAG) witnessed the "dropping of the other shoe" when after 14 months, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) publicly announced that it found Firestone's Wilderness AT tires, mostly installed on Ford Explorers, to be defective. The NHTSA's announcement forces Bridgestone/Firestone to recall pre-1998 Wilderness AT tires. Clearly a victory for TAG members, the recall bitterly comes at the heels of 203 fatalities and more than 700 injuries associated with Firestone tires and Ford Explorers.
The "first shoe" dropped in May 2001, when in response to immense public outcry, Ford was forced to recall all Wilderness AT tires from its own vehicles which introduced a small level of comfort to Ford owners, but left other Firestone owners hanging in the balance.
Since August 2000, TAG has sought the immediate recall of all defective Firestone Tires. Specifically, TAG wants Firestone to extend its recall to include all Wilderness AT tires, regardless of size, where they were made, or where they are being used.
Predictably, Ford and Firestone have both issued separate statements to spin the NHTSA's decision everywhere other than to point to their own accountability. Ford claims "vindication," while Bridgestone/Firestone downplays the significance of the cost of the recall.
TAG has maintained from the beginning that the problem is due to the combination of bad tires on bad vehicles. "Both Ford and Firestone need to face up to their decisions that have contributed to the problem, and continue to put the motoring public at risk," contends one TAG member. "The NHTSA is irresponsible for issuing a statement that lulls the public into believing that the problem is fully resolved. The only acceptable solution is the recall of all Wilderness AT tires and removing Explorers off our roads," said by a Safetyforum.com spokesperson.
We will continue to work if the members of TAG want to see more tires recalled, more action in Washington and higher civil and criminal penalties levied upon Firestone and Ford. The byproduct of this work is saving countless lives and preventing injury to those we love. "I want to motivate each and every one of you to take action that you can be proud of. This is work that is groundbreaking and history making. You’ve done so much and come so far," said Leigh Williams, TAG spokesperson.
Some Background
Firestone, a unit of Japan's Bridgestone Corp., announced a recall of 14.4 million tires on August 9 when fatalities linked to tread separations and blowouts were at 46, and injuries were at 80. Although broader recalls or service campaigns were issued or offered in other countries, Firestone limited its recall in the U.S. to only include the P235/75R15 radial ATX and ATX II tires produced in North America and Mexico, and P235/75R15 Wilderness AT tires produced in its plant in Decatur, Illinois. At the time of the recall announcement, approximately 6.5 million tires were still on the road.
Most of the tires in question were original equipment on Ford's light trucks and sport utility vehicles, such as Mercury Twin Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Mazda B light trucks, and its very popular Explorer. A small number of these tires were installed on other manufacturers' vehicles, and they have been used as replacement tires on a wide variety of models.
Safetyforum.com has learned that the tread separation problem associated with the recalled tires are also occuring on the same model tires not included in the August recall. More than half (67%) of the complaints received by the NHTSA and about a third of lawsuits involve non-recalled Firestone tires. Among the incidents involving Wilderness tires where the tire size, model and plant of origin were identifiable, tread separation and blowouts were reported 86% of the time, six times more than the recalled Wilderness tires. Wilderness tires produced in Firestone's plant in Joliette, Canada, were reported to fail twice as much as the recalled Wilderness tires. Wilderness tires produced in Wilson, NC, were reported to fail four times as much. An independent investigator reported in February 2001 that the failure rate (0.70 to 0.80) of Wilderness tires not included in the recall is the same as the recalled Wilderness tires (0.80).
Further, NHTSA issued a Consumer Advisory on September 1, which named non-recalled Firestone tire models that had tread separation rates higher than the ones included in the recall. After being sharply criticized by members of Congress, but still in lieu of an expanded recall, Firestone promised to replace the tires named in the advisory. Approximately 700,000 tires are still on the road from this list.
Subsequently, Clinton signed a new law, the TREAD Act, which stipulates jail terms for auto executives who are caught lying and fines of up to $15 million. Touted as a triumph of Congress, the law is written in such a way that doesn't make it any easier to indict Firestone or Ford.
On May 22, Ford announced the recall of all Wilderness AT tires installed on Ford vehicles. Although a clear victory for Ford owners, there are 3 million Firestone tires installed on non-Ford vehicles.
On October 4, after a year-long investigation, the NHTSA pushed Bridgestone/Firestone to recall all Wilderness AT tires made before May 1998. In lieu of a total recall of the entire model line, NHTSA reasoned that Firestone "increased the dimensions and improved the material of the belt wedge" of the same model tires produced after May. "In theory, these modifications to the wedge would tend to inhibit the initiation and propagation of the belt-edge cracks that lead to tread separations," according to the NHTSA's defect investigation.
The NHTSA's findings note that the "rate of tread separation failures on Ranger pickups is lower [than] the rate of such failures on Explorers for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the Explorer generally carries higher loads and is a more demanding application, and the tires on the Explorer had a significantly lower recommended inflation pressure (especially on the rear wheels)." TAG continues to demand a full investigation of the Ford Explorer, as claims and complaints data clearly show a diabolical relationship between Wilderness AT tires, its propensity to tread separate, and the resulting rollover of the Explorer which has proven to be fatal time and time again.
Safetyforum.com is providing this webpage as a platform to Firestone owners to voice their opinions and concerns, to share information and discoveries, and to develop the best strategy to get all defective tires off the road.
To participate in our efforts, click here. There is no membership fee. Your information will be kept strictly confidential. You only have to provide an accurate e-mail address. Of course, we would appreciate any information you can provide regarding your tires, especially if you have experienced tire failure with any of the tires NOT included in the recall.
We also invite you to particpate in TAG's online message board. This is your forum to post messages and responses as often as you want. Keep it clean. Be aware that children may view this site.
With your participation, we will facilitate this process in the best way we know how. With your support, we have made and will continue to make a difference in this issue.
IMPORTANT: Persons and organizations appearing on this site do not necessarily imply that Safetyforum.com endorses, sponsors, affiliates or associates with such entities. Safetyforum.com's use of recognizable images such as third party trademarks is in compliance with sections 107 through 118 of the Copyright Act (title 17, U.S. Code) or "fair use" doctrine for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
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