Attorneys of Record for
Tires

Taras Kick
The Kick Law Firm
660 South Figeroa Street
Suite 1800
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-624-1588
217-624-1589 fax
taras@kicklawfirm.com
kicklawfirm.com

C. Tab Turner
Turner & Associates, PA
4705 Somers Avenue, Suite 100
North Little Rock, AR 72116
501-791-2277
501-791-1251 fax
tab@tturner.com
tturner.com

Safetyforum.com and Public Citizen Report:
NHTSA Forces Firestone to Recall Defective Tires,
Expand Wilderness AT Recall

ARLINGTON, VA, Oct. 5 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that a safety defect exists in Firestone Wilderness AT tires made before May 1998. The announcement covers tires made at plants other than Decatur, Illinois -- tires that were not included in last year's recall.

The investigation, which lasted over a year, focused on tires made by Firestone for use on the Ford Explorer. The combination of bad tires and bad vehicles has resulted in more than 200 deaths. The recall follows an informal effort by Ford Motor Company in May to get the bad tires off of Ford vehicles. Safety groups had been pressing for a more complete recall for more than a year contending that the non-Decatur tires posed a danger to the motoring public. Firestone has repeatedly maintained that the tires were "world class" performing tires, despite the untold number of victims suffering from the failures.

Safetyforum.com and Public Citizen compliments the NHTSA for forcing Bridgestone/Firestone to recall the additional tires. Consumers who have not already had their tires replaced by Ford now have another option to ensure their vehicles are no longer equipped with the bad tires.

The NHTSA's recall stops short of a total recall by limiting the scope to pre-May 1998 Wilderness AT tires. Although a victory for consumers, Safetyforum.com continues to encourage owners of all vehicles equipped with Wilderness AT tires to immediately replace their tires. Existing evidence shows that all Wilderness AT tires pose an increasing risk to the public as they age in use. Tab Turner, a Little Rock lawyer who serves as Safetyforum.com's Attorney of Record for vehicle stability and tires, noted that "Consumers should not be misled by Firestone's continued refusal to face the truth about the dangers associated with these tires. Firestone is in a state of denial about their product and will say and do anything to avoid further damage. Firestone cannot be trusted."

Turner's firm handles numerous Ford and Firestone related cases, having reached separate multimillion dollar settlements with each company in a Texas trial earlier this year, and most recently settling with Firestone in a Mississippi case for an undisclosed amount on Tuesday, October 2, 2001. Turner's support of the issue continues, as he still has dozens of similar cases pending.

Safetyforum.com and Public Citizen have stated from the outset that the victims of these tragic accidents are victims of both a bad tire and a bad vehicle. Safetyforum.com and Public Citizen stand together in urging the NHTSA to advise the public of the risks associated with the combination of bad tires and the Explorer and to force both of these companies to remove these products from the market.

The NHTSA's decision follows the loss of Ralph Hoar, founder of Safetyforum.com. Ralph was an inspiration to those who seek to help consumers be better informed, have open access to justice and to correct corporate misconduct.

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Safetyforum.com is an Internet-based coalition of safety attorneys and consumer advocates who expose hazardous products and practices. For more information, please visit www.safetyforum.com.
CONTACT: Cindy Raffles 703-469-3700

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org.

(10/05/01)