What Did They Know, and When?
Serious questions face two giants of the automotive industry after one of them, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., announced a recall Wednesday of 6.4 million tires. Ford Motor Co. also has some explaining to do, given its actions overseas and inaction here at home. The tires at issue have been widely used on Ford’s popular Explorer sport-utility vehicle.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Transportation Department agency that investigates safety defects in cars and trucks, is looking into reports of blowouts and rollovers and other accidents caused by tire tread separation and outright disintegration of 15-inch Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires. The NHTSA has received about 300 reports involving 46 deaths and roughly 80 injuries.
Bridgestone/Firestone believes its tires are safe and has cited the possibilities of improper repairs, underinflation or over-inflation and very hot weather.
Ford says it has acted in the best interests of its American consumers. Its officials say the company began replacing the tires for overseas consumers last summer. But here’s the rub. Why didn’t Ford alert American consumers or offer the same replacement deal in the United States, where the use of Bridgestone/Firestone tires is much more widespread?
Bridgestone/Firestone had to be aware of Ford’s problems and overseas tire replacements. There had been a growing number of consumer complaints to the NHTSA. The tire maker knew that two of the nation’s major tire retailers--Sears and Discount Tire--had halted the sale of certain Firestone tires.
Despite all that, Bridgestone/Firestone did not announce a recall until now, after it had been hit with a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of drivers nationwide. On Tuesday, the best that Bridgestone/Firestone was offering was a free inspection of the tires in question and trade-in value toward a purchase of new tires. That was hardly satisfying to consumers who had already replaced full sets at up to $540.
The NHTSA is on target in demanding more than 7,000 pages of documents related to the design and manufacturing of the tires, which are also used on some Ford trucks, by other vehicle manufacturers and as replacement tires for other vehicles.
The key question is when Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford first learned there might be a potentially catastrophic problem with the tires. The further back that goes, the more consumers around the nation will be pressing for redress.
