Preliminary Probe Opened Into Another Firestone Tire
Government regulators said Friday they will open an investigation into another type of Firestone tire sold on sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks after the number of complaints about the tire “rose well above” other models.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decided to begin a “preliminary evaluation” of Firestone Steeltex R4S and Steeltex A/T tires after receiving 169 complaints, including eight crashes, 12 injuries and two deaths. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation discovered the spike in the number of incidents involving the Steeltex tires, all but two of them registered since Aug. 1, in its tire complaints database.
“The majority of the complaints occurred at highway speeds and allege a blowout, tread separation, or other major failure,” the agency said.
The number of complaints about the Steeltex ballooned following Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.’s recall on Aug. 9 of 6.5 million 15-inch ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires, mostly fitted onto Ford Explorer SUVs, that have been linked to 101 deaths and around 400 injuries. NHTSA’s investigation into the cause of those tire failures is continuing.
“Obviously there was a heightened awareness after the other Firestone recall,” an NHTSA official said. The tires were supplied to General Motors’ C/K 2500 and Ford Motor Co.’s Super-Duty F-series pickup trucks, to the Ford Excursion and GM Blazer and Suburban SUVs, and to GM’s G Van and the Ford Econoline van.
NHTSA said it is aware of tire failure complaints on Excursions, Suburbans, F250 and F350 pickup trucks and G Vans, but had no breakdown or further details.
The R4S tire is designed for use in mud and snow, while the A/T is an all-terrain tire. Both come in 15-, 16- and 16.5-inch sizes.
Consumer safety groups have demanded that Bridgestone/Firestone expand the recall to include 16-inch versions of the recalled tires, and all Wilderness AT tires. NHTSA’s move Friday is certain to put pressure on the tire maker to widen its recall.
A preliminary evaluation, or PE, is the first step taken by NHTSA in a defect investigation and can lead to product recalls. NHTSA gathers information from the makers of the tires and the vehicles on which they are installed.
“There were a significant number of complaints in a short period of time. They rose to a level of us feeling we needed more information,” said the official, who would not be further identified.
“A NHTSA PE is not a finding of a defect but rather is a process to determine the facts surrounding complaints that have been filed with NHTSA,” Bridgestone/Firestone said in a statement.
The tire maker “has, and will continue to have, a policy of being open and responsive to NHTSA as well as other government representatives and agencies,” the statement said. “We have been and will continue to work diligently to fulfill these inquiries in a timely and responsive manner with limited staff and resources.”
Bridgestone/Firestone had no further comment, said a spokeswoman reached at the tire maker’s headquarters in Nashville.
The NHTSA official said he had no information about how many tires were produced, when or where the accidents occurred, or what vehicles were involved.
“We’re aware of the PE and of course will cooperate fully with NHTSA,” Ford spokesman Mike Vaughn told The Times. “But it’s too early to speculate about the outcome.”
All Ford Excursions are fitted with the Steeltex tires in question, as are 40% of Super Duty F-series pickup trucks and 40% of Ford Econoline vans, Vaughn said.
He said he didn’t have any information about incidents involving the tires. “We’ll be looking through all the databases and see what we find,” he said.
General Motors did not immediately return a call seeking comment, but GM spokesman Greg Martin told the Associated Press that GM has received “no reports or any information that suggests any problems with these tires.”
NHTSA is also conducting a preliminary evaluation of certain tires made by Continental that were sold on Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Those tires have also showed a tendency to lose their treads, although no accidents or injuries were reported. Continental has begun a voluntary recall of the tires.
