White House Rules Out Tire-Safety Requirement

White House officials have rejected a federal safety rule requiring sensors in car wheels to warn drivers of low tire pressure, prompting strong criticism from consumer groups and a senior lawmaker.

In a letter released Wednesday, John Graham, head of a White House office that has final say over new regulations, suggested a less-expensive alternative favored by some car makers but deemed inferior by testers for Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports.

Graham said in an interview that the alternative system has an overlooked advantage: It would encourage auto makers to equip more vehicles with anti-lock brakes. He estimated that overall, this combination would save more lives. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should have considered that before rejecting the alternative system, Graham said.

“The differences between lives saved by the competing tire-pressure monitoring systems alone have not been shown to be statistically significant,” Graham said. “In fact, the lifesaving effect for anti-lock brakes is more compelling.”

Graham heads the regulatory section of the Office of Management and Budget, a White House agency that oversees the federal bureaucracy. Safety was the sole consideration in reaching the decision, he added.

The tire-monitoring requirement is part of a sweeping auto safety bill passed by Congress after the Firestone tire recall two years ago.

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a leading sponsor of the legislation, sharply criticized the White House. “OMB is busy letting the air out of the regulations. Is OMB ready to take responsibility for the lives lost on our highways as the result of this regulatory stall?”

Markey said that if the Bush administration believes all vehicles should have anti-lock brakes, it should mandate that separately.

The system favored by NHTSA uses a sensor in each wheel to directly measure tire pressure. A light would alert drivers of a problem.

The alternative suggested by OMB would indirectly monitor tire pressure. Computers that operate anti-lock brakes would also be used to detect under-inflated tires. These tires have a smaller diameter and rotate faster, a difference the system can distinguish. A warning light would also be used.

The NHTSA system would cost an average of $66.50 per vehicle; the alternative would cost $13.29.

The Bush administration has vowed to take a hard look at new regulations. The OMB ruling could delay the tire safety requirements, which are scheduled to take effect in 2004. Safety advocates said another consequence is that some vehicles will be equipped with inferior warning systems, while consumers willing to pay more could get the design favored by the NHTSA.

Sally Greenberg, a lobbyist for Consumers Union, said testing last year by her organization noted a potential problem with the alternative suggested by the White House: It can fail to warn the driver when all four tires lose roughly the same amount of pressure, a common condition.

The system suggested by the White House has other drawbacks. It doesn’t tell drivers which tire is under-inflated and only works when the vehicle is moving.

By contrast, a sensor in each wheel also allows the driver to know if tires are overheating, Greenberg said. Heat was cited as a major factor in the tread separation failures of Firestone tires on Ford Explorers, which killed at least 271 people and injured hundreds more.

Graham acknowledged in his letter that the type of system NHTSA had proposed was “capable of detecting low pressure under a greater variety of circumstances.”

NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge said he would “look carefully” at OMB’s recommendation. He said his agency will work to set requirements for an effective tire-pressure monitoring system.

The auto industry was pleased with the decision. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers argues that individual car makers should be able to offer either system.

“We have not felt that NHTSA did an acceptable job in justifying its decision,” said Scott Schmidt, director of safety regulations for the industry group. “We are gratified that OMB reached some of the same conclusions we have. NHTSA can still come back and say, ‘We did our homework and we come out in the same place we were.’ ”