CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

[FlyAU]

NHTSA now looking at another 47 million tires manufactured by Firestone
September 16, 2000
Steve Blake, BlueOvalNews.com

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for Bridgestone/Firestone, it just has. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expanding its investigation covering another 47 million tires manufactured by Firestone under various brand names of which some models are included as original equipment on the popular Ford Ranger and Mazda B2000, specifically the Firestone Wilderness HT type tire.

NHTSA has also included the ATX spare tire, which is outfitted on the Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer. That means many consumers that have had their tires replaced on their Explorers, may just have to make another trip back to their tire service center of choice to have their spare tire removed and replaced.

Ford Motor Company CEO Jacques Nasser and Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. said the company was going to let consumers decide the fate of Firestone, by letting consumers decide which brand tires they would select as original equipment on the new 2002 Explorer and Mountaineer. However, that may be a mute point as Firestone's fate may well be decided by NHTSA well in advance of production starting on the new sister SUV's.

Here is a complete list of the tires NHTSA is now looking at and include ALL sizes of the:

AMERICAN PROSPECTOR A/T
ATX SPARE
DAYTONA RADIAL A/S
DAYTONA RADIAL RLT A/S
DAYTONA RADIAL STAG
DAYTONA RADIAL STAG A/T
DAYTONA RADIAL STAG LUG
DAYTONA RADIAL STAG LUG O
DAYTONA RADIAL STAG XT (LUG)
FIREHAWK ATX
FORCE 4 ALL TERRAIN
FORCE 4 RADIAL
GILETTE FORCE 4
LEMANS RADIAL A/T
PEERLESS FORCE 4
PLATINUM A/T
RADIAL ATX
RADIAL ATX 23 DEGREE
RADIAL ATX II
RADIAL ATX III
SEIBERLING TRAILRIDER A/S
STEEL TEX RADIAL 23 DEGREE
TRIUMPH TERRAIN LT
WIDETRACK RADIAL BAJA
WIDETRACK RADIAL BAJA A/S
WIDETRACK RADIAL BAJA A/T
WIDETRACK RADIAL BAJA LUG X/T
WILDERNESS AT
WILDERNESS AT I
WILDERNESS AT II
WILDERNESS AT III
WILDERNESS AT SPECIAL SERVICE
WILDERNESS HT
WILDERNESS HT I
WILDERNESS HT II
WILDERNESS HT IV
WILDERNESS LE

 

[mattadams]

poor firestone... LOL. I'm sure everyone there is pretty pissed at themselves, but hey you get what you deserve.

 

[Paul Gagnon]

I think that someone is out to destroy Firestone. It is sad that a company that has been around so long can be hung out to dry by a story hungry media and government officials looking to make a name for themselves. How can all of these other tires possibly be deffective? If they are then where is the rest of the story? Something is up here and it smells rotten. Before you go saying that they deserve it just stop and think about how many thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people depend on Firestone directly and indirectly for their income. This is not good for anyone.

 

[mattadams]

I agree, Firestone made some mistakes and I thinkt he media is way too hungry for a story btu still, you screw up you gotta pay the price. And to say that yes, there are millions of those tires on the road, wellt heres millions of goodyears, millions of bf goodrich's, etc. I hope you see my point. LOL, if the software company I work for had to go on the news every time they found a major problem... LOL they'd be burning us at the stake...

 

[The Godfather]

They should put the Firehawk SVX on there too. I came real close to a blow out because of a bad bead. I've still got one set on the front and the tread is starting to crack and break off. At least my Taurus won't roll over when it blows.

 

[Peter Weber]

The NHTSA has taken a lot of flak over the recall debacle. They've been accused of not doing their job (I tend to agree with that) and they just got a new director. She probably ordered the investigation as a CYA operation. Everybody, including peole on this board, have complained about limiting the recall to the 15" size. So, they're going to make sure nobody can complain that they weren't thorough enough.

 

[GJarrett]

I may be forgetting the exact figures, but....

The original recall is for something like 6.5 million tires. 88 deaths so far. Admit that there may be more: call it 100. 100 fatal failures divided by that many tires figures out to odds of one in sixty-five thousand that you will pay with your life to subsidize Firestone and Ford's blatant disregard of human life in their heartless pursuit of the corporate profit goal.

Alternate statistical scenario: Ford has sold how many Explorers in the last decade? Call it four million+. Subtract a half million 16" tire Eddie Bauer and Limiteds, etc. That brings the odds down to one in 35,000 that you will die because it was their fault.

Ford will stumble and Firestone will die. Because the media needed a story and could get away with it.

I am very "tired" (pun intended ) ) of hearing this Firestone crap. My X's new husband was a shift manager for years at Firestone/Bridgestone, so I could easily have another opinion, if you get my drift. But I am weary of counseling my female friends at church with the "killer tires" and dealing with all of this while they are truly scared they might die on the way to work tomorrow.

I will relish the day if the media could ever get sued to their knees for responsibility of mental illness, lost productivity, slander, etc; for the crusades they choose to embark on. Both my mom and my dad have been very sick lately. I think it is from blood poisoning eminating from the newspaper ink of reporters paid to report facts but instead color it with their opinions through clever word choice over the years. Yeah, that's it.

Just my extry peso. You guys know what that is worth.



[Edited by GJarrett on 09-17-2000 at 08:18 PM]

 

[Stephen]

Now I'm even MORE sure Firestone is doomed. Bridgestone would be stupid to carry the name any longer.

 

[FlyAU]

I'd be willing to put money on the fact that Firestone is dead. Sad (for the average Joe who works there) but true...Bridgestone's do-nothing approach is going to kill the Firestone name.

 

[Paul Gagnon]

Originally posted by FlyAU
Bridgestone's do-nothing approach is going to kill the Firestone name.

Perhaps that is their plan. It costs money to have different brands and product lines. Maybe Bridgestone sees this as a perfect opportunity to drop Firestone and that is why they are doing nothing to save the name.

 

[The Godfather]

I just heard now that Continental tires on the Navigator are also blowing up. Just a blurb on the news, but nothing more.

 

[Stephen]

Yep I heard it too, same problem. Ford can pick em can't they?

 

[2001ExpSport]

Don't forget, the media is fueled buy firestones previous 500 lawsuit. Firestone has definitley made a name for themselves.

 

[F'in Bob]

Lincoln navigator too

The recall blues have hit the Lincoln Navigator too. Here's the link: Dead Link Removed
How long will it take the Ford boys to recover from this??