A
Andy Bassett
I can't for the life of me find the thread where we started to discuss this, but somebody has very kindly sent me a copy of an article which i paste in below.
I have already circulated this in my customers, IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ARTICLES OF SIMILAR CONTENT, PLEASE POST HERE, OR SEND THEM TO ME, I WILL MAKE GOOD USE OF THEM.
Lawmakers Slam Firestone, Ford on Tires
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers slammed Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.
(5108.T) and Ford Motor Co (F.N) for failing to sound the alarm early
enough on the failure of Firestone tires linked to at least 88 deaths in
the United States.
In the first of two hearings on the same day by Congress,senators said
it seemed as if the companies did not have the interests of the American
consumer in mind when they tackled the problem of treads separating,
leading to the fatal accidents.
``It sure looks like several critical players were covering their
ears,'' said Sen. Richard Shelby, Chairman of the Transportation
Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.
Firestone, owned by Japanese tiremaker Bridgestone Corp., announced on
Aug. 9 a voluntary recall of 6.5 million 15-inch tires in response to a
U.S. probe that began in May. So far nearly two million have been
replaced, and several more people have died in tire-linked accidents
since the recall.
Most of the Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles were outfitted with
Firestone tires, and this vehicle has featured prominently in the
accident statistics.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating
the accidents formally in May and Shelby questioned if this had been
soon enough.
Facing a grilling by the lawmakers, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. CEO
Masatoshi Ono said his company would not rest until it knew the reason
for the fatal accidents.
``Unfortunately, I am not able to give you a conclusive cause at this
time. However, you have my word that we will continue until we find the
cause,'' Ono said in testimony before the panel.
Ono and Jacques Nasser, president and CEO of Ford (F.N), and other
officials are due to testify in the House of Representatives about the
largest tire recall in U.S. history later on Wednesday.
A Ford official reiterated that the accidents, some of which involved
the Explorer rolling over, were a tire problem rather than something
linked to the performance of the vehicle.
Helen Petrauskas, Ford's vice president of environmental and safety
engineering, said the automaker began looking for defects in the tire at
the same time it was replacing tires overseas after learning of reports
of tread separation.
``We had new tires tested under three separate, severe test conditions
to try to cause tread separation to happen,'' she said. ``No defect
trend was found.''
Panel member Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, said she had
questions about why American consumers were kept in the dark when tires
were replaced or recalled in more than 15 countries outside the United
States.
``American consumers need better and more timely information on product
safety,'' she said in an opening statement.
``Many in this Congress have prided themselves on loosening Federal
Regulations -- this crisis has shown why regulations and oversight are
needed to ensure public safety.''
At the rear of the House hearing room a suspect Wilderness AT tire was
on display, its tread ripped away like a giant banana peel.
I have already circulated this in my customers, IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ARTICLES OF SIMILAR CONTENT, PLEASE POST HERE, OR SEND THEM TO ME, I WILL MAKE GOOD USE OF THEM.
Lawmakers Slam Firestone, Ford on Tires
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers slammed Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.
(5108.T) and Ford Motor Co (F.N) for failing to sound the alarm early
enough on the failure of Firestone tires linked to at least 88 deaths in
the United States.
In the first of two hearings on the same day by Congress,senators said
it seemed as if the companies did not have the interests of the American
consumer in mind when they tackled the problem of treads separating,
leading to the fatal accidents.
``It sure looks like several critical players were covering their
ears,'' said Sen. Richard Shelby, Chairman of the Transportation
Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.
Firestone, owned by Japanese tiremaker Bridgestone Corp., announced on
Aug. 9 a voluntary recall of 6.5 million 15-inch tires in response to a
U.S. probe that began in May. So far nearly two million have been
replaced, and several more people have died in tire-linked accidents
since the recall.
Most of the Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles were outfitted with
Firestone tires, and this vehicle has featured prominently in the
accident statistics.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating
the accidents formally in May and Shelby questioned if this had been
soon enough.
Facing a grilling by the lawmakers, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. CEO
Masatoshi Ono said his company would not rest until it knew the reason
for the fatal accidents.
``Unfortunately, I am not able to give you a conclusive cause at this
time. However, you have my word that we will continue until we find the
cause,'' Ono said in testimony before the panel.
Ono and Jacques Nasser, president and CEO of Ford (F.N), and other
officials are due to testify in the House of Representatives about the
largest tire recall in U.S. history later on Wednesday.
A Ford official reiterated that the accidents, some of which involved
the Explorer rolling over, were a tire problem rather than something
linked to the performance of the vehicle.
Helen Petrauskas, Ford's vice president of environmental and safety
engineering, said the automaker began looking for defects in the tire at
the same time it was replacing tires overseas after learning of reports
of tread separation.
``We had new tires tested under three separate, severe test conditions
to try to cause tread separation to happen,'' she said. ``No defect
trend was found.''
Panel member Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, said she had
questions about why American consumers were kept in the dark when tires
were replaced or recalled in more than 15 countries outside the United
States.
``American consumers need better and more timely information on product
safety,'' she said in an opening statement.
``Many in this Congress have prided themselves on loosening Federal
Regulations -- this crisis has shown why regulations and oversight are
needed to ensure public safety.''
At the rear of the House hearing room a suspect Wilderness AT tire was
on display, its tread ripped away like a giant banana peel.
