WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2000 -- An analysis by The Washington Post finds that the Ford Explorer has a higher rate of tire-related accidents than other sport utility vehicles, regardless of whether the Explorer is equipped with Firestone or Goodyear tires.
Ford CEO Jacques Nasser testified before Congress that there had not been "one single tread separation problem" on Explorers equipped with Goodyear tires. "So we know this is a tire issue, not a vehicle issue," he said.
In fact, the Post analysis found that:
- Explorers equipped with Goodyear tires had a higher rate of tire-related accidents than other SUVs in the national fatal accident records.
- No other SUV has an equipment problem as strongly related to accidents as the Explorer's blowout problem. Explorers were found to be up to four times more likely to have an accident caused by a tire blowout than other SUVs.
- The Explorer's higher fatality rate in accidents is directly related to its propensity to roll over. In a study of 5,870 single-vehicle accidents in Florida, the Post found the Explorer was 13 percent more likely to roll than other compact SUVs. It was 53 percent more likely to roll than other compact SUVs when an equipment failure, such as a blowout, occurred. National data show than in 187 blown-tire accidents that killed someone in an SUV, the Explorer rolled over 95 percent of the time, compared with 83 percent for other SUVs.
Commenting on the Post study, James Fell, the retired chief of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), said it was "an indication there may be a factor with the Ford Explorer beyond the tire issue. It's a first indicator that they may have a stability problem."
At least 101 persons are known to have died in tire-related Explorer rollovers in the United States.
In Venezuela, where Ford replaced Firestone tires on its Explorers prior to the U.S. recall, consumer protection agency head Samuel Ruh Rios has said the 47 fatal accidents there resulted from "a lethal combination" of the Explorer's design and certain Firestone tires.
The Post reported that internal Ford documents show the company's own analysis of the Venezuela accidents found the problem unique to the Explorer.
"High incidence of vehicle rollover after a tire blowout or tread loss has not been detected for other vehicle brands," the document said.
